Important Education funding dates and deadlines 2022
A new year brings new rounds of funding for the education sector’s buildings and facilities. Below we have listed some information on different types of funding and the important dates to take note of if you are looking to apply this year.
T Level Capital Fund (TLCF)
TLCF is available to help eligible further education providers implement top-of-the-range facilities to enable a high quality of delivery for T-Levels. This funding is split into Specialist Equipment Allocation (SEA) and the Buildings and Facilities Improvement Grant (BFIG).
To apply for BFIG you need to be able to demonstrate that your facilities are not currently appropriate for the provision of T-Level courses, or that they are in poor condition. It is available for projects with a minimum value of £200k, up to £500k-£1.4million, depending on which T-Level routes you are providing. The total amount of funding available per provider in this round of funding is £4million to cover all projects.
SEA is awarded to providers automatically, following a formula based on T-Level routes you are providing. You do not need to apply for this funding, but you will have to be registered by a certain date to be eligible for next year’s SEA funding allocation. You will also have to fill in a form alongside your BFIG application for providers to detail what equipment you need and what the costs will be. This scheme requires providers to pay for 50% of the new equipment costs.
BFIG & SEA Important dates
- 31st January 2022 – Deadline to register to apply for BFIG.
- 11th March 2022 – Deadline for BFIG applicants to submit applications.
- March to June 2022 – Project assessments.
- July 2022 – Applicants will be notified of the outcomes.
- 29th July 2022 – You must register to deliver T-Levels by this date to be eligible to receive SEA for academic year 2023/24.
Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
CIF is funding made available by the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) for academies and sixth-form colleges. The aim of this funding is to help address issues with the property itself to create a safer learning environment for students and staff. This can include refurbishing roofing, replacing windows/doors, rewiring electrics, fire safety improvements and much more.
This funding is available for a wide range of educational institutions; stand-alone academies, MATs with fewer than 5 schools or fewer than 3,000 pupils, VA schools and sixth-form colleges. MATs with more than 5 schools or 3,000 pupils will instead be able to receive SCA on a yearly basis.
CIF application deadlines have already passed for the 2022/23 academic year. The next round of applications is likely to begin in Q4 this year. However, there are still a couple of important dates for those that have already applied for funding.
- 31st March 2022 – Deadline for obtaining Regional Schools Commissioner significant change approval for expansion projects.
- Spring 2022 – Applicants will be notified of the outcome.
- October 2022 – Next round of funding is likely to be announced around this time.
School Capital funding Allocation (SCA)
SCA is funding provided to eligible schools by the Department of Education. This funding is used to help maintain and improve the condition of both the buildings and the grounds of a school. To be eligible, you must be one of the following:
- A local authority or local-authority-maintained school (Or nursery school)
- A local voluntary-aided body or voluntary-aided school (VA)
- An academy or large multi-academy trust (MAT) or sponsor
- A sixth-form college
- A special school that is not maintained by the local authority
- A special post-16 institution with eligible students
To directly receive the SCA, MATs or VAs must consist of 5 or more schools and the schools must consist of at least 3,000 pupils each in the previous year’s Spring census. However, it is worth noting that special and alternative-provisions schools are counted as 4.5x per pupil, so they would only need 667 pupils to be eligible for SCA.
The dates to look out for this year are the Spring census which opens on 20th Jan to be returned by 16th February. This will need to be completed accurately to receive your SCA for the financial year 2023 to 2024. You should be notified in the Autumn if you are eligible, after which the amount of funding will be allocated using a formula.
Potential education funding dates in 2022
As it stands, there have not been many new education funding budgets announcements for 2022, but we expect extensions or renewals of previous schemes later in the year. For example, this includes the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme. So far there have been 3 phases for funding with no news on phase 4 as of yet. However, with decarbonisation and sustainability being such a key focus for the UK government over the next few years, it would be very strange for there not to be a 4th phase, or a new scheme to replace it. The original scheme was announced in October 2020 and phase 3 applications were in October 2021, so October 2022 could be a key date to look out for.
Whatever happens with PSDS, or any other new funding announcements, we will be sure to update this post with the information, so keep an eye out!
For more information on how the team here at Munday + Cramer can help with bid applications in the education sector, or if you would like to find out more about our building surveying services, operating in Essex, London, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk, then get in touch! Contact Munday + Cramer today on 01245 326 200.