Employment Support Grant Fund 2025
Coming soon - Opening Friday 22 August 2025
We are excited to launch our new Community Employment Support Grant scheme and are inviting partners and organisations to apply. The funding is provided by the UK Government as part of the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). This is a one-off grant fund programme which builds on our core delivery and will enable Chorley to further enhance and sustain their delivery, react to the current challenges our communities are experiencing and help in providing services that support our residents. In total, £35,000 is available and we will award individual grants of between £5,000 and £8,000.
What is the Employment Support Grant Fund for?
A new competitive grant fund is available to support innovative projects helping Chorley residents (18+) progress toward and into employment. Successful bids must demonstrate value for money, enhance existing services, and deliver a lasting legacy for the community. Applications must address one or more of the following local priorities:
- improving employability skills: delivering digital skills, 'work-ready' bootcamps, or volunteering pathways.
- giving the unemployed a voice: eesearching barriers to employment or developing storytelling projects.
- upskilling with qualifications: providing accredited training for local job sectors, including green industries.
- building confidence for employment: offering group coaching and workshops.
- mentoring young people (NEET): establishing 1-to-1 mentoring or industry visits for 18-24 year olds.
Eligibility Criteria?
- be based in the borough of Chorley.
- be a registered charity, voluntary, community, faith, or social enterprise sector group/organisation, Community Interest Company or Limited Company
- organisations must have a bank account registered to their group or organisation
- be able to start delivery by 29 September 2025
- be able to complete your project by 31 March 2026
- ensure that your project addresses one or more of the key priorities of the fund
- ensure the project is based on local need
- demonstrate the positive impacts which will be delivered by the project
- funding will not be awarded to cover any retrospective spending
- the council must be satisfied that the applicant has the necessary expertise and resources to see the project through to successful completion
- grants are not generally available to fund permanent staff positions, but consideration will be given to maintain some hours-of-service delivery, or exceptionally towards posts on fixed–term contracts. Consideration will be given where salaries are included as part of the organisation’s start-up costs
- grants are not available to fund an organisation’s basic running costs.