The scheme has now closed for new applications with all funding allocated. If your business is looking for funding or support please contact the economic development team by email EconomicDevelopment@maidstone.gov.uk or visit their website.

The Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF or The Fund) is a rural top-up allocated as an addendum to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). It supports the aims of two of the government's missions (Kick-Start Economic growth and Break down the Barriers to opportunity) and the 'Farming and Countryside Programme'.

The Fund can be used for capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure in rural areas. It supports two of the three UKSPF priority themes: Supporting Local Business and Community and Place.

Following the announcement in March 2024 for the extension of the REPF, our cabinet agreed that the focus of this funding should be supporting local businesses. In particular, the micro-intervention ‘small-scale investment in micro and small enterprises in rural areas’.

For 2025 to 2026, REPF will provide capital funding to support new and existing rural businesses to develop new products and facilities that will be of wider benefit to the local economy. This includes farm businesses looking to diversify income streams. It cannot support projects that have already received funding from other DEFRA schemes. It must not be used to fund farm machinery or to diversify within agriculture, as these items are outside the fund’s scope.

Funding

We are offering a grant scheme to provide a grant between £500 and £15,000 towards capital investment for rural businesses. The grant will be open to all eligible business sectors with a specific focus on:

• the local economy
• ‘green initiative’ businesses
• food and drink producers
• hospitality businesses

Each applicant must provide match funding for this grant of at least 20%. For example, a project with a total cost of £10,000 will be eligible for a £8,000 grant from the Rural Investment Grant Scheme, with a further £2,000 match funded by the applicant. Evidence of available matched funding will be required during the application process. All funding must be distributed to recipients and projects completed by 31 March 2026.

If your business requires support in raising finance for the matched funding, support may be available to you via our business advisor. Please email ruralinvestmentgrant@maidstone.gov.uk if your business requires support with this.

Eligibility

The project needs to be located in the district of Maidstone and serve the district area. All businesses applying for funding must be registered and operating in the area identified below. Only capital projects for business purposes will be considered.

Not all areas of Maidstone Borough are eligible to receive rural funding as determined by DEFRA. Businesses must be located in a rural area, which is defined as:

• towns, villages, and hamlets with populations below 10,000 and the wider countryside
• market or ‘hub towns’ with populations of up to 30,000 that serve their surrounding rural areas as centres of employment and in providing services

To determine whether your project is in a rural area, and therefore eligible for the REPF, open the link to DEFRA’s Magic Map and follow the instructions below:

• visit DEFRA’s Magic Map: Magic Map Application (defra.gov.uk)
• under ‘Table of Contents’, expand ‘Administrative Geographies’ and select ‘Other Administrative Boundaries’
• select ‘Rural England Prosperity Fund’
• enter the postcode or manually zoom in on a location
• at the top of the application, you will find a toolbar of icons
• select the ‘identify’ icon and click on the location of your project on the map
• a pop-up box will appear notifying you if the area is considered rural or not for the purposes of REPF

Further to this, applicants must be:

• a commercial entity - this includes but is not limited to micro, small, and medium businesses
• Community Interest Companies (CIC) and social enterprises may apply for this grant, but they must be able to demonstrate commercial activity
• start-up businesses may apply for this grant, but must have a business bank account and have been trading for at least six months

The grant aims to support all rural businesses in the eligible area. However, priority will be given to:

• independent businesses
• ‘green initiative’ businesses
• food and drink producers
• hospitality businesses

Eligible work examples include (indicative only):

• repurposing vacant or underused commercial premises to establish an outlet for local produce
• new community shops (provision of new premises and equipment)
• purchase and installation of new manufacturing equipment
• green adaptations
• new commercial ovens for a rural bakery
• new signage or interpretation boards for a tourism venue
• purchase and installation of new IT or EPOS equipment
• high street shop front improvements
• creation of new commercial or tourism space (this could be the conversion of existing farm buildings)
• vending machines to encourage sales and growth of local food and drink production out of business hours (this could be farm shops)
• new glamping facilities

The grant cannot be used to fund projects that we consider to be fulfilling statutory obligations, such as complying with the Disability Discrimination Act. In addition, the grant will not support religious or political activities or improvements to purely residential properties.

Applicants should also note that any VAT expenditure is not eligible for grant funding under this scheme if their business is VAT registered. There is a limit of one grant award per project. An organisation may apply for a second grant to support a different project. However, second applications must meet different outputs and outcomes.

