The Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund is looking for projects which can support the rejuvenation of High Streets across York and North Yorkshire.  

Our ambition is to create the High Street of the future. The role of High Streets is changing to become a local destination at the heart of a community, providing a mix of retail, functional, social and recreational services and experiences. Through bringing people back to their High Streets by diversifying the offer, we aim to drive an increase to the local economy. 

The concepts below are provided as inspiration for ideas which may be a good strategic fit for the fund. It is not intended to be a complete list; there may be other solutions and approaches which would meet the objectives of the fund. 

• Culture and Creativity– How can we animate our spaces, create new attractions, celebrate heritage and culture to entice people back to our High Streets? What initiatives could boost the visitor economy and support regenerative tourism?  
• Inclusive and Age-Friendly High Streets– How can we diversify our audiences to create an accessible town centre? How can we make our town centres exciting and attractive to all age groups and to meet the needs of a wide range of users? 
• Community Wellbeing and Opportunity – How can our High Streets best support the specific needs of our communities? What approaches could boost the local economy, create employment opportunities, support health and wellbeing, or reduce inequalities? How can the High Street support physical and digital inclusion? 
• Diversifying High Streets – What can be done to create a more flexible High Street, which can attract and support new audiences at different times of the day and increase staying time and spend? What does the High Street need to bring services closer to the people who need them?  
• Building Capacity and Resilience – How can businesses work together collaboratively to best support each other to provide a cohesive and complementary offer on our High Streets to drive increased spend? How can community groups and businesses support each other to support increased spend on the High Street? What upskilling and training needs would support businesses on the High Street? 
• Sustainable High Streets through Community Climate Action – What community climate initiatives would support the High Street? What waste reduction or circular economy initiatives could support business growth and resilience? How can High Streets become more environmentally sustainable? 

All applications must explain how the long-term sustainability beyond the initial funding period will be addressed, outlining how outcomes and activities will be maintained and supported once grant funding concludes.  

Funding will be made available for High Street partnerships to design and develop projects to achieve at least one of the objectives below: 

• Trialling of new and creative solutions to tackle local issues on the High Street 

• Broadening audiences through creating a range of resident and visitor experiences to promote the High Street as a destination that offers events, activities and spaces to increase spend, footfall and staying time 

• Supporting businesses and community assets on the High Street to improve their resilience, sustainability, expand their offer and introduce new goods and services 

• Creating a High Street where businesses work alongside community partners to enhance vibrancy, improve engagement and meet the needs of local communities   

The deliverable and measurable outputs and outcomes that projects could aim to achieve are: 

Outputs 

• Amount of public realm space improved (m2) 

• Number of businesses reporting increased spend 

• Number of vacant / empty units adapted or repurposed  

• Number of events delivered in High Street locations  

Outcomes 

• Increased levels of footfall  

• Increased dwell time 

• Increased levels of consumer spend 

• Number of people reporting an improved perception of the High Street or Town Centre (qualitative survey data) 

• Number of organisations reporting improved environmental sustainability (e.g. due to waste reduction, changing behaviour, or community climate initiatives) 

Applicants are not expected to deliver all listed outputs and outcomes. For each selected, you must: 

• Explain how you will establish a baseline at the start of the project. 

• Allocate sufficient resources to gather this baseline data. 

• Estimate the quantities of outputs and outcomes your project will achieve. 

These estimates will inform your grant agreement and be used to monitor project impact. 

Applications will only be accepted from ‘Local Partnerships’. Local partnerships may be a formally constituted organisation or an informal partnership. A partner is defined as someone who will take an active role in the design or delivery of the project.  

Strong applications will include High Street businesses and community-based partners working collaboratively.   

Local partnerships can be new, so a track record of the partnership’s previous delivery is not necessarily essential. However, local partnerships must identify a lead applicant who will be: 

• Responsible for coordinating the partnership, entering into the funding agreement and maintaining correspondence with the Combined Authority 

• Accountable for completing and submitting the application 

• A registered company, charity, or public sector organisation, who can supply copies of their latest financial accounts and can receive the funds on behalf of the partnership 

• Experienced at delivering projects with proven financial strength and probity to manage grant funding and payments 

• Responsible for working with the Combined Authority to ensure that any grant is compliant with subsidy control regulation 

Eligible lead applicants include the following, acting on behalf of a local partnership: 

• Representatives of business clusters – Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Businesses, localised Business Forums and Trade Associations,  

• Town and Parish Councils, Community Interest Companies, or Individual businesses 

There may be other examples of eligible lead applicants not listed. 

Where Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are acting as a lead applicant, it will be important to explain in the application how their commitment to the partnership and the project is on behalf of non-members as well as levy paying members operating in the respective High Street area.   

