Guidance

Local Covenant Partnerships Fund: Competition Guidance

Published 21 January 2026

Applies to England

This guidance document is intended to support applications from prospective grant recipients and covers:

• an introduction to the Local Covenant Partnerships fund
• information on grant recipient expectations
• information on the application process including assessment and scoring
• information on the grant awarding process

Summary

In July 2025, the Prime Minister published the Civil Society Covenant, a document enshrining the government’s commitment to working in partnership with civil society. The ambition of the Covenant is to re-shape relationships and build lasting partnerships between civil society and all forms of government across the UK. It is an explicit recognition of the value that civil society brings and a commitment to work in partnership to deliver for citizens. During the engagement period for the Civil Society Covenant, the Department for Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) heard from a wide range of local, central and devolved governments, public sector organisations and local civil society organisations on the enablers and barriers to effective partnership working, as well as the need for further support and investment to support partnership working regionally and locally. 

At the local level, councils and other public sector organisations are already collaborating on a practical basis with civil society, or the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector, to improve services and support for their communities. Local approaches to working collectively between the public and civil society sector come in different shapes and sizes; with different lead partners, service delivery models, scales and policy objectives. In recent years, local areas have deployed a variety of partnership models that range from collaborative governance structures, to participatory grant-making, community wealth or ‘asset based’ strategy development, greater support for VCSE-led contract delivery and collaborative commissioning approaches. 

However, not all places currently benefit from such effective and ambitious models of partnership. While some partnership initiatives in local areas are well developed, others continue to experience systemic barriers to implementation. Some places, particularly those facing the compounding impact of high deprivation and poor social capital (double disadvantage), have a strong need for investment that can help unlock the long-term socio-economic benefits of partnership working between the civil society sector and public sector organisations.

To help address this, DCMS’ Local Covenant Partnerships (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, 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.

DCMS is seeking to select a grant recipient(s) (either a single organisation, with or without delivery partners, or as a joint application) who is able to deliver the objectives of the LCP fund across all 15 places. The total grant award is £11.59 million revenue (including admin fee) over 2026 to 2029. This fund will operate England-wide.

The deadline for applications is 11:59pm on Monday 23 February 2026.

Fund Objectives

We are seeking a grant recipient(s) who is able to improve partnership working between the civil society sector, local authorities, and wider public service providers, to tackle local policy priorities and better meet the needs of their communities in 15 selected areas by March 2029. To achieve this, the high-level objectives and expected outcomes of the fund are to:

1. Build and strengthen sustainable local partnership infrastructure between civil society and other local stakeholders to increase:

a. relationships, trust and strategic connections locally
b. participatory decision making and co-design with the VCSE sector and communities
c. understanding of responsibilities, expertise, assets and ways of working between public service providers and the VCSE sector
d. strategic alignment between local statutory services and VCSE offer, resulting in joined up care and support for communities
e. understanding of local communities and local need

2. Drive up local level investment in the work of the VCSE sector to increase:

a. knowledge and confidence in local commissioning structures and procurement processes
b. grant funding targeted towards the work of the local VCSE sector
c. levels of VCSE delivery of local statutory services
d. VCSE sector expertise and capacity to deliver
e. ability in the use of, and reporting on, data and the identification of cost/benefits

3. Improve the evidence base and wider understanding of what works in partnership development between VCSEs and public sector partners, and the socio-economic value this delivers, to: 

a. facilitate ongoing peer learning between local areas to drive legacy and momentum for partnership working
b. capture learning and case study material
c. contribute to the independent evaluation of the LCP fund

Grant Recipient Overview

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

• demonstrate commitment to the ambitions of the Civil Society Covenant
• design and deliver a fund that meets the objectives and outcomes outlined within the set timescales
• deliver at the local level with the ability to: 
  • work across diverse areas in England, with the exact places yet to be determined 
  • establish an understanding of the willingness and capacity of local areas to partake in the fund, using sector-led expertise to help identify 15 local areas in line with DCMS’ priorities
• deploy understanding of the local VCSE sector to reach a variety of organisations across England - including those who tend to be excluded from this level of local partnership working 
• facilitate and broker relationships between local authorities, wider public sector providers (e.g. Integrated Care Boards), VCSE organisations and Local Civil Society Infrastructure (LSCI) organisations, ensuring continued engagement of these key stakeholders throughout the lifespan of the fund and appropriate financial support for local engagement
• produce transparent and accountable ‘Local Covenant Partnership’ agreements that outline a shared vision for local partnership delivery 
• invest in creative approaches to local partnership delivery in alignment with the ambitions of the Civil Society Covenant, including managing onward grants to local partners
• foster shared learning and peer support within the LCP fund areas; bringing in existing best practice and expertise at the local level 
• demonstrate effective financial management, value for money and quality assurance.

