What is the Urgent Capital Support (UCS) fund?
If you are in urgent need of funding and have been unsuccessful in the latest CIF bidding round, then the Urgent Capital Support (UCS) fund might be just what you need.
The UCS was created to address a funding need in emergency situations, which would sit outside the annual CIF bidding process. The fund can be accessed by any academies or sixth form colleges to address issues that could result in part or whole closure of the academy, for example.
To be eligible for funding, the application will need to provide the following evidence (as prescribed in the Dfe guidelines)*:
of a significant health and safety risk in relation to the building condition
that the condition issue has already resulted in, or represents an imminent threat of school closure
that the condition issue has resulted in or risks imminent closure of a significant part of the school building which would prevent the curriculum from being delivered
that the urgent works cannot be funded by the trust independently or through a CIF loan
Condition issues that could be in scope for receiving UCS include:
Structural issues
Health & safety or insurance compliance issues
Asbestos issues
Fire protection
Leaking roofs
Boiler and pipework failure
Electrical issues
However, the key point to note is that applications will only be considered if the issue is of an urgent nature and the work required could not be addressed from revenue maintenance funding.
Surveyors to Education are experts in education estate funding and the UKs most successful independent CIF funding consultancy, with over £50mil secured in the last 2 years alone. Should you want to learn more about the Urgent Capital Support Fund to get in touch with S2e on 01530 276127 or email enquire@s2e.org.uk.