Applications for projects which cover multiple towns or the whole York and North Yorkshire region are welcomed. You will need to demonstrate connections with local partners have been established and that there is local demand for your service. If your project is a multi-town or regional application, please get in touch before submitting your application.   

From 7^th November 2025 to 30^th January 2026

Amount of funding available (individual grant limits)

Grants from £30,000 to £150,000 (inclusive of eligible VAT)

The level of match will depend on the total cost of the project. You will need to detail the full cost of your project in your application.

If your Total Project Cost is between £30,000 and £50,000, this programme can fund up to 100% of total project costs

If your Total Project Cost is between £50,001 and £100,000, this programme can fund up to 90% of total project costs

If your Total Project Cost is over £100,000, this programme can fund up to 80% of total project costs, up to a limit of £150,000

Match funding is acceptable in the following forms:

• Funding from other sources – eg central government funding, lottery funds etc (but not other YNYCA driven funds)
• Internal Funding – e.g. fundraising, ticket sales
• In kind contribution through time spent (up to 50% of the match):
  • This will be monitored throughout the programme, via timesheets and defrayal payslips.
  • Any shortfall will be asked for as a cash contribution.
  • For the purposes of match, an hourly rate of £20 per hour should be applied to volunteer time.

Example 1:

Total Project Cost = £130,000

VSHSF Funded = £104,000

Match = £26,000 (Maximum in-kind = £13,000)

There is no maximum total project cost.

Example 2:

Total Project Cost = £200,000

VSHSF Funded = £150,000

Match = £50,000

Lead applicants on behalf of a local partnership.

May 2026 to December 2027

Types of eligible activity within the programme might include (but are not limited to): 

• Providing collaborative support, training and workshop sessions to build resilience and share knowledge 

• Coordinated events and activities throughout the calendar year, to attract residents and visitors to High Streets, with an emphasis on long-term sustainability and the potential for ongoing delivery beyond the funding period 

• Re-purposing or adapting vacant units on the High Street 

• Initiatives to extend or vary opening hours to meet community and visitor needs 

• Marketing ideas that showcase your High Street  

• Upgrading technology to enable the digital mobilisation of your High Street  

• Creation of hubs on the High Street to attract visitors and meet the needs of residents.   

• ‘Pop Up’ schemes that provide opportunities for micro and small enterprises and/or community services focused on health and social wellbeing 

• Shop frontage improvements programmes 

• Capital works or business initiatives to accessibility or inclusivity of the High Street 

• Initiatives or capital works to support family friendly High Streets 

• Projects that extend the offer on the High Street to address gaps 

The above list is not exhaustive.  If you’re unsure whether your project idea is a good fit for the programme, please get in touch with our High Street Fund team to discuss your proposal before spending time making an application.   

• Projects without measurable targets that relate to the programme objectives 

• Projects which only support one business or one community group 

•  ‘Business as Usual’ and/or activities that the local authority, project deliverer, or any member of their partnership has a statutory duty to undertake – e.g. routine maintenance, cleaning, small repairs 

• Capital schemes delivering building fabric energy efficiency measures, energy system optimisation schemes, renewable energy generation and battery storage. 

• Digital trail apps 

• Purchase of buildings 

For activity which is already happening, such as existing events or initiatives, the application must clearly define what additionality the fund would provide. 

In the application, you will be asked to provide a full breakdown of project costs. Examples of eligible costs can include but are not limited to: 

• Revenue costs associated with e.g. running new events, hiring facilities, developing marketing concepts.  

• Management fees associated with lead applicant administration of the grant and coordination of partnership (maximum 5% of total project costs) (e.g. monitoring, evaluation, claim forms, partnership coordination, monitoring and evaluation) 

• Capital costs e.g. purchasing equipment or carrying out improvements to public realm assets, infrastructure, or buildings (additional conditions may apply to grants for property improvements) 

• Costs associated with established baseline data, market research and stakeholder engagement 

• Reasonable staff costs associated with the delivery of activity directly linked to the project.  Only time spent specifically working on this project is claimable. 

• Capital purchases of equipment which only benefits an individual business 

• Capital expenditure on developments that have not secured the necessary permissions 

• Capital expenditure on developments which will not be delivered within the Phase Three timeframe   

• Expenditure on works or activity that is already fully funded from other sources, or that the local authority, project deliverer, end beneficiary or any member of their partnership has a statutory duty to undertake. 

• Feasibility studies 

• Recoverable VAT  

• Project contingency costs and contingent liabilities 

All applications submitted will be scored against a consistent appraisal framework. All applications and scoring will be presented to a moderation panel to make final decisions.     

For the appraisal of applications, HM Treasury’s 5 Cases methodology will be followed to ensure that applications demonstrate the strategic, economic, financial, commercial and management case for investment. This will require applicants to: 

• Explain and evidence the Need for the project 

• Explain and evidence the Strategic Fit with the programme objectives. Applications for new and creative activity will be considered favourably during appraisal. How your partnership demonstrates that it is representative of business and community voices will also be a consideration for appraisal. 

