Guidance

Better Futures Fund learning and development partner competition: guidance

Published 6 July 2026

Summary

DCMS is providing up to £2,600,000 of grant funding to a delivery partner/consortium to provide a learning and development service that strengthens the knowledge, capability and confidence of organisations and stakeholders to design and deliver Social Outcomes Partnerships through the Better Futures Fund.

DCMS is seeking to select a single grant recipient, which could be a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application). The successful bidder will deliver this funding between October 2026 and March 2031. This funding can only be used for activity in England.

The following funding is available:

• Up to £300,000 in financial year 2026/27
• Up to £550,000 in financial year 2027/28
• Up to £550,000 in financial year 2028/29
• Up to £600,000 in financial year 2029/30
• Up to £600,000 in financial year 2030/31

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on Monday 10 August 2026.

Background to the Better Futures Fund

The £500 million Better Futures Fund (BFF) will support up to 200,000 children, young people and their families over the next 10 years. It will do this by bringing together government, local communities, charities, social enterprises, investors and philanthropists, to deliver place-based solutions to complex social problems. The funding will primarily be for the commissioning of Social Outcomes Partnerships (SOPs), with government payments tied to the achievement of measurable improvements in people’s lives, such as school attainment, improved youth employment, and reduced youth reoffending. The fund will aim to raise up to an additional £500m in match funding for outcomes over the full duration of the programme, working with partners including local government commissioners and philanthropists. It will also bring in additional upfront funding from social investors creating total funding of up to £1 billion.

The BFF will fund projects which support the government’s ambitions to tackle the structural and root causes of poverty for children, young people and their families - projects that reduce the short or longer term impacts of poverty on the life chances and outcomes for children. The specific outcomes the fund will look to deliver are currently being determined. The specific metrics will be decided in local places, aligned to local needs, but will be guided by an overarching set of outcomes that align with evidence on tackling child poverty.

DCMS is anticipating a two-stage roll out. DCMS are currently running a competition to select a grant recipient to deliver the first round of the BFF. Round 1 is expected to invite bids in Summer 2026, supporting projects with demonstrable prior experience in delivering a SOP. Further details on applying for Round 1 will be released this summer once a delivery partner has been appointed.

Subsequent rounds that will cover the remainder of the BFF’s funding will be from 2027 onwards, designed to significantly scale up the number of SOPs and widen participation across the market. These will be open to all applicants, including new applicants who may not have experience of SOP delivery. Policy officials are currently in the design process of the fund, and working in close collaboration with a range of stakeholders from across local government, Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs), the impact economy, and civil society. Officials are exploring the role and capacity of local and regional government to deliver the BFF in their localities. This is in keeping with Government principles of devolution, and prioritises a place-based approach to the Fund’s delivery.

UK is a leader in the international SOPs market, with 100 partnerships launched to date. The BFF follows the success of other SOP funds, such as the Life Chances Fund (2016 to 2025), which supported more than 50,000 people in areas like youth unemployment, mental health and homelessness. Building on this experience and a comprehensive evaluation exercise, the BFF will be the largest outcomes fund of its kind in the world.

The learning and development programme

The requirement for a learning and development programme is informed directly by these previous experiences, alongside stakeholder engagement undertaken during the design of the Better Futures Fund. As the Fund seeks to significantly scale the use of SOPs, it will engage a wider range of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations, local and regional commissioners, potential funders (i.e. philanthropists), and investors, many of whom may have limited experience of developing and delivering SOPs. Stakeholders have identified a need for accessible guidance, both as an entry point for organisations exploring SOPs and participation in the BFF, and as a source of practical learning and expertise for those developing and delivering projects through the different stages of the SOP lifecycle. Previous evaluations have also highlighted:

• How organisations often dedicate significant time to building understanding of SOPs among partners and stakeholders, taking away time from frontline delivery
• Learning on effective SOP design and delivery is often fragmented
• There is value in being able to learn from peers and share good practice to support successful delivery.

