Guidance

Common Ground Award: FAQs

Updated 28 October 2025

Applies to England

How to apply

Can we see details on the Fund, application questions or the application form?

The application window for the Common Ground Award is now open. The deadline for applications is 21 November 2025. Please find the link to the application form available here: Common Ground Award: prospectus - GOV.UK

Please refer to the Common Ground Award prospectus and scoring framework for further details.

I am having issues logging in to my account

If you are experiencing issues, try to reset your password in the first instance, in case there is an issue with the log in details. You can also contact Support - GOV.UK One Login for technical support.

If you are still having issues, please get back in touch with us as soon as possible.

Can you provide an offline copy of the application form?

Yes, please contact CGA@communities.gov.uk

Eligibility

Is my organisation eligible?

The types of Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise organisations are set out in the eligibility criteria of the prospectus. MHCLG will not comment on each individual case.

Are faith-affiliated organisations eligible?

Faith organisations are eligible, provided that grant funding will not be used for the purposes of facilitating exclusively religious activity.

Please refer to the prospectus for the full eligibility criteria.

My organisation does not have 2 years’ worth of accounts, can we still apply?

If your organisation is unincorporated, then you must be able to provide 2 years of accounts (as stated in the eligibility section of the prospectus).

If your organisation is incorporated and is one of the other types of organisations listed under the eligibility section in the prospectus, then you are not required to provide accounts for the last 2 years.

Is a combined bid between multiple organisations possible?

The Common Ground Award will only accept bids from individual eligible organisations, not partnerships or consortiums.

Does the turnover of an organisation limit their eligibility to apply?

There are no limits on turnover of eligible organisations.

My organisation has operated under a different name until recently, are we still eligible to apply?

You are eligible, provided that you meet the eligibility criteria as set out in the Prospectus. Additionally, as per the prospectus, as part of our standard processes, we will carry out full due diligence checks on applicants before any funding is released.

Funding

When does the grant need to be spent by?

As per the prospectus, funding is expected to be committed by 31 March 2026.

Funding can be directed towards a longer-term project that will have started in this financial year but not completed in it.

Projects that are able to provide a clear timeline and give confidence of their ability to spend funding by the 31 March deadline, will score more highly in the assessment.

What can we spend the capital funding on?

Eligible (capital) expenditure is money spent on things that last a long time (at a minimum over a year) – these could include buildings, equipment, or infrastructure – and help improve services in the future. Further examples include laptops, monitors, minibuses, buildings, bike shelters, and fencing.

Ineligible expenditure is money spent on everyday costs – including staff, heating, and supplies – that keep services running now. Further examples include staff costs, stationery supplies, utilities, food, travel costs, cleaning supplies, general maintenance and caretaking costs.

Can we spend the funding on part of a project?

Funding can contribute to a larger or longer term project.

Do you need evidence or quotes of the exact funding required?

As per the prospectus, all applicants will be required to set out how funding of up to £10,000 will be used. If you are requesting over £10,000 you will also be asked to set out how you would scale up the proposed capital improvement, demonstrating the need for and expected impact of additional funds.

Whilst exact quotes for spending are not required, applications that provide clear plans for how funding will be used, including the affordability of their proposals, will be scored more highly.

A one-off up front payment will be made to successful applicants, and we would expect any funding to be committed by 31 March 2026.

Successful applicants will be asked to confirm how the funding has been spent through a monitoring and evaluation exercise, for which details will be provided in due course.

Should budgets be inclusive or exclusive of VAT, and is VAT an eligible cost?

If your organisation is not VAT registered, you should include all of your VAT in your project costs. If you are VAT registered, only include the portion of VAT that is non-recoverable.

Assessment process

Do we have sufficient strategic alignment with the Common Ground Award?

To ensure an open and fair process we want all applicants to have access to consistent information. This is best achieved through referring to the prospectus for further details on the assessment criteria, including strategic alignment.

Can we arrange a meeting to ask some questions?

To ensure an open and fair process, all applicants should refer to the prospectus and scoring framework for further details. We will not be hosting individual meetings during the application window.

Other

Can you provide further details on monitoring and evaluation?

We will aim to ensure that the level of monitoring and evaluation is proportionate to the level of funding.

MHCLG will issue further guidance regarding monitoring and evaluation to successful applicants in due course.

Are there branding or communications requirements attached to the funding?

UK government should be acknowledged in all marketing and promotional material as the funding source. Requirements will be detailed for successful applicants in due course; general guidance can be found here.

Are there rules regarding building ownership?

You do not need to own the building from which your organisation operates, but in your application you should provide assurances that you have permission from the owner / landlord, if your planned spending will include improvement works to the property.