Exclusions to this grant scheme

We reserve the right to refuse any application that does not meet the grant criteria. This is a competitive grant scheme; submission of a grant application does not guarantee a grant award.

For the avoidance of doubt, businesses that are in administration, insolvent, or where a striking-off notice has been made, are not eligible for funding under this scheme.

Projects or work that has already been undertaken will not be eligible. This funding is not retrospective. Projects or works that have already been carried out before the submission of a grant application.

Farm equipment or grants for farmer-owned businesses diversifying within agriculture. Such funding may be available from other Defra schemes, such as the Farming Investment Fund.

Businesses that have already received grant payments that equal the maximum permitted levels of subsidy will not be eligible to receive funding. (See Subsidy Control section below.)

Project proposals that have already received, or are eligible to apply for, funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) are not eligible.

Sites that are located outside of the designated Rural area as defined by Defra for this funding. See above.
This funding should not be used as a wage support mechanism or for revenue costs such as ongoing maintenance, insurance, administrative, or utilities. The grant cannot cover any VAT costs where applicable.

This funding cannot be used to pay for costs directly to us (for example, planning applications or licensing fees) or for significant work to our land/property that falls within a schedule of maintenance and for which we are responsible as the owner.

Application process

If a business is interested in applying for the grant scheme, it should:

• read the policy guidance document and self-assess their eligibility for the grant scheme
• complete an online ‘DASH’ application form on our website - this application will ask for comprehensive details of the project, use of funding, anticipated project timeline, and resources in place to complete the project
• ensure they comply with all relevant planning, building control, and health and safety legislation, and any other legal requirements necessary to operate their business and the proposed capital project

If the applicant requires assistance with additional funding options to support their project (where available), they can discuss this with the Business Advisor at Maidstone Borough Council to ascertain/explore other funding streams that may be available.

All applications will be reviewed on a ‘case-by-case’ basis. A final decision panel will approve funding to each business that matches all eligibility criteria and has met all the requirements.

Applications are open, with no agreed date for all applications to be received by. We will update guidance information on our website and to prospective applicants when the window for applications is approaching its finish date. We hold the right to close applications at any time.

What to expect from us

We will ensure that we balance the need to allocate public funding diligently with the need to ensure that the grant process is transparent and straightforward. We will endeavour to deal with all applications promptly and efficiently. If the applicant feels that we fall short of reasonable standards, they should raise this with us at the earliest opportunity.

Please be aware that we have the final say in how we choose to manage and distribute the grant funds. We do not work based on rigid criteria, but instead aim to support the best proposals that represent value for money for rural businesses and communities and align with our vision for Maidstone. We welcome comments or feedback from applicants that will help us improve our grant application process.

To make a comment, compliment, or complaint, please visit our website or contact our customer relations team on 01622 602 000.

Make an application

A summary of the grant process is provided below. There are three main stages. Although it is difficult for us to guide how long an application will take, we aim to ensure that this happens as quickly as possible. Applicants can help prevent delays by seeking guidance from officers where necessary and ensure that all required information is provided promptly at the appropriate time.

Stage one

Prospective applicants should review the provided Rural Investment Grant Scheme Policy to identify an appropriate project that is relevant and eligible for this scheme. The second stage of the process will be a full application that will require detailed information on the project plan and outputs. Please bear this in mind before applying for the grant scheme.

It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the application information and supporting evidence are correct by following the application form guidelines. Incomplete or inaccurate applications will be rejected, and there may not be an opportunity to reapply.

If prospective applicants have any queries about the grant scheme before applying, they should contact the Economic Development team via ruralinvestmentgrant@maidstone.gov.uk. The team will be able to discuss broad details of the grant scheme and application process, but is unable to comment on whether an application will be successful, due to the competitive nature of this scheme.

Some projects may require planning permission. The team responsible for the Rural England Prosperity Fund allocations cannot advise on planning permissions and timeframes. Please see our planning and building section for more information.

It will be advisable to seek planning permission, listed building consent, advert consent or building regulations consent, if required, as early as possible in the process.

