The deadline for the latest round of Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) applications is approaching fast. Schools seeking funding for new capital grants for the period 2023-24 must register interest by 1 December and submit applications to the Department for Education (DfE) by 7 December.
The previous round of CIF grants (for 2022-23) disbursed £498m for1,405 projects across 1,129 schools and colleges and voluntarily aided (VA) schools which had identified an urgent need to repair buildings within their estate. The figure for the new CIF round has yet to be announced
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.
For the first time, critical replacement of coal and oil boilers with low carbon heating systems becomes a new Priority Project Type. This will include projects for replacing expired oil and coal boilers with low carbon alternatives to prevent school closure.
CIF also supports a small proportion of expansion projects where Ofsted has rated the school or sixth-form college either good or outstanding and where the school needs to expand their existing facilities and/or floor space to either increase admissions or address overcrowding. All CIF projects, both condition and expansion, must aim to improve a capital asset currently used for education provision for pupils between the ages of 2 and 19 years.
Details of how to register and apply can be found on the DfE website by clicking on this link:
