Guidance

The Civil Society Resilience Infrastructure Fund: clarification questions

Updated 1 May 2026

Applies to England

Clarification questions and answers

These clarification questions and answers were published on 1 May 2026.

When is the deadline to apply?

The deadline for applications is 23:59 Sunday 31 May 2026. There was an issue with the automatically generated deadline, which incorrectly stated the competition closed at 01:00 Monday 1st June 2026. This was incorrect and has been updated.

Where can I find more information about TUPE, and where I can find information regarding the employee liability information, and the proposed Side Deed?

Please refer to the application guidance, including Annex B and Annex C  for information on TUPE and how to access the employee liability information and proposed Side Deed.

I’m struggling to upload the requested documents, can I email them?

We recently identified a bug in the document upload section that prevented applicants from uploading the mandatory documents. New applicants should not experience any issues, but those with existing applications may struggle to upload documents. We are currently working on a resolution and expect this to be resolved soon. We will update this page as soon as the issue is fully resolved. For any issues with the application form, please contact us at civilsocietyresilience@dcms.gov.uk.

What happens if two organisations receive the same overall top score? Which organisation would be successful?

In the event of a tie where two or more applications achieve the exact same overall score, funding will be awarded based on performance in the most heavily weighted sections of the assessment criteria. The assessment panel will review the scores achieved in the highest-weighted section (for example, the Proposal section, weighted at 35%). The organisation with the higher score in that specific section will be awarded the grant. If those scores are also tied, this cascading approach will be applied to the next highest-weighted section, and so on, until a single successful applicant is identified.

While we acknowledge the Lead Applicant must hold Section 70 status (charitable/benevolent institution), can a private sector Technical Provider act as a Joint Delivery Partner within a charity-led consortium to provide the underlying digital and forensic infrastructure?

As per the eligibility guidelines, the Lead Applicant must be a “charitable, philanthropic, or benevolent institution” eligible under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006. A private sector organisation can participate as a delivery partner within a consortium, but cannot be the lead applicant. The responsibilities of the lead organisation cannot be held jointly with another organisation that does not hold section 70 status. Please note, where delivery partners are appointed, they may recover actual costs only. Only delivery partners selected by the successful bidder through a fair and open procurement process can receive a contract price, rather than actual costs only.

In a consortium-led bid, is the “50% of average annual income” threshold applied solely to the Lead Applicant (the Charity), or is the grant request pro-rated across the combined income of all delivery partners?

As per the financial eligibility criteria, 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 two financial years. The threshold is applied solely to the Lead Applicant, who must meet this threshold.

Would an NHS Trust Charity be eligible to be lead bidder for this grant?

Yes. The lead applicant must be eligible to receive funding under Section 70 of the Charities Act 2006 (i.e., a charitable, philanthropic, or benevolent institution). As a registered charity, an NHS Trust Charity would be eligible, subject to the other eligibility criteria. For clarity, DCMS is seeking a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application) who would be able to deliver all the grant objectives.

Will there be a mechanism where smaller organisations can offer their skill set to a larger operation for a particular geographic area but lacks the capacity to submit an application for the “full amount” of responsibilities.

DCMS will not be coordinating or providing a mechanism for smaller organisations to apply for funding. Bidders are able to set out plans for making onward grants available, but that is not a prerequisite for this fund. DCMS encourages organisations wanting to offer their skill sets to the initiative, to make contact with larger organisations working within the field to find out if there is scope to join as part of their application to deliver the fund objectives.

How should indirect costs be included as part of the proposed budget? We would intend to include a contribution-to-cost as a percentage of the direct costs incurred, does DCMS have a standard percentage or range that would be acceptable? 

Please be advised that administration costs directly associated with the delivery of the fund are considered eligible expenditure. This may encompass overheads such as rent, utilities, administrative staff, senior oversight, and office supplies. DCMS does not prescribe a standard percentage or acceptable range for indirect costs or ‘contribution-to-cost’ overheads. Instead, bidders are expected to ensure that all proposed costs are proportionate, justifiable, and represent value for money. Bidders should submit a methodology for claiming any apportioned over heads as part of their application (e.g. if a bidder intends to claim a portion of rent or senior management time, they should set out how they have calculated this apportionment)

Is there an expected budget template?

No. While a specific budget template is not mandated within the guidance, applicants are required to submit a detailed and realistic budget.

Could DCMS clarify its plans for resilience funding beyond this fund. We would also like to know whether there are plans for additional resilience funding during this period 2026 to 2029 from DCMS.

DCMS is unable to comment on future spending allocations or forthcoming policy developments beyond the scope of this competition.

If a significant, prolonged major emergency happened during the grant period 2026-29, is there the possibility of additional surge funding? Or would there need to be conversations on how to refocus the grant outputs within the available funding?

It is not currently anticipated that surge funding would be provided for additional activity through this grant if a significant, prolonged major emergency happened during the grant period. As outlined in the scoring criteria, applicants are required to demonstrate the flexibility and adaptability of their delivery model, including specific plans for pivoting operations during a short-term or specific emergency or crisis as they arise.

We only have the capacity to deliver some of the listed objectives. Can we apply for a smaller grant to cover just that specific piece of work?

The funding will be awarded to a single organisation or consortium, with a lead applicant. Therefore, bids should address and deliver on all objectives outlined in the application guidance. We strongly encourage all applicants to review the application guidance and scoring criteria to ensure they have the capacity to deliver this funding before applying.

Can our organisation apply for a small amount of funding to deliver these objectives in our specific region or area?

The Civil Society Resilience Infrastructure Fund is designed to support civil society resilience infrastructure across England. We are seeking to appoint a single grant recipient (either a single organisation or a consortium with a lead partner) to deliver the objectives across England. We strongly encourage all applicants to review the application guidance and scoring criteria to ensure they have the capacity to deliver this funding before applying.

Will the up to £2.5 million be divided among a number of recipients?

No. The funding will be awarded to a single organisation or consortium (with a lead applicant). While you may wish to detail plans for localised delivery, the successful bidder is expected to operate across England. We strongly encourage all applicants to review the application guidance and scoring criteria to ensure they have the capacity to deliver this funding before applying.

Can our organisation apply to deliver an evaluation of the grant?

No. This funding is not for evaluation services. This grant is exclusively for delivering the core objectives of the Civil Society Resilience Infrastructure Fund. DCMS will commission an evaluation partner separately through a distinct procurement process. All applications for this fund must focus entirely on delivering the primary objectives as outlined in the application guidance.