Tees Valley Combined Authority

Connects Tees Valley Combined Authority to regional grants for export growth, skills, and decarbonization tied to local delivery.

Tees Valley Combined Authority is the local combined authority for Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar & Cleveland, and Stockton-on-Tees. Created in April 2016, it operates under a directly elected mayor and cabinet model and is tasked with securing investment, creating jobs, and growing the regional economy. The authority's public profile also points to a £1.7 billion ten-year investment plan for the area.

TVCA delivers a mix of grant and training routes funded largely through UK Government streams, including the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Department for Education Adult Skills Fund, and DBT and DfE-backed programmes. Its directly administered grant route is the Tees Valley Export Fund, which offers £3,000 to £10,000 to trading businesses in the five-borough area, requires 25% match funding, and supports export growth activity. The wider programme set also includes Made Smarter Adoption North East, Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, Tees Valley Net Zero Programme, Skills Bootcamps, and the Adult Skills Fund.

The strongest fit is a business with a clear local footprint and a project tied to export readiness, digital adoption, skills progression, or decarbonisation. TVCA works mainly as the regional delivery body for national funding streams, so applicants usually need to fit the geography, the programme rules, and the delivery timetable rather than pitch a standalone discretionary grant case.