Access to Elected Office Fund
This multi-year grant seeks to secure an administrator to set up and manage a new Access to Elected Office Fund, on behalf of the Government (until 31/3/2029). The successful administrator will set up and launch this new Fund by March 2027; to support disabled candidates contesting local and national elections (England
- Funding
- See official notice
- Deadline
- November 5, 2026
- Status
- OPEN
- Category
- Disability & Accessibility
- Opens
- October 14, 2026
- Directory link check
- October 24, 2026
About this opportunity
This multi-year grant seeks to secure an administrator to set up and manage a new Access to Elected Office Fund, on behalf of the Government (until 31/3/2029). The successful administrator will set up and launch this new Fund by March 2027; to support disabled candidates contesting local and national elections (England and Northern Ireland); followed by UK Parliamentary election cycles. The Access to Elected Office Fund’s ultimate goal is to enable disabled candidates to compete on an equitable basis with their non-disabled peers, in line with the principles of the Equality Act 2010. The fund will cover the additional disability-related costs of contesting elections, like BSL interpretation or accessible transport, etc. The fund will only support additional disability-related requirements, and will not cover any standard campaign expenses e.g. registration fees or leafleting. The majority of the funding is expected to be disbursed to third-party service providers where possible and practicable, rather than the candidates directly. This will ensure funds are utilised for verified adjustments, as well as reducing the administrative burden on the disabled candidate themselves. The total funding available for 2026/27 will be up to £500k. This grant will cover both the administration costs, and the funding pot. The estimated spending per candidate is expected to range significantly across candidates, with some requiring awards costing a few hundreds to others requiring several thousand. Unspent grant funding for 2026/27 and 2027/28 will roll over to build up funding ahead of the next general election, and additional funding sought to ‘top up’ the pot in future years if required following an audit of spending.
Eligibility recorded
We welcome applications from: Who can apply We welcome applications from: a qualified Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO, also sometimes called DDPOs: Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations), or an expert third-sector organisation with the requisite disability expertise, experience, knowledge and capability to deliver effectively. This will ensure the programme is run "for disabled people, by disabled people”, or by an organisation with a high level of disability expertise and skills needed to establish and run the fund effectively. A good understanding of the barriers disabled people can face, and how to support them to overcome these, is essential. The successful organisation will administer the Access to Elected Office Fund for UK General Elections, local government elections in England, and in Northern Ireland for local elections and the NI Assembly. Partnership and consortium bids can be submitted, but one organisation must act as the lead, accountable body and will be responsible for managing the grant and ensuring funds are used appropriately. Eligibility Criteria Organisations applying for this grant: Must be a non-governmental, non-profit entity, such as a: DPO/DDPO, charity, social enterprise, or co-operative that works independently from the state and market. Must be based in the UK. Must have been operational for 2 years minimum. Must make copies of financial accounts available for the last 2 years. Applicants must confirm that neither their organisation nor its senior leadership/trustees have unspent convictions for electoral offences or other relevant unspent offences that could reasonably call into question the organisation’s ability to deliver an impartial, lawful and trustworthy project. Political Impartiality: Must operate independently and avoid any activity that promotes or endorses a specific political party/agenda. Must administer all grant applications fairly and without any political party preference. Must not use the grant funding for lobbying, campaigning for elected office outwith the strict purpose of the fund, or influencing legislation. Accessible Communications: Must commit to providing Access to Elected Office Fund information in accessible formats. For example: plain english, Easy Read, Large print, British Sign Language (BSL), etc. Digital information and any website or app produced to support the fund must meet the accessibility requirements for public sector bodies (for guidance see: Understanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies ). Legal and Financial Standing: Must be legally constituted and able to demonstrate governance and financial controls.
Recorded geography: United Kingdom
Directory verification note
Automatically synchronized from UK Find a Grant. Source identifier: access-to-elected-office-fund-1. Confirm details on the official page.