The successful grant recipient(s) will be required to: 

• provide regular reporting and monitoring to DCMS on delivery progress
• support DCMS evaluation of the fund in line with the fund objectives. This should involve:
  • cooperating with the independent evaluators appointed by DCMS
  • receiving and monitoring the feedback and reporting from participating stakeholders in local areas / their beneficiaries
  • reviewing delivery and adopting lessons learned internally

Eligibility, Expectations and Due Diligence 

Applicants may apply as a single organisation, with or without delivery partners, or as a joint application (for example, as a consortium, joint venture, unincorporated association, partnership or otherwise). This may, for example, apply to entities who feel that alone they do not have the capacity or capability to address the department’s requirements or wish to bring in additional expertise to meet the department’s required skills and experience for this role. 

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 the below mandatory documents.

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

1. Evidence or a link to evidence (e.g. terms of reference, articles of association) that shows that your organisation 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. For joint applications, each participating partner must provide evidence of this.
2. Contact details for two referees from a minimum of two organisations that have previously funded you to deliver a project, for DCMS’ review.
3. (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.
4. 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 joint applications, both the lead applicant and each participating partner must provide this evidence. 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.
5. 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 are located at the same postcode, there is no indication of fraud – if multiple organisations hold the same address, they will be asked to provide an explanation.

Expectations 

Applicants will be asked to explain how they meet the eligibility requirements set out above, referencing the mandatory documents. Applications which do not meet the eligibility requirements will not have their scoring continued as they will not be eligible to deliver the funding.

In addition to the above requirements, we expect applicants to demonstrate in their application that they have: 

1. Sector knowledge and capability

a. Understanding of and commitment to the Civil Society Covenant principles and ambitions.
b. Understanding, knowledge and experience of working with the VCSE sector, representative stakeholders and other public service providers at a local level, including supporting DCMS to identify the 15 local areas in line with DCMS’ priorities.
c. Demonstrable experience of designing and delivering similar approaches, which align to the LCP fund’s aims and achieve the intended objectives and outcomes
d. Understanding and experience of the nuances and diverse needs of different communities in different geographical contexts, including the ability to meaningfully engage a wealth of local voices and bring in the expertise of the VCSE sector 

2. Management capability 

a. Appropriate financial management systems and processes to account for LCP fund grant expenditure accurately and transparently, such as fraud risk assessments, policies on fraud, bribery, anti-corruption and due diligence and experience managing counter fraud processes, while ensuring value for money
b. Appropriate organisational legal protocols and processes, including data management (GDPR and Data Protection), Conflict of Interests, handling vulnerable adults and children (safeguarding), Modern Slavery declaration, Health & Safety declaration, relevant insurance, fraud and due diligence policies (as described above) 

3. Delivery experience

a. Demonstrable delivery experience of similar projects, including delivering and monitoring of grant funding
b. Sufficient staff capacity and capabilities to deliver the LCP fund in the timeframe set out

4. Monitoring and Evaluation

a. Experience and capacity to work with an independent evaluator
b. The ability to facilitate and embed peer learning to drive legacy of the LCP fund within the VCSE sector
c. Appropriate data sharing, management and monitoring

We are interested to hear from applicants who may be able to bring opportunities for match funding or in-kind contributions, to help drive the reach and legacy of the LCP fund beyond its lifetime. This will be considered when assessing the merits of applicants, however, this is not a prerequisite for applicants.

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

The total grant funding available to the grant recipient(s) is £11.59 million revenue (including administrative fee) over the three year financial period between 2026 to 2029. All annually allocated funds awarded must be spent by 31 March each financial year, and any unspent funds cannot be carried forward into future years.

The table below sets out the indicative allocated revenue spend available for four different funding strands. We are keen to understand proposals for delivery plans and associated funding profiles across financial years. There is no capital spend.

Funding strand	Total
1. Bringing together local government, civil society and other public service providers to develop relationships; identifying local priorities; devising Local Covenant Partnership agreements for joint action	£1.80m
2. Investment in local activities and outputs (as devised within Local Covenant Partnership agreements), including onwards grant to relevant beneficiaries that deliver; Objective 1: Build and strengthen sustainable local partnership infrastructure between civil society and other local stakeholders, Objective 2: Drive up levels of local level investment in the work of the VCSE sector	£8.61m
3. Evidence-building and Dissemination	£0.13m
4. Total available administrative costs	£1.05m
Total	£11.59m

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

With the exception of strand 3, funding must be spent in connection with delivery within 15 local areas, to be determined in collaboration with DCMS. The funding may be spent on the following activities:

• Financial support to the relevant beneficiaries (for example, project costs, financial support such as onward grants and appropriate remuneration or ‘accessibility support’ to volunteers and individuals taking part) within the 15 local areas.
• Staff costs, where they directly relate to the LCP 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.
• Procuring specialist business support including legal, commercial and data evaluation services to support programme objectives.
• Administration costs related to delivering the LCP fund. These costs support the overall business operations and include things like rent, utilities, administrative staff, senior oversight, and office supplies etc. 

