8. Achievements
What has been achieved so far with UK Shared Prosperity Funding?
The UKSPF and REPF funding has had a huge impact in East Devon over the four year period between 2022 and 2026. Below are just some of the key achievements of the fund:
- 140 organisations in the voluntary and community sector supported through the Council for Voluntary Service for East Devon.
- 282 organisations supported, 730 volunteering opportunities supported and 217 people attending training courses through the Cultural Programme (see the ACED network).
- 54 grants awarded to organisations through the Creative East Devon Fund (CEDF), engaging over 9,700 people, supporting 44 local events, and creating 11 roles in the arts and culture sector.
- Over 25,000 participants in sports and leisure activities through the Leisure Programme, including specialist classes for residents recovering from illness and injury and an enhanced leisure offer for children. Funding has also gone to supporting new volunteers to complete their coaching qualification.
- 140 businesses supported through the Business Support Programme, including 50 entrepreneurs supported to start their own enterprises.
- 40 businesses awarded grants through the Innovation and Resilience Fund rounds 2, 3, and 4 including 7 farm businesses and 25 micro businesses. This led to the creation of 15 jobs, with additional jobs forecast.
- 66 organisations received grant funding to decarbonise through the Culture, Leisure, and Tourism Fund and the Carbon Action Fund rounds 1 and 2. This is forecast to save over 280 tonnes of carbon per year.
- 255 residents were supported to access education, employment, and training opportunities through the East Devon Employment Hub. Through the Hub, at least 91 individuals gained employment.
- The Retrofit Programme trained 136 residents across seven courses including Level 2 Retrofit and Introduction to Heat Pumps. Almost 1,000 school children across East Devon benefitted from extracurricular green skills activities, including sustainability workshops and innovation competitions.
As these figures only go up to April 2026, we expect these achievement numbers will continue to climb in the months and years ahead.