Condition Improvement Fund
What is the Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)?
What the Funding is For:
Condition Improvement Funding is a capital funding pot that aims to keep schools and college buildings in good working order and also supports a small number of expansion projects. Eligible academies, sixth form colleges and voluntary aided schools can apply through an annual bidding round.
Am I Eligible for Funding:
You may be eligible to apply for CIF if you are:
A stand-alone academy.
A sixth-form college.
A school within a smaller multi-academy trust, usually defined as a MAT with fewer than five schools or fewer than 3,000 pupils.
A Voluntary Aided school within a smaller VA body or VA group, usually with fewer than five schools or fewer than 3,000 pupils.
A school with a signed academy order which the Department for Education expects to convert to a CIF-eligible responsible body within the required timeframe.
When Should I Apply?
CIF is an annual application round, normally opening in October and closing in mid-December. Results are usually announced the following May, with the intention that works are completed during the summer holiday period.
If you would like to work with us on your CIF bid, we recommend getting in touch by early November at the latest. This gives us enough time to review the project, gather evidence and complete a four-week tender period to obtain robust pricing for the application.
We understand that condition projects can sometimes arise at short notice, so depending on availability, we may still be able to offer support after this point.
The more evidence you are able to provide the better, as 60% of the scoring is on ‘Project Need’ which relies heavily on evidence. We will discuss with you what would be best for your specific project, however some of the more common types of evidence we like to show is listed below.
What Evidence Will I Need?
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Condition Surveys
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Decarbonisation Surveys
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Yearly Maintenance Spend
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Supporting Letters from Local Authority
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Incident Reports
We will manage the full bid writing process, preparing the four individual documents required for submission. Once we have received your signed approval, we will submit the documents and complete the required information on the CIF portal on your behalf.
We will also obtain three quotes from contractors within our pre-vetted supply chain, helping to provide accurate project costings. Where needed, we will arrange additional surveys to support the bid, visit site to take photographs, develop a clear understanding of the project, and complete any further tasks required to prepare the strongest application possible.
What We Provide You With
Documents Created for Submission
Project Need
Project Cost
Project Planning
Supporting Photos
Not Suitable for Your Project?
That’s okay, one of our other funding bid’s might be more suited to your project. Check them out below:
Salix
Salix funding supports public-sector organisations with decarbonisation projects, including low-carbon heating and energy-efficiency improvements that help reduce carbon emissions across their estate. It is particularly suited to projects replacing end-of-life fossil-fuel heating systems with more sustainable alternatives.
School Rebuilding
Programme
The School Rebuilding Programme supports major rebuilding or refurbishment projects for schools and sixth-form colleges with buildings in very poor condition, where significant long-term investment is required. It is focused on sites where rebuilding or major refurbishment is likely to be the most appropriate solution.
Urgent Capital
Support
Urgent Capital Support is for serious building condition issues that pose an immediate risk to health and safety or could result in the closure of all or part of a school. It is intended for urgent situations that cannot wait for the next suitable funding round.
Post-16 Capacity Fund
Post-16 Capacity Funding supports eligible education providers to create additional space for 16 to 19 learners where there is expected demographic growth and existing capacity is not sufficient. It can help fund new or improved teaching spaces, specialist facilities and wider estate changes needed to accommodate additional students.