How To Apply

Thumbnail of Southern Oxfordshire LEADER Area. Click for larger view

To apply for funding from Southern Oxfordshire LEADER your business or organisation needs to be situated within the boundaries of the designated Southern Oxfordshire area.

Five key themes were identified in the local development strategy to focus the funding around. Your project needs to support one or more of the following themes:

To view an enlarged version of the map please click on the link below

ENLARGED VERSION OF MAP

 

The Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) has outlined the following areas that, along with the themes mentioned above, each project should fit in to:

• Modernisation of agricultural
• Adding value to agricultural and forestry products
• Diversification into non-agricultural activities
• Support for the creation and development of micro-businesses
• Encouragement of tourism activities
• Basic services for the economy and rural population
• Village renewal and development
• Conservation and upgrading of the rural heritage
• Training and information for economic actors

For more details see http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/rdpe/what-is-rdpe/

For guidance on village hall and community centre project applications please download the guidance note here

Southern Oxfordshire Leader has now fully committed its funding budget and all approved projects will complete by the end of June 2013. If you would like to know more about the future funding available through LEADER, we are having a final event on the 7th June 2013.  If you would like to attend and for further details  please contact Anna Wood at info@southernoxfordshireleader.org.uk 

Forms available to download
Expression of interest - rural businesses and communities

Expression of interest - farmers, growers and foresters

Useful documents to download
Assess the strategic fit of your project

The application process

The Local Development Strategy - provides a description of the LEADER area, the vision and how the programme will be implemented

Grants are available for up to £50,000, but typically they will be for £20,000 – 30,000, they can only be used for 50% of the cost of a project. This money must be match funded by another source of funding.

Information on alternative sources of funding

South Oxfordshire District Council - Towns and larger villages infrastructure fund 2013/15