Objectives and outcomes

The grant recipient(s) should seek to design and deliver a programme to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop a learning and development programme that provides relevant support at each stage of the SOP lifecycle that enables organisations and stakeholders to explore, develop and deliver projects on the BFF
• Equip applicants to the BFF with the relevant tools, insights and resources that help them deliver and implement SOP projects
• Use and translate evidence and learning from the BFF and previous SOP programmes to support stakeholders to develop and deliver projects on the BFF
• Facilitate opportunities for projects involved in both rounds of the BFF to share knowledge, learning and experience with each other.
• Support local, regional and national stakeholders to build understanding of and capability in outcomes based commissioning approaches

The grant recipient(s) should seek to deliver the following outcomes:

• Increased capability, knowledge, and confidence among delivery organisations to effectively design, launch, and manage high-quality SOP projects within the BFF.
• Enhanced capacity among commissioners to design, structure, and procure outcomes-based partnerships that align with local strategic priorities.
• Improved understanding of SOP financing/investment approaches and funding partnership models
• Stakeholders demonstrate improved understanding of how SOP approaches can be applied to addressing child poverty
• Active collaboration between the cohorts of the BFF is fostered, enabling projects to share and apply insights, learning and best practice to improve project delivery and outcomes.
• Outcomes-based commissioning approaches are more widely understood, adopted and embedded by commissioners and stakeholders across local, regional and national systems, informed by learning from the BFF.

We will favour:

• Schemes which offer a service that is accessible and can support a diverse range of organisations and stakeholders interested in SOPs and the BFF
• Schemes that demonstrate how they can sufficiently flex and adapt their work to target support to organisations and stakeholders working in places and communities experiencing higher levels of child poverty.

Grant recipient(s) overview

DCMS is seeking a grant recipient(s) who can:

• Demonstrate expertise in SOPs and be able to act as a credible source of knowledge for the sector. This should include an understanding of where SOP are, and are not, an appropriate mechanism, drawing on evidence and lessons learned from previous projects and funds.
• Demonstrate the ability to provide accessible, up to date, and practical guidance on a range of topics relevant to SOP development and delivery to a diverse audience. This could include areas such as commissioning, procurement, contracting, partnership development, etc.
• Design and deliver in a way that achieves the objectives and outcomes of this grant funding within the required timescales and contributes to the successful delivery of the BFF.
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the organisations and stakeholders involved in the BFF, particularly VCSE organisations and commissioners, and the support they require to develop and deliver SOPs. This should include an understanding of place-based approaches and what is needed to support local partners work together effectively to design and deliver outcomes-based partnerships.
• Demonstrate experience of designing and delivering accessible learning and development programmes that meet the needs of organisations and stakeholders at different stages of the SOP lifecycle, including those exploring participation in Social Outcomes Partnerships and the Better Futures Fund through to those developing and delivering projects.
• Demonstrate knowledge of measures to alleviate child poverty, and an understanding of “what works” from prior SOP projects and funds.
• Demonstrate having no conflict of interest as an intermediary participating in the market when undertaking work on this contract or who can provide adequate assurances that any such work would not be perceived as conflicting
• Demonstrate effective financial management, value for money and quality assurance

Further Information about the BFF to support your application development

This service will form part of a wider programme of capacity and capability-building support designed to help organisations engage with and deliver projects through the BFF. While the overall programme is still being developed, DCMS anticipates procuring a complementary technical support service that would provide more intensive, project-specific assistance where required. This may include areas such as project scoping, feasibility and cost-benefit analysis, SOP design, and the development of project-specific rate cards. DCMS envisages the learning and development offer funded through this competition acting as an initial point of engagement, helping organisations understand SOPs and consider how SOP approaches could be applied within their own organisational and project contexts and inform the development of future proposals. The technical support service would then provide more in-depth, one-to-one assistance for organisations requiring tailored support to progress project development and delivery. However, DCMS is not prescribing a particular delivery model for the learning and development offer and welcomes innovative approaches from bidders that achieve the objectives of building awareness, understanding and capability in relation to SOPs and the BFF.

At this stage in the development of the BFF, the precise level of interest in the Fund and in this learning and development programme remains uncertain. However, stakeholder engagement undertaken during the early design has indicated strong interest in outcomes based commissioning approaches and the BFF from a range of organisations and stakeholders. The information below is provided to support applicants in developing their proposals and should not be taken as an indication of expected volumes.

