Supporting Voluntary Returns through Community Partnerships

The Home Office invites applications from those organisations who express an interest in the opportunity and meet the eligibility criteria.

The Applicants must be non-statutory sector organisations and should ensure that these Projects in the listed regions has no support or sponsorship from commercial organisations.

The Applicant is to note that any joint application with multiple organisations must also be non-statutory sector organisations and be run on a not-for-profit basis.

The Applicant must:

·       UK based

·       A Charity registered with a UK charity number

·       A Community Interest Company (CIC) – a type of limited company that exists to benefit the community, not private shareholders

·    A Social Enterprise – a business with social aims, where profits are reinvested into the business or community, not paid to owners or shareholders

·  A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), or intergovernmental organisation operating on a not-for-profit basis and with an established presence in the UK.  

The Applicant must:

·   Be able to deliver the Purpose the full duration of the grant period, including any possible extension period.

·       Be able to meet all criteria and outcomes

·       Must be able to fully cover region(s) they apply for. 

Scheme specific ask:

Applicant must:

• have expertise in delivering voluntary returns that addresses the needs of the group and relevant stakeholders with experience of working with central and local government;

• have ability to engage with and mobilise a broad and diverse range of community groups including faith groups, and ‘whole of society’ actors and local authorities;

• have experience of delivering voluntary returns services. (This will be tested at application as a showstopper question);

• shall attend a Voluntary Returns training with the VRS Partnership and Communication team if successful.

The following are not eligible to apply:

·       Local authorities

·       Individuals

·       Private companies (i.e. organisations that do not meet the above criteria)

·       Community groups

By 31 March 2027, the scheme aims to have:

1. Increased early engagement with priority cohorts by funding third-sector partners to deliver targeted outreach, engagement and first contact support regionally.

2. Improved informed decision making and supported progression through VRS (e.g., verified applications).

3. Reduced downstream operational demand (avoidable/complex contact) by resolving barriers earlier through trusted support.

4. Generate actionable insight (barriers, messaging, drop off points) to inform VRS service improvements and stakeholder communications.

Funding period                                                                                                            Launch of Competition: Friday 1 May 2026                                                                                                                                                                                              Close of Competition: Wednesday 10:00 am 27 May 2026

PLEASE NOTE****: The Authority will NOT accept any emails via (VRSThirdSectorSupportScheme@homeoffice.gov.uk) after 17:00  Friday 22 May 2026 from Applicants requesting to be added to the VRS competition on Jaggaer or responses to the eligibility questions.

In December 2016, the Cabinet Office launched its minimum standards for government grants: These include the requirement that competition should be the default option when considering award of grant funding.

To comply, the Home Office manages its competitions using their Jaggaer eSourcing portal. 

How to register 

In order to apply for funding, Applicants will first need to register on the Home Office (HO) Jaggaer portal via the following link: 

https://homeoffice.app.jaggaer.com/web/login.html

Applicants should be approved for usage within 24 hours of registering on the system. After clicking on the eSourcing portal link, it should take you to the home page. On the left-hand side of this page, just below the login boxes, there is an option to register. 

To register as a supplier, you will need to provide information which will include:

• the full legal name of your organisation;

• your DUNS number – a unique nine-digit number provided to organisations free of charge by Dun & Bradstreet (if your organization does not have a DUNS number, please email (VRSThirdSectorSupportScheme@homeoffice.gov.uk); and

• profile information describing your organisation and the size of your business. 

• If you have any problems getting registered on the portal or have any technical issues, please contact the Supplier eSourcing Helpdesk: customersupport@jaggaer.com

Once registered as a supplier on the portal, please send a notification e-mail to VRSThirdSectorSupportScheme@homeoffice.gov.uk and request access to the associated documents for Supporting Voluntary Returns through Community Partnerships

PLEASE NOTE: Registering on the Jaggaer portal will not automatically give you access to the VRS competition documents. The Applicant will need to ‘Pass’ the eligibility questions first and then manually be added by the Grants Team to the competition documents on Jaggaer.

ELIGIBILITY QUESTIONS

The Applicant must email responses to the eligibility questions EQ1 to EQ6 to the  VRS Mailbox (VRSThirdSectorSupportScheme@homeoffice.gov.uk). These are pass or fail questions and will not be scored. 

The Applicant will pass if:

• All required information is provided

• The examples relate to delivery within the last two years

• The organisation delivered the activity directly

• The activity is clearly relevant to voluntary returns

An Applicant will fail if any required information is missing. Applicants must achieve a ‘pass’ score to be given access to the VRS competition documents. 

Once the Applicant is given access to Jaggaer/Competition documents, it is imperative that the Applicant completes Application Forms A and B and the Funding Toolkits as part of their submission by 10:00 am Wednesday 27 May 2026.

Applicants scoring a ‘fail’ will not be given access to the VRS competition.

PLEASE NOTE****: The Authority will NOT accept any emails via (VRSThirdSectorSupportScheme@homeoffice.gov.uk) after 17:00  Friday 22 May 2026 from Applicants requesting to be added to the VRS competition on Jaggaer or responses to the eligibility questions.  

Eligibility Questions: Please provide one example from the last two years where your organisation delivered outreach or support activity relevant to voluntary returns or outbound migration. Your response must briefly cover all points below:

EQ1 - Who the work was for: The client group, including confirmation that the work involved vulnerable or hard-to-reach migrants and the purpose of the work or challenge addressed. (Response - 100 words)

EQ2 - What was delivered: The outreach or support activity provided, and how it was relevant to voluntary return, return decision-making, or return-related support. (Response - 100 words)

EQ3 - Where and when: The region or regions where the work took place and the approximate delivery dates. (Response - 100 words)

EQ4 - What happened as a result: At least one clear outcome, for example engagement with clients, referral into a service, supported decision-making, or maintained contact. (Response - 100 words)

EQ5 - Funding: The approximate value of funding used to deliver this work. (Response - 100 words)

EQ6 - Regions applied for: The region or regions you are applying for under this grant. (Response – 100 words)

https://www.gov.uk/return-home-voluntarily