Funding

A grant or funding allocation is a vital step towards improving or enhancing a school building or estate. Our holistic single-source solution spans project identification to application submission, to give your project the best chance of success.

SECURING ESSENTIAL INVESTMENT

Accessing government funding for essential repairs and upgrades is a critical task. As a school business manager, the process involves more than simply identifying needs; it requires the navigation of competitive, complex, and ever-changing landscape of requirements.

From restricted Government funding pools and time-consuming application processes to shifting policies and short deadlines, the path to securing essential investment is rarely straightforward. Increasingly, schools must demonstrate clear educational and community benefits, yet many lack the internal resources and budgets to do so.

Despite these challenges, strategic planning, robust evidence, and stakeholder engagement can make a real difference. With the right approach, schools and academy trusts can unlock funding to create inspiring learning environments.

HOW RLB CAN HELP

Every school and academy has different financial constraints, curriculum delivery plans, and operational requirements. Which is why we offer practical and tailored advice customised to meet your specific needs.

Through our long-term, close relationship with the Department for Education, we understand the current issues and future priorities. Using this intelligence, we enable schools and academy to make informed decisions.

We’ve developed a turnkey solution to shape, write and implement applications for grant support to prime school trusts for success. Our ‘no-win, no-fee’ bid submission service, combined with our high success rate, has already helped many of our sector clients to secure funding for long-awaited repairs and building renewals.

We knowledge and extensive experience working with schools and academy trusts to access a range of funding streams, including:

Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
School Capital Allocation (SCA)
Salix Energy Efficiency Fund (SEEF)
Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS)
Basic Need Allocations
Section 106
T Levels capital funding
Urgent Capital Support (UCS)
Further Education Capital Transformation Fund (FECTF)
Sport England funding

SOLUTIONS IN ACTION

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) can benefit schools and academies striving to balance constrained budgets and deliver estate upkeep. For many, a CIF grant is a vital step, but the process can be challenging. As application scrutiny intensifies, so too does this risk of bid failure.

Holding a bid success rate equal to or above the national average, our dedicated team provides comprehensive support to providers embarking on a CIF funding application. So far, we have secured over £200m of capital funding for long-standing projects, refurbishments and alterations. Collectively, these project have delivered safe, warm and dry learning environments for over 25,000 pupils.

Our team can prepare bespoke bids to provide the strongest evidence of need. We can:

Identify project need based on the Department for Education (DfE) guidance
Review building / installation condition to demonstrate risk of school closure
Review statutory and legislative compliance and identifying gaps or concerns
Provide support with CIF bid planning, preparation and delivery
Provide project management support to design and deliver successfully-funded schemes