• As a point of reference, the £70m Life Chances Fund received 196 Expressions of Interest over its lifetime, of which 122 progressed, resulting in 109 full applications and 29 funded projects. There was also a wider audience interested in developing SOPs, not for the LCF. These figures provide an indication of engagement with a comparable SOP fund; however, the BFF is expected to operate at a larger scale and engage a broader range of organisations and stakeholders.

Based on stakeholder engagement on the design of the programme, good practice is given as examples which applicants may wish to take into consideration when designing their schemes:

• Making the programme and any guidance accessible to a broad range of organisations and stakeholders, recognising that different audiences may require different types of support and information. For example; Chief Executives of local authorities versus commissioners, those at the start of their SOP journey versus organisations already engaged in SOP development.
• Developing practical resources that help organisations and stakeholders understand, design and deliver SOPs. This may include (for example) guidance materials, template documents, and case studies.
• Providing opportunities for organisations and stakeholders to seek further support, share learning and discuss challenges encountered during the development and delivery of SOPs, for example through thematic or regional workshops
• Providing opportunities for projects experienced in SOPs to inform newer entrants to the market, where appropriate
• Building on existing evidence, guidance and resources, where appropriate

The grant recipient must comply with the relevant Subsidy Control Rules, where applicable. This includes maintaining appropriate records of compliance with the Subsidy Control Rules and taking all reasonable steps to assist DCMS in complying with its obligations under the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Applicants wishing to find out more about Subsidy Control can visit the Subsidy Control Regime webpage.

Eligibility, criteria, and due diligence

Applicants may apply as a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application).

Eligibility

Pass/Fail

• The grant funding will be provided under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006. To be eligible to apply as a grant recipient for the Civil Society Resilience Infrastructure fund, the applicant or lead applicant organisation for a consortium must be able to demonstrate eligibility to receive a grant under Section 70, as a charitable, philanthropic or benevolent institution, and provide the below mandatory documents.

Pass/Fail

• Financial eligibility - the value of any grant requested in any given year must not represent more than 50% of the applicant or, in the case of a consortium bid, the lead applicant’s, average annual income for the previous 2 financial years. As an example: if an organisation applied for an annual £500,000 grant, the annual turnover needs to be £1,000,000 or more in order that the grant is not more than 50% of the annual turnover/income. In a consortium, the grant award cannot exceed more than 50% for the lead organisation’s turnover/income

Pass/Fail

• Only one bid may be submitted by the lead applicant on the application form. The lead bidder may be included as a delivery partner in other applications by a different lead organisation.

Mandatory documents

For single applications, and the lead organisation for consortium applications, please provide all of the following mandatory documents:

• Evidence or a link to evidence (e.g. terms of reference, articles of association) that shows that your organisation (or the lead organisation in your consortium application) was established for a charitable, benevolent or philanthropic purpose, to ensure you are eligible to receive a grant under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006.
• Contact details for two referees from a minimum of two organisations that have previously funded you to deliver a project, for DCMS’ review.
• (If applicable) Where there has been any grant funding you have received from a government or local government organisation in the last 5 years or are currently receiving, please provide the contact details of the relevant officials to enable us to obtain feedback from the department.
• Copy of annual report and audited or certified accounts, covering the last two financial years, or similar published information about your organisation if available. For consortium applications, only the lead applicant must provide this evidence but we expect the lead partner to ensure that all delivery partners have the appropriate policies and finances in place to manage this grant. Please note: in the event your last financial year end was more than 6 months ago, we may request further accounting information at a later date as part of the due diligence process.
• Declaration of any conflicts of interest that could compromise the conduct of this particular fund by all participating partners (where applicable). For example, if trustees and directors from multiple organisations within a partnership application are related. Where multiple organisations hold the same address, they will be asked to provide an explanation.

We expect the lead partner to ensure and provide assurances to DCMS that all delivery partners have the appropriate policies and finances in place to manage this grant. Partners must be able to provide this information to DCMS as necessary.

Essential criteria

See sections ‘Grant Recipient Overview’ and Annex A: scoring criteria for an outline of what we expect applicants to demonstrate in their application that they have.

