Condition Improvement Fund Opens for 2021-22

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is provided by the Department for Education to improve school buildings and expand academies and sixth-form colleges rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted.

CIF’s core priority is to support condition projects and the focus of the fund is to keep school and college buildings safe and in good working order. Most CIF funding aims to address building issues with significant consequences that revenue or Devolved Formula Capital (DFC) funding cannot meet. These include issues with poor building condition, building compliance, energy efficiency or health and safety.

The highest priority will be given to condition projects that address compliance and health and safety issues. These include fire protection systems, gas safety, electrical safety or emergency asbestos removal. Priority will then be given to projects that ensure weather tight buildings and continuous heating and water supply. CIF also supports a small proportion of expansion projects where Ofsted has rated the school either good or outstanding and which need to expand their existing facilities and/or floor space to either:

Increase the number of admissions in the main year of entry, or

Address overcrowding, including cases of recently approved age-range expansion and sixth form expansion.

To be eligible to apply for CIF funding, applicants must have been by 1 September 2020 either a:

Stand-alone academy

Multi-academy trust (MAT) with less than 5 academies or fewer than 3,000 pupils

Sixth-form college

Eligible voluntary-aided school

School with a signed academy order as of 1 September 2020 that the department expects will convert by 1 April 2021.

An initial proposal can be submitted for works expected to cost more than £20,000 (for primary and special schools) and £50,000 (for Secondary, allthrough and sixthform colleges) for initial approval prior to further development and final approval at a later stage. The maximum project cost for all schools is £4 million.

Applications must be submitted by the deadline of 14 January 2021.

More information about this funding opportunity and the application process is available on the GRANTfinder funding information platform. GRANTfinder provides up-to-the minute content, insight and analysis on funding news and policy. To find out more about how GRANTfinder can keep you in the know, and subscription fees, contact us today.