Elevate your business
The Empower Biz Programme is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). The government allocated £9.193m to help Leicester City Council (LCC) fund local projects. The primary goal of the UKSPF is to build pride in place and increase life chances. The fund is expected to improve the places people live in and support both individuals and businesses.
The UKSPF investment plan focuses on three priorities:
- 1. Communities and place
- 2. Supporting local businesses
- 3. People and skills
The Empower Biz Programme has been funded from the UKSPF via Leicester City Council since 2023, under the ‘supporting local businesses’ category. The Programme is currently in its second year of operation, having successfully secured a second year of funding for the 2025/26 financial year.
The Empower Biz Partnership
To maximise the impact and reach of the programme, the African Heritage Alliance (‘AHA’) collaborated with three other organisations to create the Programme. In 2023, four organisations came together to devise Empower Biz. The partnership comprises of the following four organisations, who all play a specific role within the overall programme.
- Governance and project management is provided by The Race Equality Centre (TREC) the lead organisation which acts as the lead organisation.
- B-Global and The Highfields Centre provide tailored business support to clients.
- African Heritage Alliance are provide the physical space at the African Caribbean Centre, from where a series of networking and learning events have been delivered over the course of the programme.
Register your interest
Share your contact details with us and we will ensure you are first in line to hear about the opening date and further details on our Empower Biz packages.