Due diligence

DCMS does not tolerate fraud, bribery or corruption. To be eligible for this fund, shortlisted applications will be checked against various databases to assess the accuracy of the information provided. Any shortlisted applications which do not satisfy due diligence checks will not be assessed. DCMS will monitor the grant throughout its lifetime and may conduct additional assurance exercises to ensure that funding is being spent correctly.

We expect applicants to provide further information, if requested, as the result of due diligence and risk assessment checks. DCMS will conduct its due diligence checks through processes including (but not limited to):

• the government’s online automated due-diligence tool ‘Spotlight’
• manual pre- and post-award checks in line with Cabinet Office’s Guidance for General Grants, including reputational checks such as social media

Examples of issues that arise during due diligence checks - and may preclude applicants from being eligible for funding - include:

• non-provision of the mandatory documentation
• inaccurate or incomplete information on the Charity Commission register / Companies House register
• inaccurate or incomplete budget and cash flow documents
• inaccurate or incomplete project plan
• (in the case of a joint application) the above issues being present with one of the participating partners, even if it is not a concern for the other partners or joint application members

Funding and eligible expenditure

The maximum total grant funding available to the successful bidder is up to £2.6 million revenue funding over the five year financial period between 1 October 2026 and 31 March 2031

This breaks down to:

• Up to £300,000 in financial year 2026/27
• Up to £550,000 in financial year 2027/28
• Up to £550,000 in financial year 2028/29
• Up to £600,000 in financial year 2029/30
• Up to £600,000 in financial year 2030/31

The grant will be reviewed annually, taking into account delivery against the agreed outputs of the finalised grant agreement. Applicants may wish to see section ‘Grant award’, and Annex B: DCMS Standard terms and conditions of Grants, with particular attention clauses 34 and 35 within the standard grant terms for more information.

All annually allocated funds awarded must be spent by 31 March of each financial year, and any unspent funds cannot be carried forward into future years. There is no funding for capital expenditure.

DCMS will also fund and procure an independent third-party evaluator for the BFF, which is not included in the financial breakdown above.

The funding may be spent on the following activities:

• Staff costs, where they directly relate to the Better Futures Fund Learning and Development Fund activity i.e. salaries, employer’s national insurance contributions, and employer’s contributions to any occupational pension scheme or stakeholder pension scheme and travel and subsistence (within parameters agreed in advance with DCMS)
• Communication and marketing (subject to Cabinet Office controls)
• Other delivery costs incurred by the scheme as appropriate to the proposed delivery methodology, such as learning and development activity
• Administration costs related to delivering the Better Futures Fund Learning and Development Fund. These costs support the overall business operations and include things like rent, utilities, administrative staff, senior oversight, and office supplies etc.
• Onward grants, where applicants have set this out in their applications and in line with the objectives, outcomes and expectations of this fund.

This is not an exhaustive list but an indication of eligible spend. We may consider funding other types of activities as long as they are not listed as ineligible below.

The funds may not be used for:

• capital expenditure
• payment that supports lobbying or activity intended to influence or attempt to influence Parliament, Government or political parties, or attempting to influence the awarding or renewal of contracts and grants, or attempting to influence legislative or regulatory action
• redundancy costs for any staff assigned to the Funded Activities. For these purposes, redundancy costs mean any statutory redundancy pay entitlement (calculated in accordance with Part XI of the Employment Rights Act 1996) and any contractual redundancy pay entitlement to the extent it exceeds the statutory redundancy pay entitlement
• using grant funding to petition for additional funding
• input VAT reclaimable by You from HMRC
• payments for activities of a political or exclusively religious nature
• goods or services that You have a statutory duty to provide
• payments reimbursed or to be reimbursed by other public or private sector grants
• contributions in kind (i.e. a contribution in goods or services, as opposed to money)
• depreciation, amortisation or impairment of fixed assets owned by You
• the acquisition or improvement of Fixed Assets (with “Fixed Asset” defined as an asset that would be capitalised under DCMS’s own capitalisation policy, as set out in DCMS’s annual accounts) by You
• interest payments (including service charge payments for finance leases)
• gifts to individuals other than prize money as set out in the provided budget
• entertaining (entertaining for this purpose means anything that would be a taxable benefit to the person being entertained, according to current UK tax regulations)
• statutory fines, criminal fines or penalties
• liabilities incurred before the issue of this funding agreement unless agreed in writing by Us
• use in respect of costs reimbursed or to be reimbursed by funding from any other source
• use to purchase buildings or land

Final agreed eligible spend will be set out in detail in the successful bidder’s grant offer letter.

