Shared Prosperity Fund: Gwynedd

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK Government’s Levelling Up agenda and will provide £2.6 billion of funding for local investment across the UK by March 2025.

The overarching objective of the Fund is to build pride in place and increasing life opportunities.

The UKSPF aims to achieve this through three investment priorities: 

• Communities and Place
• Supporting Local Business
• People & Skills (including adult numeracy – Multiply) 

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus provides a comprehensive overview of the Fund, and further  documentation relating to the Fund published by UK Government is accessible from: Levelling Up and Community Investments Documents

The UK Government's Autumn Budget announced a total of a further £900 million of funding for local investment from April 2025 to March 2026.  For 2025-26 the investment priorities have been modified to complement five themes led by the UK Government's national Missions:

• Healthy, Safe and Inclusive Communities
• Thriving Places
• Support for Business
• Employability
• Skills

Information on the key update to the Fund can be found here:
UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2025-26

Delivering the Fund in Gwynedd 2022-25

All parts of the UK received funding from the UKSPF, with a total of £126.46 million allocated to the North Wales region which includes the counties of Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Gwynedd, and the Isle of Anglesey.

The allocation for Gwynedd was £24,423,747, of which £2,942,620 was ring-fenced for the adult numeracy projects (the Multiply programme).

To minimise cost and complexity, Local Authorities in North Wales worked together to administer the UKSPF. However, Cyngor Gwynedd decided which projects received money in Gwynedd with the advice of a partnership of local stakeholders.  

During January and February 2023 there was an opportunity for any organisation needing over £250,000 of SPF funding to submit an outline application.  In Gwynedd 114 applications were received from projects seeking over £51 million of SPF funding. Based on an assessment of the applications, and the advice of the Shared Prosperity Fund: Gwynedd Advisory Group, in May 2023 Cyngor Gwynedd chose to invite 47 projects to submit a detailed application for funding.

• Application procedure
• Project selection procedure

Following the receipt and thorough assessment of the detailed applications, on July 20, 2023 Cyngor Gwynedd's Cabinet agreed a to offer £21.96 million of Gwynedd SPF funding to 39 projects

View the cabinet report

 

UKSPF Delivery during the transition year 2025-26

The UK Government has announced their intention to extend the Fund until 31 March 2026. The extension aims to transition from the existing UKSPF programme to a new funding programme in the future. 

The North Wales region will receive an additional £42.4 million for 2025-26, of which £7.9 million will be allocated for projects in Gwynedd.

In order to be able to operate quickly and effectively during the transition year, Cyngor Gwynedd has commissioned projects that will develop services and activities that were successful during the previous phase.

The Support Funds will continue to support smaller projects by enterprises and community groups in Gwynedd with additional funding from UKSPF.

Cyngor Gwynedd, with the help of local partners, has selected 40 projects from across Gwynedd to receive funding directly from the £24.4 million the county receives from the UK's Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF).

The fund has directly funded significant and diverse projects across a number of sectors and with partners across Gwynedd.  Read the success stories of the projects, and the difference this has made to the people and communities of Gwynedd: SPF Celebrating Success

The fund had three priority areas:

• Communities and place – £10.94 million
  Supporting projects to improve public places, develop local infrastructure and strengthen community services.
• Supporting local business - £6.73 million
  Investing in local businesses to help them grow, increase productivity and create new jobs
• People and skills – £5.45 million
  Creating opportunities for people to develop new skills, improving their chances of gaining employment.

It’s not just large projects that have received support.

Several Key Funds were also set up by Cyngor Gwynedd to support smaller initiatives and communities.

Community Regeneration Support Fund: £1.8 million
Voluntary Sector Support Fund: £1.5 million
Business Development Funds: £1.8 million
Diwyllesiant Fund: £850k

You can read details of each project under the three SPF investment priorities below:

• Community and Place 
• Supporting Local Business 
• People and Skills

Town Centres – Gwynedd Ni 

• Lead organisation: Cyngor Gwynedd 
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £1,278,000
• Project Summary: Further development of previous activities funded by SPF with a comprehensive package of support to improve the look, facilities and vibrancy of Gwynedd's towns and villages, offering support to all communities in the County. There are work packages within towns and communities across the county, with an individual budget available to respond to local priorities for each Town and Community Council in Gwynedd.

 

Supporting Community Regeneration Gwynedd Ni

• Lead organisation: Cyngor Gwynedd 
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £901,000
• Project Summary: A combination and development of previous projects which includes support provided by Menter Môn. The project includes a significant grant fund to support projects by community regeneration groups and enterprises, and also include support for the development and establishment of new community groups.
• More information: Community Regeneration Support Fund

Support for Gwynedd Enterprises

• Lead organisation: Cyngor Gwynedd 
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £740,000
• Project Summary: The project will engage with local small and medium-sized enterprises to promote the support and advice available from the Council and others; increase support providers' understanding of the needs of Gwynedd's enterprises and provide financial support for local enterprises to grow and prosper. Under the projects’ wing, the Council will also bring together support providers to co-ordinate and combine their proposals for Gwynedd enterprises.
• More information: Gwynedd Business Resilience Grant

 

Gwynedd Voluntary Sector Fund

• Lead organisation: Mantell Gwynedd 
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £650,000
• Project Summary: A fund to support voluntary groups and organisations to undertake activities that strengthen the sense of local pride and healthy communities.
• More information: Mantell Gwynedd

 

Diwyllesiant

• Lead organisation: Cyngor Gwynedd 
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £988,000
• Project Summary: Further development of previous project including activities provided by Ecomuseum Llŷn (Bangor University) and Beics Antur (Antur Waunfawr). The project will support the benefit and well-being of communities, the environment, and enterprises in Gwynedd through culture, leisure and a sustainable visitor economy, and include a grant fund to support projects in these areas.