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
• academic research not relating to the objectives LCP fund
• contributions to reserves
• party political organisations
• promotion of religious beliefs
• rapid response to emergencies
• repayment of debts or loans
• retrospective funding, where expenditure has been incurred prior to the grant award date
• redeployment costs or staff redundancy costs that represent additional costs to those incurred by salary payments during a staff member’s notice period

Strand 3 may be spent on wider dissemination and peer learning between broader geographical areas. Final agreed eligible spend will be set out in detail in the successful grant letter agreements. 

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.

DCMS typically makes payments in arrears, and pays in advance by exception. If you wish to be paid in advance, you will be asked to explain and justify your reasons in your application. This includes ensuring that your request fits with one or more of the ‘payments in advance’ criteria outlined in the application form. Your request will be considered as part of the assessment process. If your application and request to be paid in advance are approved, you will be expected to provide quarterly reconciliation details for the duration of your project, detailing any underspend against funds received. You will be required to reconcile any underspend before further funding is released. You will also be required to complete a formal Financial Reconciliation Statement (FRS) form at the end of the financial year.

Whether paid in arrears or in advance, you must be able to transparently report on a quarterly basis and provide evidence of expenditure on the use of the LCP fund. The LCP 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, as per objective three of the fund.  

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 

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. The grant recipient(s) is expected to collaborate closely with the external evaluator and make sure the evaluator fully understands the fund as a whole, the individual programmes at local level, the specific activities, their objectives and aims and their size and timeframe. This ensures that the evaluator can effectively assess the fund against its objectives. The external evaluator is also expected to access the relevant data to perform their role effectively and may suggest specific metrics and methods for data collection. The external evaluator will need to engage directly with local areas as part of their data collection and dissemination of emerging findings, and the grant recipient(s) is expected to help broker this engagement (for example, by sharing contact details with the evaluator, promoting the evaluation activity to local areas and collaborating with the evaluator in peer learning activities). 

The grant recipient(s) is expected to collect and share monitoring and evaluation data which will complement (and support) the activities of the external evaluation supplier. The exact nature of this data will need to be agreed between DCMS and the evaluation partner.

We would also expect the successful applicant to spend some time discussing collected data with the evaluator to ensure it can be interpreted correctly. DCMS will review and sign off the final monitoring and evaluation plans (an M&E framework) and the reports from the evaluations. 

Application process

Application dates

The timeline below is indicative and subject to change.

• Competition opens for applications: Wednesday 21 January 2026
• Deadline for clarification questions: midday on Monday 2 February 2026
• Publication of clarification questions: Friday 6 February 2026
• Deadline of the application: 11:59pm Monday 23 February 2026
• Application Assessment: Tuesday 24 February - Tuesday 3 March 2026
• Notification of shortlist to interview: Tuesday 3 March 2026
• Interviews: Friday 6 March 2026
• Notification of recommendation for approval: Friday 13 March 2026
• Final confirmation of appointment: April 2026 

Work will need to start immediately in April 2026 to support DCMS in the place selection. The successful applicant(s) will need to work at pace to identify the 15 local areas to partake in the fund, understand the willingness and capacity of local areas to engage and agree the expected outputs of the funding. We expect the grant agreement will be finalised with the successful applicant(s) in April 2026, although the exact timing will be dependent on a number of factors. Delivery is expected to take place from April 2026 to March 2029, with all spending to be completed within this time period.

Any clarification questions should be directed to lcpfund@dcms.gov.uk by midday on Monday 2 February 2026.

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

How to apply

Please follow the steps below to apply:

1. Ensure you have fully read this competition guidance document.
2. Complete the online application form hosted on Find A Grant (search ‘Local Covenant Partnerships Fund’). Applications open on Wednesday 21 January 2026 and close 11:59pm on Monday 23 February 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.

Completing your application form

General tips

• The criteria against which you are scored is set out in Annex A. Where a question is required but not scored or is desirable this is made clear in the application form.
• 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. 
• Please read the guidance for applicants in full before completing your application.

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.

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 for the LCP fund. 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.

Assessment

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.

1. 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. 

2. 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
Fund proposal: 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.	40%
Fund management: 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.	30%
Fund delivery: Applicants must demonstrate the organisation’s capacity and capability to effectively deliver their proposal to achieve the LCP fund objectives.	20%
Monitoring and evaluation: 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.	10%
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.

3. Interview

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a final interview on Friday 6 March 2026. 

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

Grant award

Acceptance of approval

DCMS will aim to notify the successful applicant who will be recommended for approval to be the grant recipient(s) by the Department on Friday 13 March 2026 (subject to change). 

