This funding round has closed.

School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2027 to 2030

Applications closed

Funding: Contact funder
Deadline: 30 September 2026
Location: England
Applications: Applications closed

Overview

The School-based Nursery Capital Grant 2027 to 2030 helps local authorities create or expand nursery places in schools. This is phase 3 of the programme and focuses on helping disadvantaged families access early years childcare. Local authorities can apply for funding to develop nursery provision across state primary schools, maintained nursery schools, and Best Start Family Hub sites. You need to submit multi-year funding proposals that cover the period 2027 to 2030. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2026. Only local authorities in England can apply directly, though the funding will benefit schools and nurseries in their areas.

Requirements to check

Who can apply:

public sector

Key requirements:

Must be a local authority
Must submit multi-year proposals covering 2027-2030
Must focus on supporting disadvantaged families

This summary may not include every exclusion. Check the full eligibility rules, including who and what the funder will not support.

Who is this for?

This grant is only for local authorities in England. You cannot apply if you are a school, nursery, or other organisation. Local authorities use this funding to create nursery places across primary schools, maintained nursery schools, and Best Start Family Hub sites in their area.

Sectors

Education Public Administration & Defence

Regions

England

Funder track record

Last published award 2025

Awards published

11,113

Typical award

£90,013

Most awards

£15,492 to £377,276

Most funded region

North West

Recent awards include ROSE BRUFORD COLLEGE OF THEATRE AND PERFORMANCE (£500,000, 2025), Student Minds (£262,500, 2024) and Weston College of Further and Higher Education (£1,992, 2024).

Contains data from 360Giving publishers, used under open licence.

Full details from Department for Education

The School-based Nursery (SBN) Capital Grant 2027 to 2030 (phase 3) is a local authority-led delivery model. Local authorities are responsible for developing and submitting multi-year funding proposals that set out plans for creating or expanding SBN provision in their area. These proposals can include projects across state-funded primary schools, maintained nursery schools (MNS), and Best Start Family Hub (BSFH) sites. This is the third phase of the school-based nurseries programme. It builds on the foundations of phase 1 (SBN Capital Grant 2024 to 2025) and phase 2 (SBN Capital Grant 2025 to 2026) and has an increased focus on supporting disadvantaged families to access early years provision.

How to apply

Local authorities must develop and submit multi-year funding proposals to the Department for Education. Applications must set out plans for creating or expanding school-based nursery provision in your area.

Get notified about grants like this

Create a free account to receive alerts when new education funding opens.

Create free account