Here’s why your trust should seek TCaF funding now while schools are closed

As someone in the academy education sector, Trust Capacity Funding or TCaF should be a term you’re familiar with. If not, you could be missing out. TCaF funding is allocated to multi-academy trusts to help support growth and boost trust infrastructure.

Despite schools being closed, this funding is still available, and you should look at claiming it now to fund major infrastructure projects – as many other trusts are doing.

Now is the ideal time to take advantage of the scheme and make positive changes across your trust.

Why should I seek TCaF funding?

This funding is in addition to your usual funding channels, so there’s no reason not to benefit from it. While the immediate future may be uncertain for schools, you can provide some certainty by improving your processes now with this grant.

When is TCaF open?

TCaF is open for submissions from now until July 2020. It won’t reopen again until September – which is likely to be when schools are open again and work becomes busier.

That’s why now is the right time to make your submission and improve your trust infrastructure, as you’ll be able to make the biggest impact.

What are the criteria for TCaF submissions?

TCaF funding must be used to benefit your entire trust, not just a single member school. It should improve your overall infrastructure.

This means that the funding should not be spent on buildings and equipment for a single school but rather for processes and software that can centralise your trust’s processes. Specifically, back-office processes and operations are the ideal targets for funding.

If you’re unsure if your MAT would be eligible for the funding, you can use the government’s eligibility tracker to see if you stand to benefit.

How do I make a submission?

To be successful, you must produce a growth proposal showing how these funds will be used to grow your MAT. You may have completed similar proposals for other funds and grants in the past.

Third-party suppliers should be able to help you with this, and it’s in their interest to do so. If you’re interested in improving your back-office systems, you can always get in touch with the IRIS Financials team to find out how we can help you with your submission.

We work with trusts every day to maximise the value of their funding and significantly improve the efficiency of their back-office processes with made-to-measure technology.

We’re always here to help and would love to help improve your trust’s financial management and back-office processes. If you’d like help with your TCaF submission, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us via our website or by emailing us at sales@iris.co.uk