Policy paper

Cyber Essentials funding package

Details of the government's scheme providing funding support for businesses to adopt the Cyber Essentials scheme.

• From: Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and Baroness Lloyd of Effra CBE
• Published: 3 November 2026

Documents

Cyber Essentials funding package

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Details

The government is introducing a new package of financial support to make Cyber Essentials more accessible to small and medium-sized organisations and increase adoption of these baseline cyber security controls.

The package brings together two complementary offers: the Cyber Essentials First Step Fund and the Cyber Resilience Pledge: Cyber Essentials for Suppliers Grant.

• The Cyber Essentials First Step Fund offers a 75% discount on the cost of a Cyber Essentials certificate. It is available for all SMEs applying for their first Cyber Essentials certificate.
• The Cyber Resilience Pledge: Cyber Essentials for Suppliers Grant offers a 100% discount on the cost of a Cyber Essentials certificate and access to a Cyber Advisor. It is available to selected suppliers who are in the supply chains of organisations which have signed the Cyber Resilience Pledge.

Please see the document attached at the top of this page for full details and how to apply for the funding.

For more information, read the press notice.

Apply for the First Steps Fund

Cyber Essentials is a highly-effective government-backed scheme that helps organisations protect themselves against common online threats. It is suitable for organisations of all sizes and sectors and provides a set of fundamental technical controls that organisations should have in place.  

This funding package is part of the government’s wider work to help businesses improve their cyber security and increase cyber resilience across the UK economy.