• Explain and evidence the positive Impact the project will have and explain how measurable outputs and outcomes will be achieved.  Any added value the project will achieve to maximise the public benefit from the grant funding should be described too.   

• Provide an accurate and reasonable breakdown of Project Costs and Outputs and Outcomes to determine Value for Money 

• Explain how the project will be Deliverable in full within the timeframe. The Long-Term Sustainability of the initiative will also be a consideration for appraisal. 

• Explain who will be Managing the Project, which partners will be collaborating, and their track record of delivery.  

For successful applications, lead applicants will receive a grant offer letter and the process of contracting to enter into a funding agreement will begin. The grant offer letter and funding agreement will set requirements to:   

• Evidence that any outstanding conditions have been met or permissions secured, e.g. planning or highways approvals 

• By default grants will be paid in arrears subject to evidence of defrayal (frequency can be agreed to allow the project to be delivered) 

• Agree to data sharing protocols consistent with GDPR policy and the Privacy Policy of the Combined Authority. 

• Adhere to Branding and Publicity guidelines which will be issued by the Combined Authority.   

• Participate in providing monitoring information, focused on the reporting of expenditure, outputs and outcomes. 

• Participate in Evaluation activities. This will be proportionate to the scale and scope of the project. For larger projects, there may be greater expectation on applicants (to provide case study material, to conduct surveys, to analyse value for money, etc.) over and above the reporting of outputs and outcomes. 

• Participate in networking meetings alongside other successful applicants to help capture and communicate impact. 

A copy of the latest accounts of the lead applicant will need to be submitted as part of application process. 

For projects involving Capital works, your project will need to be compliant with all necessary Health and Safety Regulations, Building Regulations, CDM Regulations, Planning Regulations and any other applicable laws and standards. 

For projects involving Capital works to buildings, written permission from the landlord is required at the application stage.  

Appropriate insurance requirements as determined by activity will be required for all successful applications.   

Our High Streets Team and the Local Authority Business Support Teams are working across the region to offer advice and support on completing the application process.

Find the High Street Coordinator for your area here.

You can also contact your Local Authority Business Advisors for York and North Yorkshire.

• York and North Yorkshire Local Growth Plan – York and North Yorkshire’s Local Growth Plan > Mayoral Combined Authority 

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority – Economic Framework 

• York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority – Mayor’s Vision  

• York and North Yorkshire Routemap to Carbon Negative – (Summary Document) 

• Guide to Developing the Project Business Case – Chapter 2 outlines HM Treasury’s 5 Cases Methodology 

• UK subsidy control regime: statutory guidance – GOV.UK 

Successful applicants in Phase 1 and 2 are welcome to apply. Where your project is a continuation of your Phase 1 or 2 project, please detail what additionality your proposals are bringing to the activity you have already delivered or are about to deliver.  

This is likely to be the last phase of the grant funding programme. The Vibrant and Sustainable High Streets Fund budget was set across all opening windows of the fund. Phase 2 of the programme generated a very positive response, where £1.7m was committed to projects across the region. We are anticipating a similar level of commitment of funding in Phase 3, which would see all funding allocated to projects across the region.  

All applications will be considered equally after the closing date of 30th January 2026. However, if you submit your application early, it allows us time to review it and, if needed, work with you to address any aspects that may require support before the final deadline. 

Applications will only be accepted from ‘Local Partnerships’. Individual businesses and/or community organisations are encouraged to come together as a collective to form a ‘local partnership’ with a shared goal that represents the interests of the High Street. Local partnerships may be a formally constituted organisation or an informal partnership. 

Yes, provided they can demonstrate they have the capacity / resource to deliver both should they both be successful.   

Each partnership may only submit one application. If a partnership has more than one idea our advice is to go with the strongest. 

Yes, provided they can demonstrate they have the capacity / resource to deliver both should they both be successful.   

There is no limit on the maximum total awarded. However, other YNYCA led grants/funds cannot be used as match towards the project.  

Yes, provided they can demonstrate that they have a good working relationship with partners (business or community) in the local area, they are an active partner within the local partnership, and that there is local demand for the project  

Partners do not have to be based in York and North Yorkshire, however the project must be delivered within the York and North Yorkshire region and the beneficiaries must be based within the region.   

Sole traders are welcome to be a partner  

Any potential lead applicant/consortium lead should have the financial strength and capability to be a credible administrator and guarantor of the funds for the programme, who can supply copies of their latest financial accounts and can receive the funds on behalf of the partnership.  

We have a full list of projects funded available for Phase One and Phase Two.

Yes, a Microsoft Word version of the application form can be downloaded here. This is intended to facilitate sharing between partners. Please note that all applications must be submitted via the online form.