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Better Commissioning Pathways

The Better Commissioning Pathways programme (the “Pathways Programme”) is a funding package of up to £2.03 million to deliver a national training and guidance offer to support voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) to develop the skills and capacity to enter into public sector supply chains.

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Contents

Summary

The Better Commissioning Pathways programme (the “Pathways Programme”) is a funding package of up to £2.03 million to deliver a national training and guidance offer to support voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) to develop the skills and capacity to enter into public sector supply chains.

The Pathways Programme is one of many UK Government initiatives designed to realise the ambition of the Civil Society Covenant. The Covenant calls for a strong, sustainable and independent civil society which collaborates with the government to benefit the public and achieve shared goals. 

DCMS is seeking to select a single grant recipient to deliver training and guidance to VCSEs and public sector commissioners (PSCs), to support a wider range of VCSEs to bid for public sector contracts and to broaden the understanding of the unique role VCSEs can play in public service delivery among PSCs.  This grant recipient could be a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application). The successful bidder will deliver this funding between October 2026 and March 2029. This funding can only be used for activity in England. 

Funding of up to £2,029,600 is available over three financial years as follows:

  • Up to £430,000 in financial year 2026/27

  • Up to £830,000 in financial year 2027/28

  • Up to £769,600 in financial year 2028/29

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 23rd August. 

Please make sure you read the full guidance document for applicants 'Better Commissioning Pathways Programme: guidance for applicants' avialable on GOV.UK.

Eligibility

  • Pass/Fail: 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 Better Commissioning Pathways Programme, the applicant or lead applicant organisation for a consortium is required to demonstrate eligibility to receive a grant under Section 70.  They must be an institution established for charitable, philanthropic or benevolent purposes, and provide the mandatory documents with their application.

  • Pass/Fail: Applicants may apply as a single organisation, or a consortium (with a lead partner making the application). The aim of this grant funding is to appoint a single grant recipient, or the lead partner where there is a consortium - therefore applications to deliver part of the fund only, will not be eligible.

  • Pass/Fail: If bidding as a consortium, there must be a written agreement in principle between all parties, outlining budget splits and staffing arrangements. Legally binding agreements would need to be in place before the successful applicant commences delivery.

  • Pass/Fail: The value of any grant requested in any given year must not represent more than 50% of the applicant’s average annual income for the previous 2 financial years or, in the case of a consortium bid, the lead applicant’s average annual income for the previous 2 financial years.

  • Pass/Fail: You agree that your proposal delivers on a national-level (England only) against all the objectives of the fund as set out in the competition guidance.NB: Please be aware that for monitoring purposes, the Find A Grant platform will have asked you to select the regions you are working in. Please ensure you have selected all England regions for this question.

Objectives

The objectives of the Better Commissioning Pathways Programme are to, by March 2029:

  • Support more voluntary, community, and social enterprise organisations (VCSEs) to build capacity, confidence, and knowledge to bid for public sector contracts, thus increasing the VCSEs’ share of the overall market, and

  • Support more public sector commissioners (PSCs) to better understand the value of having VCSEs as public sector delivery partners and how to make procurement processes more accessible for VCSE bidders.

Dates

Important Deadline

The deadline for applications is 23:59 on Sunday 23rd August.

The timeline below is indicative and subject to change:

  • Competition opens for applications: Wednesday 15th July

  • Deadline for clarification questions: Tuesday 28th July

  • Publication of answers to clarification questions: Friday 31 July 2026

  • Deadline of the application: Sunday 23rd August 2026

  • Notification of recommendation for approval and any clarification questions shared with the highest scoring applicant: September 2026

  • Programme Commences: October 2026

How to apply

Complete the online application form here on Find A Grant (search ‘Better Commissioning Pathways Programme).Applications open on Wednesday 15 July 2026 and close at 23:59 on Sunday 23 August 2026.Please ensure you read the accompanying guidance on gov.uk

Supporting information

Please ensure you fully read the published guidance accompanying this advert on gov.uk.   Applicants are advised to pay particular attention to Annex A which details Application Requirements and Scoring Criteria.