Financial requirements

Please note: The DCMS financial year runs from 1 April to 31 March. If successful, drawdown requests and budgets must fit the DCMS financial year.

Payments will be made quarterly and in arrears.

You will need to provide a breakdown of actual, eligible expenditure to make a claim. We will only pay out the amount you can evidence as spent.

Variations between proposed drawdown amounts and actual drawdown requests across quarters of the same financial year will be accepted, subject to explanation and justification. Any funds not drawn down by the end of the financial year will become unavailable.

You must be able to transparently report on a quarterly basis and provide evidence of expenditure on the use of the Better Futures Fund Learning and Development Fund. The Better Futures Fund Learning and Development Fund must be shown as restricted funds in your accounts and you must be able to identify separately the value and purpose of the grant in your accounts. You will be asked to describe in your application the financial management systems and processes you will put in place to ensure you can achieve this.

Monitoring and evaluation

We are committed to ensuring that funded work is appropriately monitored and evaluated and that lessons learnt and examples of good practice are made widely available, which will help us deliver key objectives of the fund such as improving the SOP evidence base.

Monitoring and evaluation requirements will be finalised in grant agreement documents, but are expected to include:

• Regular reporting to the DCMS programme team, both in monitoring meetings and written performance reports
• Reviewing performance against the intended objectives, as set out in the grant agreement
• Providing financial reconciliation statements
• Submitting an end of grant review signed off by DCMS
• Working with the external evaluator on monitoring the programme and building the evidence base around partnership working
• Sharing project data with DCMS on a regular basis as part of monitoring and evaluation requirements

The DCMS Monitoring and Evaluation Strategy sets expectations for proportionate, robust and impactful evaluation. It will be the responsibility of DCMS to bring in an external evaluator who will assess the effectiveness of processes used in delivering the fund, the impact of the fund in meeting its objectives and the fund’s value for money. Applicants should provide an indication of what internal processes and procedures are in place to monitor the effectiveness of funded activities, including how this can support continuous improvement during the lifecycle of the grant/

DCMS will appoint an external evaluator to independently assess the delivery and impact of the Better Futures Fund, including the implementation of the fund and support provided to projects and other programme stakeholders. The grant recipient(s) is expected to actively participate in the evaluation, and this could include:

• provide data and documentary evidence to the evaluator
• members of staff participating in qualitative interviews
• facilitating the evaluator to attend points of service delivery or to access recipients of services (e.g., through surveys or qualitative interviews).

Application process

Application dates

The timeline below is indicative and subject to change.

• Competition opens for applications: 6 July 2026
• Deadline for clarification questions: 5pm on 14 July 2026
• Publication of answers to clarification questions: 20 July 2026
• Deadline of the application: 11:59pm on 10 August 2026
• Application Assessment: 11th August - 20 August 2026
• Virtual Interviews to be Held: 20th August - 7 September
• Notification of recommendation for approval/ of unsuccessful applications: Mid September 2026
• Final confirmation of appointment: September 2026

We expect the grant agreement will be finalised with the successful applicant(s) by September 2026, although the exact timing will be dependent on a number of factors. Delivery is expected to take place from October 2026 to March 2031, with all spending to be completed within this time period.

Any clarification questions should be directed to betterfutures@dcms.gov.uk by 5pm on 14 July 2026

All other enquiries should also be directed to betterfutures@dcms.gov.uk

How to apply

Please follow the steps below to apply:

• Ensure you have fully read this competition guidance document.
• Complete the application form and send a copy to betterfutures@dcms.gov.uk

Applications open Monday 6 July and close 11:59pm on Monday 10 August 2026

Any applications received after the closing date will not be assessed.

It is your responsibility to ensure your application is concise, fully completed, and that you supply all the necessary supporting documentation.

Assessment

This is a three-stage application process for the appointment of a partner, with an initial sift, a written application stage and an interview stage.

A panel will assess the applications. Please assume that assessors have no or limited background knowledge of your organisation, its aims, and what it does. It is therefore important that your application is as clear, concise, and unambiguous as possible.