More information about the grant fund: Diwyllesiant Fund

More information on activities:

• Ecomuseum
• Beicio i Bawb

Gwynedd Community Resilience

• Lead organisation: Cyngor Gwynedd 
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £819,654
• Project Summary: Further development of previous projects including activities provided by several third sector organisations - Mantell Gwynedd, Citizens Advice Bureau, Ability Net, Adra Cyf, Gwynedd Community Transport Partnership, Age Cymru and 14 Support Hubs. A package of support will be provided across Gwynedd communities to help people access local services that will enable them to live longer, healthier and happier in their communities. It will include activities to prevent financial and digital exclusion, help to volunteer, reduce loneliness and fight poverty.

More information:

• Mantell Gwynedd - Volunteering
• Citizens Advice Bureau
• Ability Net - Free Tech Support
• Community Hubs
• Reduce your bills and save energy - Adra
• Age Cymru Gwynedd and Môn

 

Supporting People to Achieve Their Potential in Work

• Lead organisation: Cyngor Gwynedd
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £1,068,122 
• Project Summary: Further development of previous projects supporting employability, which includes activity provided by Adra (Cyf) and GISDA (Cyf). The support package will include help to prevent school children from dropping out of education; specialist help for specific groups, including vulnerable young people and individuals with learning disabilities to overcome barriers that prevent them from getting a job or returning to education; and helping adults gain the skills and experience needed to return to work, or secure a better job.  

More information: 

• Gwaith Gwynedd
• Academi Adra
• Opportunity Academy: Gisda Ltd

Supportive Steps

• Lead organisation: Grŵp Llandrillo-Menai
• Project delivery across Gwynedd / Ynys Môn / Conwy
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £368,000
• Project Summary: A range of support to ensure that vulnerable students aged 16-25 continue with their studies, and reach their potential.  The scheme will provide support for young people to develop essential skills needed to progress to higher level courses, employment or work apprenticeships.

North Wales Growth Vision Opportunities

• Lead organisation: Ambition North Wales
• Project delivery across Gwynedd / Ynys Môn / Conwy / Denbighshire / Flintshire
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £68,000
• Project Summary:The project supports businesses and communities through investment aligning with the priorities of the North Wales Growth Deal. It will include activity to promote job opportunities available, support for businesses to develop connectivity plans and sustainable energy plans, and training for businesses to take advantage of funding opportunities. 
• More Information: Ambition North Wales

 

Skills and Innovation Voucher Scheme (SIV) and Môr Ni Gwynedd

• Lead organisation: Bangor University
• Project delivery across Gwynedd / Ynys Môn / Flintshire
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £240,000
• Project Summary: The project offers support for businesses in Gwynedd to develop with the help of expertise from the University with activity in two work streams. The first work stream operating across the three counties will offer vouchers to local businesses that allow them to access the expertise, facilities, training and talent of relevant departments at the University. The second work stream will operate exclusively in Gwynedd supporting the fisheries sector and associated seafood businesses in order to improve the livelihoods and jobs of coastal communities.

More Information:

• The Skills and Innovation Voucher Scheme
• Môr Ni Gwynedd

 

Gwynedd and Ynys Môn Enterprise

• Lead organisation: Menter Môn
• Project delivery across Gwynedd and Ynys Môn
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £210,000
• Project Summary: The Enterprise Hub will offer start-up support services for businesses to grow by providing one-to-one advice, workshops and networking opportunities. It also includes the provision of high street user information collection in Gwynedd's main towns.
• More Information: Enterprise Hub

 

Healthy and Actif

• Lead organisation: Actif North Wales
• Project delivery across Gwynedd / Ynys Môn / Denbighshire / Flintshire
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £70,000
• Project Summary: The project will promote physical activity and wellbeing by co-ordinating community wellbeing plans led by local people in the communities facing the greatest barriers to healthy living.
• More Information: Actif North Wales

 

Employer Green Skills North Wales Initiative (EGNI)

• Lead organisation: Grŵp Llandrillo-Menai
• Project delivery across Gwynedd and Ynys Môn
• Total UKSPF Gwynedd funding: £329,872
• Project Summary: Support for businesses and their employees to secure the skills needed to strengthen and develop the business.  There will be an emphasis on supporting 'green' skills that will drive progress in businesses towards national net zero targets. There will be a dedicated workstream to upskill the local construction sector with the necessary qualifications needed to install energy efficient Equipment, making the most of the resources of Tŷ Gwyrddfai, Penygroes.

More Information:

• Net Zero Training Gwynedd
• Employer Skills North Wales