UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF)

UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) 2025-2026

In 2025 Nottingham City Council was awarded an extension to our UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) Programme and has been allocated £4.6m to deliver an additional 12-months of activity. The programme will run until 31 March 2026.

Nottingham’s programme focusses on six key themes:

1. Supporting the development of Nottingham’s communities. (including employment support)
2. Improving Nottingham’s City Centre & neighbourhoods
3. Supporting Nottingham’s visitor economy
4. Supporting inward investment in Nottingham
5. Supporting Nottingham’s businesses to grow
6. Developing Nottingham’s skills (including digital skills and green skills)

The ambitions to become a carbon neutral city and to remain a diverse and inclusive City are embedded in each of these themes.

Nottingham’s UKSPF funded projects 

In response to the announcement that further UKSPF funding will be made available for 2025-2026 Nottingham City Council conducted an Open Call process for projects that provide: 

• Employment Support for Economically Inactive Individuals 
• Support for Local Businesses 

Local Organisations have been awarded grants through these Open Call exercises to deliver projects relating to these themes. 

Details of the support available to our residents and businesses through these projects can be found below. 

Regional UKSPF funded business support projects

Four projects have been commissioned by the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). Three operate across Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire while one operates only in Nottinghamshire.  All four projects are available to Nottingham entrepreneurs and businesses.

The four projects are

• Business Start-Up programme (Nottingham/shire only)
• Workshop programme
• High Growth programme
• Export programme

Details of the support available through these projects can be found below

Nottingham’s UKSPF Grants

In addition to the employment support and business support projects, Nottingham City Council will also use UKSPF funds to deliver a number of grant schemes during 2025-2026 to support our residents, communities and businesses.

Community Support Grants

Winter Support Grant - Launched July 14th 2025

Nottingham City Council is committed to supporting Nottingham households. We are looking to support organisations to help households in their communities to reduce the impact of the increased cost of living, particularly with the rising cost of household energy bills.

• Winter Support Grant

Essential Skills Grant - Grants have been awarded, please follow the link below for details

Nottingham City Council will use funding from its UK Shared Prosperity Fund to improving access and increased referrals to essential skills in Nottingham. Focus areas are ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), Digital Skills, and Numeracy. Recognising that delivery in the community is key to helping improve the take-up.

• Essential Skills Grant

Community Venues and Spaces Grant - Grants have been awarded, please follow the link below for details

Nottingham City Council will use funding from its UK Shared Prosperity Fund to improve venues, facilities or outdoor spaces that will be used to support the delivery of community engagement activities

• Community Venues and Spaces Grant

Community Engagement Grant - Closed to applications

Nottingham City Council will use funding from its UK Shared Prosperity Fund to contribute to the costs of community activities events.

• Community Engagement Grant

Business Support Grants  

Nottingham City Council is committed to supporting the city’s business community. We are targeting a portion of our UKSPF allocation to support our local businesses, particularly those operating in priority sectors.

Business Support Grants

UKSPF contribution to improvements to Nottingham parks, playgrounds and green spaces

UKSPF funding will be used to fund a wide range of projects across the City’s parks, playgrounds and green spaces including:

• Playground improvements at Colwick Country Park, Loxley Park in Clifton, Ashton Park in Bulwell and Wallan Street in Radford.
• Path and access improvements at Woodthorpe Grange Park, Bulwell Hall, Southglade Park and Broxtowe Country Park
• A Citywide programme of improvements to playground surfacing, targeting high use grassed areas to provide a longer-term solution to improve safety.
• A scheme to look at ‘legacy’ tree planting, on some of our park sites, planting larger trees to help provide a better mix of larger trees to help ensure better continuity of tree cover.
• New interpretation and signage on the Arboretum to provide better quality information for visitors on the tree stock on this important heritage site.
• UKSPF funding will also be used to support a funding bid to secure additional external funding to improve the ball court and play provision on Birchover Park.

UKSPF Programme Update – June 2025

This report provides an update on Nottingham City Council’s delivery of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) programme from 2022 to 2025, along with plans for its fourth and final year. By March 2026, the programme will have invested over £13 million to support Nottingham’s residents, communities, and businesses.

Inside, you’ll find a selection of the events, activities and projects included in the programme, as well as a summary of the outcomes achieved to date.

The success of this work is a testament to the dedication and collaboration of a wide range of local organisations and businesses working in partnership with Nottingham City Council. Our thanks go to all of those involved.

Click here to view the UKSPF Programme Report 2022-26

• UKSPF Nottingham - Privacy Notice - October 2022
• UKSPF Nottingham - Public Sector Equality Duty Statement - October 2022