CIF bid 2026/27, scored against the ESFA rules in eight seconds.
A reference desk for the UK academy bursar and sixth-form college finance lead. Eligibility gates, weighted scoring estimator, May 2026 outcomes by region and project type, and a fee-vs-DIY decision aid drawn from the DfE Condition Improvement Fund technical guidance.
Eligibility gate
Maintained schools cannot apply.
Grade A and B elements are ineligible.
Includes VAT, fees and contingency.
Three pills, three gates. Answer all three with yes and a bid is worth scoring. Answer no to any and the bid is ineligible at the gate, before scoring begins.
Direct answer
A CIF bid is a December-deadline application to the DfE Condition Improvement Fund, open to academy trusts and sixth-form colleges, for capital projects up to £4M that address condition grade C or D building elements. The 2026/27 round closed mid-December 2026. The May 2026 outcomes funded 684 of 3,925 bids, a 28% national success rate.
Trust type, condition grade, project cap and contribution rule in one decision tree.
Project need 40%, value for money 30%, project planning 30%. Indicative tier output, not an outcome guarantee.
28% national, regional split, project-archetype split. May 2026 outcomes.
Round dates, what changed from 2025/26, where the live ESFA technical guidance sits.
In-house, retainer, no-win-no-fee, side by side. No consultancy commission.
SCA, DFC, SRP, FE CTF, PSDS. A funnel for the 72% who lose.
If CIF is the wrong route
Seventy-two percent of bids do not win. The alternative routes are not consolation prizes. They are the right answer for specific trust types and project types. Work down the list.
If CIF is not the right route, work down this list. Each step is a primary-source funding programme published on GOV.UK.
- 01If: Single academy, refurbishment under £200kThen: Devolved Formula Capital
DFC is allocated per pupil and can be drawn down without competing for a bid.
- 02If: MAT, condition-driven, sub-£4M
MATs over a size threshold receive SCA directly. CIF is for the trusts that do not.
- 03If: Whole-school rebuild or RAAC-affected block
SRP is DfE-led nomination, not bid-led. RAAC cases are routed here.
- 04If: Sixth-form college estate
Sixth-form colleges can choose between CIF and FE CTF depending on the project.
- 05If: Heat-pump or fabric decarbonisation
PSDS funds the decarbonisation overlay. Pairs cleanly with a CIF condition-led bid.
Rules, by anchor
- £4M project cap. Includes VAT, fees and contingency. SRP takes over above this line.
- 30% contribution rule. Banded by MAT size. Higher contributions lift the value-for-money score.
- Condition grade C or D. Only the two worst grades qualify. A and B are ineligible.
- One bid per category, three total. Multi-bid rules restated each round.