Stage two

Applicants can apply for the Rural Investment Grant Scheme via DASH on our website. There will be funding rounds with set deadlines for applications. Applications received after the funding deadline will be ineligible. The Application form will require considerable details of the business, project, and funding requirements. The following information/evidence may be required:

• Proof of business ownership/directorship.
• If the proposed works require any statutory consents (such as planning permission, listed building consent or building regulation consent), copies of the relevant notifications must be attached. Fees associated with these are not eligible for grant funding.
• Proof that the applicant's contribution towards the cost of the improvement works is secured (i.e., copy of bank statement, loan offer letter, etc.)
• Quotes for the work to be undertaken.
• Value of Purchase, one quote will be accepted for a proposed capital project of between £500 - £2,499.
• 3 quotes are required for a proposed capital project of between £2,500-£15,000.
• Quotes must provide a clear breakdown of the work to be undertaken, along with details of materials and a method statement. They must also demonstrate value for money. We encourage the use of local contractors/suppliers wherever possible, who are registered with Trading Standards.
• We may exercise discretion, request additional supporting information not listed above, and refuse any application not meeting the terms and conditions.

If the submitted proposal does not meet grant criteria at the application stage, Economic Development should provide appropriate feedback and provide an opportunity for the applicant to make reasonable amendments and provide evidence to satisfy the grant criteria.

Following this, if the applicant's proposal does not meet the criteria, we will inform them of the decision in writing. There may not be an opportunity to apply a second time. If the proposal outlined passes this formal screening process, the application will be submitted to a panel for grant award determination.

Stage three

Having passed the screening, the full application (application form plus supporting information) will be assessed by a grant assessment panel. This panel will meet as and when required to assess the suitability of proposals for the Rural Investment Grant Scheme. They will recommend:

• approval of the application;
• rejection of the application; or
• deferral of the application if further information or clarification is required

The final decision on any application will be made by the Director of Strategy, Insight and Governance. If an application is successful, a formal grant offer will be made in writing. We will aim to ensure applicants are advised of the decision on their application within two working days of it being made, with a grant offer letter issued as soon as possible afterwards.

In this letter, an indicative project completion date will be provided. This is when all work is expected to be completed by, and the grant payment made.

Monitoring and assurances

The grant will be paid to successful applicants once conditions are met, such as (but not limited to):

• the works proposed are due to start imminently and be completed in a reasonable time
• any permissions, such as planning permission, have been successfully obtained

The condition of payment for this grant will be included in the decision notification sent to the applicant and is discretionary (to be applied on a case-by-case basis). For grant applications requiring a planning application, the grant can only be paid if planning permission has been received by the applicant.

We reserve the right to attend the site to monitor the progress of work until the expected end date detailed in the applicant’s proposal. We retain the discretion to reclaim the grant funding if the grant conditions and the capital project are not completed by 31 March 2026.

Further terms and conditions

Provision of the funding is subject to availability. Please check before applying. Application for the grant does not guarantee that a grant offer will be made. Projects cannot be supported retrospectively, and grants will not be paid to support projects that have already commenced or costs that have already been incurred.

Expenditure on the project must only commence following the written confirmation of grant award from us. We reserve the right to reject any applications that do not meet the aims and criteria of the grant initiative. Applicants must complete the project expenditure by the date stated in the grant offer letter; otherwise, the grant offer will be withdrawn.

Subsidy control (formerly State Aid)

A subsidy is where a public authority, such as a Local Authority, provides support to an enterprise that gives them an economic advantage, meaning equivalent support could not have been obtained on commercial terms.

On 4 January 2023, the UK’s new subsidy control regime came into force, implementing a new subsidy regulation framework designed for the post-Brexit era. Underpinned by the Subsidy Control Act 2022 (the “Act”), related statutory instruments, and government guidance, the new regime aims to grant public authorities the power to design and award subsidies in an agile way while complying with the UK’s international commitments on subsidy control.

For smaller value subsidy awards, Minimal Financial Assistance (MFA) allows financial assistance of up to a maximum limit of £315,000 to be made to a single enterprise within a rolling period of three financial years (consisting of the current financial year and the two previous financial years), without the need to comply with the majority of the subsidy control requirements. However, MFA requires a written declaration from the beneficiary confirming that the limit has not been exceeded before the subsidy can be awarded. This effectively mirrors the historic EU De Minimis regime but sets the threshold at a fixed sterling amount and a higher level than previously.

Applicants will therefore be required to provide information and a declaration relating to subsidies they may have received in the previous three years.