Initial sift

We will review your application to check that it meets the eligibility requirements (see ‘Eligibility’ section). Applications which do not meet the eligibility requirements will not have their application assessed.

Assessment and moderation of eligible bids

We will then score eligible bids in line with our key criteria. The table below outlines what we are looking for and the weighting across the application sections.

Application form section	Weighting
Section 1: BFF L&D Programme Objectives	25
Section 2: SOP & Sector Knowledge	25
Section 3: Programme Management & Oversight	20
Section 4: Finances	15
Section 5: Service Monitoring & Evaluation	15
Total	100%

Annex A provides further information on the scoring criteria used to assess applications.

We will assess applications based on the information provided to answer the application questions and each question response will be evaluated and marked on a scale of 0 to 4 where:

• 0 - Serious concerns: e.g. does not meet requirements, and/or raises serious concerns
• 1 - Minor concerns: e.g. meets some requirements but with gaps and/or some minor concerns
• 2 - Adequate confidence: e.g. meets most/all requirements, but lacks sufficient detail or evidence in some areas
• 3 - Good confidence: e.g. meets all requirements and provides a detailed response but lacks evidence in minor areas
• 4 - Excellent confidence: e.g. meets all requirements, provides a detailed response and evidence which demonstrates a particularly strong understanding of the requirements

Applications will be assessed on their individual merits according to the criteria for funding outlined above. Your overall score will be a percentage and will be determined by the marks awarded for each criteria (out of 4) in accordance with the applicable weighting.

You will not be contacted by DCMS to provide further information on your application. It is your responsibility to ensure your application is concise, fully completed and that you supply all necessary supporting documentation.

Interview

We will assess all applications and only the five highest scoring applicants who also score 2 and above in “Section 2: SOP & Sector Knowledge” of the Essential Criteria will be invited to an interview. This scoring requirement is to ensure that the technical nature of social outcomes partnership funding is adequately understood as a core competency within those organisations taken forward to interview. Those not interviewed will be notified that their bids have been unsuccessful.

We will conduct due diligence checks on shortlisted applications ahead of interview, including fraud risk indicators (see ‘Due Diligence’ section in application form). The relevant documentation is expected to be provided alongside your application form.

Applicants invited to interview will be asked a series of questions to clarify their written answers and provide assurance. Interview scores will build upon scores awarded for written applications. Interviews will be assessed by a panel of government officials, including DCMS officials, and interviews will be assessed against the following criteria: DCMS will share priority questions for those invited to interview ahead of the interview. There may also be follow up questions for clarification purposes on the day. Interviews will last for 60 minutes, and will be held virtual. Scores will be finalised by a moderated panel based on application and interview responses to form a final score. The grant will be awarded to the organisation with the highest score.

Advice and Support

Completing your application form - general tips

The criteria against which you are scored is set out in the application form. Where a question is required but not scored or is desirable this is made clear in the application form.

Please read the guidance for applicants in full before completing your application. There are a number of guidance notes included in the application form, please read these carefully and respond to all relevant points set out in the guidance notes.

Write clearly and concisely avoiding the use of jargon or abbreviations; remember that the assessor reading your application may not have a background in your field of expertise.

Please keep to the word limit set out in the application form. Information provided that is over the word limit or supplementary documents provided will not be included in the assessment.

The application form requires you to input details relating to the lead organisation. Please ensure that the contact details given are for the day-to-day contact for all enquiries relating to the application.

We welcome joint applications, but require one organisation to take the lead role as the applicant, main point of contact, payee for funds, and responsible body who agrees to ensure the terms and conditions of the grant offer are upheld by all involved.

Grants may be awarded to organisations working together e.g. in a partnership arrangement or consortium. In this case there must be a lead organisation who completes the application form and both the lead organisation and each participating partner must be eligible to receive a grant under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006. Please submit one application per joint application.

If applicable, you should list all participating partners involved – it is expected that partnership agreements are already in place, or that you have correspondence from authorised representatives at each partner organisation, that confirms involvement in the fund and acknowledges submission of your application

If applicable, you should list all delivery partners involved if you are applying as a single organisation but intend to work with other organisations to deliver the fund. Unless delivery partners have been chosen through a competitive and transparent procurement exercise, then funding made available to delivery partners will be subject to the same terms and conditions of grant as the lead organisation.

