Here is a summary of the key funding rounds available to education clients, with key dates highlighted where published and the latest news on announcements on:
Condition Improvement Fund
School Condition Allocation
Energy Efficiency Funding
Urgent Capital Support
School-Based Nursery Fund
Basic Need
Further Education College Condition Allocation
The Condition Improvement Fund is an annual bidding round for eligible academies and sixth-form colleges to apply for capital funding. The priority for the fund is to address significant condition needs, keeping academy and sixth-form college buildings safe and in good working order. This includes funding projects to address health and safety issues, building compliance and poor building conditions.
The Condition Improvement Fund also supports a small proportion of expansion projects. These are for Ofsted-rated good or outstanding academies and sixth-form colleges that need to expand their existing facilities and/or floor space. If you wish to submit a new project in the next CIF application round, you should be starting to prepare your bid NOW.
The DfE has updated Information for eligible academy trusts. New information has been added about submissions for Urgent Capital Support, updated guidance and application form, and a new Trust financial template.
Key dates
The 2026/27 CIF round is expected to be announced in the Autumn. For more information, download our FAQs and CIF checklist.
Eligible bodies receive a formulaic allocation in lieu of CIF bids. DfE has notified academy trusts of their 2025-26 allocations
The eligibility criteria are:
For nursery schools and sixth forms, DfE uses the number of full-time equivalent (FTE) pupils rather than headcount. See Condition Funding Methodology and Guidance for 2025-26 for more information.
Single-academy trusts, smaller multi-academy trusts (MATs) and sixth-form colleges can apply for CIF instead of receiving an SCA. Those eligible for CIF will be notified in May.
In June, the Government announced no commitment to further investment beyond awarded programmes. All currently awarded funding in both schemes will remain fully funded.
It came as a shock to many as these funding sources were some of the most significant capital available for decarbonisation projects in recent years. However, even without them, there are actionable, effective steps you can consider, most are low cost or even self-financing via spend to save models such as Solar PV, LED Lighting, Heating Control Optimisation, Metering and Behavioural change. Our blog covers this in more detail. Read here.
Urgent Capital Support (UCS) is for academies and sixth-form colleges that do not have access to SCA and require funding assistance to address urgent building condition issues that put at risk either the safety of pupils and staff or threaten the closure of the whole or a significant part of the school. This funding is open throughout the year.
The DfE released its updated 2025 guidance in June. Although the principle of UCS has not changed, the guidance introduces a more structured and rigorous approach to UCS applications that is more aligned with the latest CIF guidance. Key changes are elaborated here.
Introduced in October 2024, the School-Based Nursery Capital Grant provides an exciting opportunity for English state-funded primary phase schools to enhance their early education offerings. This is a visionary initiative aimed at transforming surplus school spaces into vibrant nursery provisions.
Application outcomes for the School-based nursery capital grant 2024-2025 were announced in early April. The DfE awarded 300 schools a total of £37 million under the scheme.
A list of successful applicants can be found here. No further rounds have been announced.
Basic Need Allocation is the funding given to local authorities each year to help them fulfil their duty to make sure there are enough school places for children in their local area.
Allocations for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 financial years, announced in March 2025, will support local authorities to create the new school places they need by the start of September 2028. This is in addition to allocations announced in 2023 for the 2025-2026 financial year, for school places needed by September 2026.
Capital funding for school places needed by 2028: an explanatory note on methodology explains how DfE has calculated the funding for each local authority, using data from the school capacity survey.
All local authorities have also been allocated additional capital funding to invest in provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities through the high needs provision capital allocations.
The Government’s allocation of £302 million for further education (FE) colleges marks a significant opportunity for strategic estate transformation. This funding enables essential maintenance and condition improvement works across college estates. With the shift from competitive bidding to formula-based distribution, colleges in England can now benefit. Colleges have the flexibility to set their own priorities, making this funding a pivotal chance to enhance their estates strategically.
We recommend that academies and trusts start preparing for the next rounds of bidding before the funding application windows open. Please contact Barker if you wish to discuss your projects or opportunities for education funding.
We have a knowledgeable team of professional advisors, including RICS chartered surveyors and fully qualified bid writers who can help compile an extensive bid meeting the guidance criteria to gain funding.
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