Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)

The Condition Improvement Fund (CIF) is an annual bidding round for eligible academies, sixth-form colleges and VA schools to apply for capital funding. The priority for the fund is to address significant condition need, keeping the education provider building’s safe and in good working order. This includes funding projects to address health and safety issues, building compliance and poor building condition.

Single academy trusts, small multi-academy trusts (MATs), sixth-form colleges and eligible VA schools can apply for CIF. To be eligible to apply for the next round, you must have been:

Applications for CIF funding need to be made via the DfE CIF Portal, where an application form can be downloaded.

GEA have extensive experience in securing funding for Academy schools and have an enviable success rate in obtaining funding in recent years.

We work closely with our clients and their estates to identify the highest priority works.

GEA provide guidance and advice to our clients from the first initial consultation, to the final completion and ‘sign-off’ of the project, ensuring the process is properly managed and stress free.

Types of projects previously funded include:

We will guide you through the whole process and submit comprehensive bids on your behalf, carefully targeting the ESFA guidelines, ensuring the best possible outcome.

Much of our bid writing is done FREE OF CHARGE giving a very low risk solution to academies who want to apply for funding, but do not have the time or technical knowledge to develop their own bids.

Our Fees become due only once funding has been granted for the project and is included in the CIF Bid costs.

Once appointed GEA will advise on the following, keeping a careful eye on the criteria set by the ESFA.

There are 3 different types of project that are eligible for CIF funding. They are:

The ESFA’s Highest priority projects are as follows, listed in order of importance:

Assessors will evaluate each project using the information contained within the application, and make a relative judgement, to award an overall project score. They will assess expansion projects by using school performance data generated from DfE centrally held sources, not just information provided by applicants.

The ESFA highly recommends that a Condition Survey/Asset Management Plan (AMP) is carried out to assist CIF Funding Applications.

The AMP is an essential tool in determining the condition of the schools buildings and at the same time, provide the Schools Finance/ Business Manager with anticipated maintenance/refurbishment costs moving forward over 1-10 year period.

GEA can provide this service to sit alongside and support the CIF Bid Application.

Where appropriate, an independent suitably qualified person should carry out surveys containing specific condition grading and prioritisation ratings; condition grade A to D (from ‘good’ through to ‘bad’ condition) and priority rating 1 to 4 (from ‘immediate action required’ through to ‘work required in 5+ years’). The evidence must include the qualification of the surveyor.

Most applications require a condition survey or an extract of a condition survey applicable to the part of the building that the application addresses.

Multi-academy trusts (MATs) with at least 5 academies and more than 3,000 pupils receive a School Condition Allocation to deploy strategically across their estate to address their priority maintenance and expansion needs.

Urgent Capital Support (UCS) is for Academies, Sixth Form Colleges and eligible Voluntary Aided (VA) Schools that do not have access to SCA and require funding assistance to address urgent building condition issues, that either put the safety of pupils and staff at risk, or threaten the closure of the whole school, or a significant part of it.

UCS applications can be submitted at any time where there is a genuine and immediate need for urgent support.

Where UCS applications are received between October and April that are duplicates of any CIF application, then the CIF application may be withdrawn.

The application will need to provide evidence:

• of a significant health and safety risk in relation to the building condition
• that the condition issue has already resulted in, or represents an imminent threat of school closure
• that the condition issue has resulted in or risks imminent closure of a significant part of the school building which would prevent the curriculum from being delivered
• that the urgent works cannot be funded by the trust independently or through a CIF loan

Condition issues that may be in scope for funding include:

• structural issues
• urgent health and safety (H&S) or insurance compliance issues
• urgent asbestos issue
• fire protection
• leaking roofs
• boiler and pipework failure
• electrical issues

The fund is available for academies, including those in MATs, who are looking to reduce utility bills through the adoption of energy efficiency programs or renewable technology.

Your project can be simple or complex, for example:

• Heating controls,
• LED lighting
• Insulation
• Boiler/heating system upgrades
• Solar panels

The main criteria for applications is that your project must pay for itself within eight years through savings on your energy bills. However, if your project doesn’t quite meet the eight-year criterion but you have capital to put towards it to make up the difference, then you can still apply to the SEEF.

The Salix Energy Efficiency Fund (SEEF) was set up in partnership with the ESFA to offer interest-free government funding to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and lower energy bills in the public sector.

The employment of a Specialist Consultant who are Chartered Surveyors, to assist in the procurement and delivery of a building project, will dramatically increase the academies chances of securing funding.