Your grant offer letter will set out the level of funding and the terms and 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:

• prior to the grant agreement being signed, we will require a fraud risk assessment for the fund
• 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 joint 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 (or participating partners) ceases to operate before the grant has been spent, grant monies may have to be repaid
• when the grant ends, DCMS 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.

Unsuccessful applications

We will inform all unsuccessful applicants in April 2026. We will issue written feedback to shortlisted applications that are unsuccessful.

Please note that the decision will be final.

Advice and Support

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

Clarification questions may be sent to lcpfund@dcms.gov.uk by midday Monday 2 February 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.

Annex A - scoring criteria

Please visit Find A Grant and search ‘Local Covenant Partnerships Fund’ to access the online application form.

Section 1. Fund proposal

Description 

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.

Assessment question

How convincing is the applicant’s argument for how and why their proposal is likely to meet the objectives of the grant funding within the set timescale?

We are looking for applicants to: 

• show a clear understanding of the VCSE sector, its responsibilities and its needs, including the ambition of the Civil Society Covenant
• demonstrate their track record of working with the VCSE sector, local authorities and other public sector providers, with expertising in building trusting relationships / partnerships between stakeholders, including how they intend to use their sector knowledge and experience to support DCMS to identify the 15 local areas in line with DCMS’ priorities.
• provide examples of previous delivery of similar approaches that align to the LCP fund’s objectives and outcomes including independent evidence / evaluation that demonstrates their proposal is likely to be successful
• set out how they intend to include the expertise of the sector within their fund design and meaningfully engage with a wealth of local voices including marginalised or underrepresented groups
• demonstrate an understanding of the nuances and diverse needs of different communities in different geographical contexts and how this shapes approaches to working in local areas
• provide clear and quantifiable outcomes and demonstrate that these have been reached through an evidence-based process, such as evaluations of similar approaches
• set out what the potential impact of their proposed fund may be on those with protected characteristics

Weighting (per cent): 40%

Section 2. Fund management

Description 

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.

Assessment question

Does the application give confidence that the bidder will ensure the LCP fund grant expenditure is accounted for accurately, transparently and provide value for money, including effective fraud management?

We are looking for applicants to:

• set out how they intend to effectively utilise the grant funding
• show how they will ensure value for money
• provide robust internal financial management and control processes to monitor and account for the funding
• have clear safeguards to prevent fraud and financial risks to an acceptable level
• demonstrate their experience in delivering grant funds
• demonstrate sufficient technical experience to assess, award and monitor any funded activities 
• evidence there are the existing IT systems to support grant management
• provide a suitable plan for undertaking due diligence and fraud management, particularly for any onward grant administration, including evidence that there are necessary counter-fraud processes or protocols already in place, particularly in regards to onward grant administration

Weighting (per cent): 30%

Section 3. Fund delivery

Description 

Applicants must demonstrate the organisation’s capacity and capability to effectively deliver their proposal to achieve the LCP fund objectives.

Assessment question

Does the application give confidence that the bidder will ensure the LCP fund will be delivered within budget and key timeframes?

We are looking for applicants to:

• set out a clear delivery plan that gives us confidence the organisation will be able to mobilise quickly and deliver effectively to set milestones
• give us confidence that they will ensure that the funds are spent within the outlined timelines
• give us confidence in the experience of key staff and their roles in the fund, including their knowledge and experience of the VCSE sector
• set out their governance arrangements to give us confidence there will be effective oversight of the fund, and set out their approach to risk management
• demonstrate a track record of projects of a similar scope and/or scale, and of working closely with central government

Weighting (per cent): 20%

Section 4. Monitoring and Evaluation

Description 

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.

Assessment question

Does the application give confidence that the bidder has the ability to build a support network that can effectively be used to generate relevant data, support monitoring and evaluation and ensure continuous improvement and learning with beneficiaries, the organisation and the wider sector, and will add value to an independent evaluation.

We are looking for applicants to:

• set out how they will facilitate ongoing peer learning between local areas to drive legacy and momentum for partnership working, working in collaboration with DCMS’ appointed evaluator 
• set out how they intend to ensure continuous improvement and learning within their organisation(s) and with beneficiaries in order to capture learning and share learning
• demonstrate their successful track record of delivering or supporting monitoring and evaluation for similar schemes/grants
• to ensure effective data gathering, provide evidence of internal policies of data processing and data management which complies with ethical and legal principles.
• outline the outcomes they are seeking to deliver and show a clear understanding of how they will collect monitoring data and feedback
• outline how they will work with DCMS and an external evaluator to support evaluation design and collect monitoring information across timescales which will assist evaluation - this may include engagement after grant funding has ceased
• outline how they will work with DCMS’ external evaluator to promote and facilitate beneficiaries’ and other local stakeholders’ engagement with the independent evaluation.

Weighting (per cent): 10%