Applying to the expansion of the Create Growth Programme
This page provides information for local area partnerships submitting expressions of interest (EOIs) to apply for funding to participate in the £10.9 million expansion of the Create Growth Programme.
Applies to England
Overview
In June 2023, the UK government announced an expansion of the Create Growth Programme (CGP) with an additional £10.9 million in funding. The purpose is to expand the programme to cover six new geographical areas. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is inviting local area partnerships in England (except London) to submit Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to participate in the expanded CGP from FY23/24 to FY24/25 (two years).
The CGP is an expansion of the Creative Scale Up pilot (2019-2021), which provided the Greater Manchester, West Midlands and West of England Combined Authorities with a package of business and investor support to support creative businesses to scale and access finance outside London. The CGP was launched in FY2022/23 in 6 regions in England outside London, providing creative businesses in those regions with a bespoke package to support high-growth potential creative businesses and build investor networks. The CGP comprises three complementary strands: business support targeted at the creative industries; finance; and investor capacity building activities.
Local area partnerships will be directly responsible for delivering targeted business support to high-growth potential creative businesses. It is expected that participation in the CGP will help to build local knowledge, capacity and infrastructure to support creative businesses beyond the programme.
EOI applicants will be shortlisted by a panel appointed by DCMS. Shortlisted applicants will be invited to submit full applications to bid to participate in the programme.
Competition timeline and events
| Event | Date/Deadline |
|---|---|
| EOI Stage opens | Friday 14 July 2023 |
| Deadline for submission of EOIs | Wednesday 9 August 2023, 23:59 BST |
| Shortlisted applicants invited to submit full applications | Wednesday 23 August 2023 |
| Deadline for shortlisted applicants to submit full applications | Tuesday 19 September 2023, 23:59 BST |
| Final decision on successful applicants | October 2023 |
Who can apply
The programme is open to EOIs from local area partnerships in England and outside of London only. London boroughs and the Greater London Authority are excluded from applying to the programme either as a standalone application or as part of a consortium bid. The CGP is focused on supporting creative businesses and unlocking economic growth in other parts of the country to support levelling up and to address market and information failures related to investment in the creative industries that are greater outside of London.
Applicants must be either a combined authority, local authority or local enterprise partnership (LEP). In the case of a consortium application, the lead organisation must be either a combined authority, local authority or LEP.
Please read the eligibility requirements for the programme carefully. If you do not meet the eligibility requirements, it will not be possible to consider your application.
How to apply
Please carefully read the guidance for applicants and submit your application on the Find a Grant platform. Shortlisted applicants are required to complete and return the full application forms before Wednesday 9 August 2023, 23:59 BST. Only notified shortlisted applicants are eligible to apply at the full application stage. Any application forms received after the closing date will not be considered.
Funding
Each successful local area partnership will receive £520,000 to deliver business support activities to support high-growth potential creative businesses. Creative businesses in participating local area partnerships will also have the opportunity to access part of a finance growth support fund totalling £9 million in FY2024/25, as well as an investor capacity building programme delivered in participating regions. These amounts will be decided as a result of an internal DCMS assurance process and may change.
