The Local Covenant Partnerships Fund
Information about the Local Covenant Partnerships (LCP) fund and how to apply to be the grant recipient(s) delivering this fund.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Dates
Applications open: Wednesday 21 January 2026
Applications close: 11:59pm on Monday 23 February 2026
About the fund
The Local Covenant Partnerships (LCP) fund is open for applications from potential grant recipient(s) to deliver this fund.
DCMS is seeking to select a grant recipient(s) (either a single organisation, with or without partners, or as a joint application) who is able to deliver the objectives of the LCP fund across 15 local areas. The total grant award is £11.59 million revenue (including admin fee) over 2026 to 2029. This fund will operate England-wide.
The LCP fund aims to invest targeted grant funding to support local areas to develop and implement new ‘local covenant partnership’ agreements in 15 local authority district areas across England to tackle local policy priorities and better meet the needs of communities. Target areas will be identified later this year, selected in partnership with the successful applicant and local areas, using a combination of metrics including the Community Needs Index (CNI), the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) and further evidence to help identify places on the basis of need.
This forms part of the broader programme of work to realise the ambitions of the Civil Society Covenant, which sets out the government’s commitment to working in partnership with civil society, or the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, as well as addressing the need for further support for and investment in partnership working regionally and locally.
The work of the grant recipient(s) will help to achieve the following objectives by March 2029:
- build and strengthen sustainable partnership infrastructure between VCSEs and other local stakeholders
- driving up levels of local level investment in the work of the VCSE sector
- improving the evidence base and wider understanding on what works in partnership development between VCSEs and public sector partners, and the socio-economic value this delivers.
For further information on the work of the grant recipient(s) in delivering this fund, please read the competition guidance.
Eligibility
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 Local Covenant Partnerships fund, the applicant (or each participating partner in the case of a joint application) must be able to demonstrate eligibility to receive a grant under Section 70, as a charitable, philanthropic or benevolent institution and provide all the mandatory documents set out in the competition guidance.
Assessment of applications
Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria and weightings:
- Fund proposal (weighted at 40%): Applicants must be able to clearly explain their design proposal and how they intend to meet the LCP fund objectives and outcomes by 31 March 2029.
- Fund management (weighted at 30%): Applicants must set out the financial management systems and processes that will be used to ensure the LCP fund grant expenditure is accounted for accurately and transparently including indicative cost and how value for money will be ensured. Applicants should also set out their organisational approach to managing fraud.
- Fund delivery (weighted at 20%): Applicants must demonstrate the organisation’s capacity and capability to effectively deliver their proposal to achieve the LCP fund objectives.
- Monitoring and evaluation (weighted at 10%): Applicants must set out their approach to building a support network and legacy for the LCP fund including generating data collection and applying learning to support continuous improvement. Applicants should also set out their approach to engagement with DCMS and the external evaluator.
Annex A of the competition guidance provides further detail on these criteria and weightings.
Application details
Any clarifying questions should be directed to lcpfund@dcms.gov.uk by midday on Monday 2 February 2026. Responses to any clarification questions will be published on this page on Friday 6 February 2026.
How to apply
The Local Covenant Partnerships fund will be hosted on the Find a Grant service. To apply, visit Find a Grant and search ‘Local Covenant Partnership Fund’. You’ll need to register before you can access the online application form. Once registered you’ll be able to access the online application form for completion.
Further information on completing your application can be found in the competition guidance.
Please note that:
- applications open on Wednesday 21 January 2026
- the deadline for applications is 11:59pm on Monday 23 February 2026
- all applicants should answer all questions on the application form
- all applications received by the closing date will be assessed following the closing date
- any applications received after the closing date will not be assessed
- all available information and guidance relating to this funding is contained within the competition guidance document and application form