UKSPF Visit Stoke-on-Trent: A City of Imagination

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has received funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to deliver a visitor economy programme, Visit Stoke-on-Trent: A City of Imagination. This project supports Stoke-on-Trent’s Visitor Economy Strategy (VES) 2022-2027, which aims to transform the City into one of the region’s most important cultural tourism destinations within the next five years. 

In line with the Visitor Economy Strategy, the UKSPF funded programme will support:

• Delivering a small grants scheme (up to £5k, revenue only) to revive the area's leisure, hospitality and tourism service industry to improve performance, capacity and quality of offer.  Open to both businesses and organisations, subject to meeting the eligibility criteria.

Visitor Economy Small Grants Scheme

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has now launched a visitor economy grants scheme offering grant funding of between £1,000 and £5,000 funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Grants are available to businesses and organisations that meet the eligibility criteria.

The grant programme covers revenue items only and, alongside other business support initiatives funded through the project, will be used to revive the area's leisure, hospitality, and tourism service industry to improve performance, capacity, and quality of the offer.

Applications are actively encouraged to take advantage of the £80,000 available in grants before the programme ends in March 2026. A grant evaluation panel will assess and score all applications based on their strategic fit, deliverability within set timeframes, subsidy control compliance and eligibility, and project impact on the local visitor economy.

The Programme has a fixed end date of 31 March 2026. All payments for invoices must be defrayed within the grant award year.

Businesses and organisations are eligible to receive one grant in the 2025/26 financial year. Grant applications are now open for spending in 2025/26.

Visit Stoke, the city’s dedicated visitor economy service, is administering this programme and will guide eligible businesses through the application process, advising on programme delivery and UKSPF compliance.

For a copy of the application guidance and application form, please email visitorgrants@stoke.gov.uk

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund…

Visit Stoke-on-Trent: A City of Imagination project part-funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus

For more information regarding the fund, please email visitorgrants@stoke.gov.uk