Further information

All available information and guidance relating to this grant funding is contained above and in the application form.

Clarification questions may be sent to betterfutures@dcms.gov.uk by 5pm on 14th July 2026, after which no more will be responded to.

All clarification questions will be anonymised and made public so that all potential applicants are able to access any additional information.

As the application process is competitive, we are unable to provide support in completing the application.

Grant Award

Acceptance of Approval

DCMS will aim to notify the successful applicant in September 2026.

Your grant offer letter will set out the level of funding and any additional conditions that apply specifically to your grant. The letter will also set out what the grant is for and the payment schedule. Once we have awarded a grant, we will ask you for regular financial and performance monitoring reports and a final project report at the end of the funding term.

Please note:

• Grant money will not be paid until we have received your written acceptance of the terms and conditions attached to your grant offer
• if applying as a consortium application, all participating partners will also be required to provide written acceptance of the terms and conditions, it will be the lead applicant’s responsibility to seek this acceptance
• You must acknowledge you have received our grant in your annual report and accounts covering the period of the project
• If there is any breach of the terms and conditions, or your organisation ceases to operate before the grant has been spent, grant monies may have to be repaid
• When the grant ends, the Enrichment Expansion Programme does not have a commitment to provide any further funding for the project
• Anyone found to be acting dishonestly in making an application for funding or spending the grant will be reported to the police and may be liable for prosecution

Grant terms and conditions

Initial spend eligibility requirements are set out above (see ‘Funding’ section). Detailed terms and conditions will be set out within the final grant agreement letter, which will include DCMS’ standard terms and conditions (see also Annex B). Please ensure you have read these before applying.

Unsuccessful applications

We will inform all unsuccessful applicants by September 2026. We will issue written feedback to unsuccessful applicants which passed the pass/fail questions.

Please note that the decision will be final.

Privacy Notice

All information will be processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act 2018, the UK General Data Protection Regulation and any other relevant data protection legislation.

Who controls the information you provide?

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) controls any personal data you provide in your answers.

Why are we collecting and processing your personal data?

Your personal data is being collected and processed by DCMS to perform fraud checks, assess your application and suitability to deliver BFF Round 1. Our legal basis for the processing is that it is necessary for performance of a task in the public interest.

We will not be using any automated decision making.

Will we share your personal data?

• Your personal data may be shared with colleagues in DCMS and external individuals participating in the assessment panel or as part of the grant management process.
• We may also share your personal data with third parties if we are required to do so by law — for example, by court order, or to prevent fraud or other crime.
• We will not transfer your personal data outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) or to international organisations.
• If we are required to share details of your application further or use your responses to illustrate findings, we will ensure that neither you nor the organisation you represent are identifiable.
• DCMS may share information (excluding personal data) relating to your application with third parties outside government where required to do so by law, for example in accordance with access to information regimes (these are primarily the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and the Environmental Information Regulations 2004).
• We will seek to publish and disseminate an evaluation (not including personal data)

We do not intend to use the data for any other purposes.

How long will we keep your personal data for?

Information relating to successful grants will be stored for 7 years after the conclusion of any agreement per standard DCMS retention policy. Unsuccessful grant applications will be stored for 12 months and then disposed of with support of DCMS Knowledge and Information Management Team.

Your rights over your personal data

You have the right to see what personal data we have about you, to have it corrected, to request that we restrict what we do with your data in certain circumstances, and to ask us to stop using your data, but keep it on record.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection team at dcmsdataprotection@dcms.gov.uk, or please contact us at:

Department for Culture, Media and Sport
First Floor, 100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

Your right to complain

If you are not happy with how we have handled your personal data, you have the right to complain to our Data Protection Officer at any time.

You can contact the DPO by email at: dpo@dcms.gov.uk

You can also write to the DPO at:

Data Protection Officer
Department for Culture, Media and Sport
1st Floor, 100 Parliament Street
London
SW1A 2BQ

You also have the right to lodge a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office about our practices, to do so please visit the Information Commissioner’s Office.

By submitting an application, you are confirming that you have read and understood this statement and agree with its terms.