Cabinet Office (Disability Unit)

Access to Elected Office Fund: grant to administer the Fund

A multi-year Cabinet Office grant to one organisation to set up, launch (by March 2027) and run the new Access to Elected Office Fund until 31 March 2029. The Fund will pay the extra disability-related costs disabled candidates face in UK general elections, local and mayoral elections in England, and local and Assembly elections in Northern Ireland, such as BSL interpretation or accessible transport. It is for a Disabled People's Organisation or an expert third-sector organisation; disabled candidates themselves do not apply here. Up to £500k is available for 2026/27, covering both the administrator's costs and the money paid out to candidates.

Apply on the funder’s site

You could get: £1 – £500,000
Closes in: 17 days left; 4 November
Effort: Heavy; budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

A qualified Disabled People's Organisation (DPO or DDPO), or an expert third-sector organisation with the disability expertise, experience, knowledge and capability to deliver; the Cabinet Office wants the fund run 'for disabled people, by disabled people' or by an organisation with a high level of disability expertise
The applicant must be a non-governmental, non-profit entity (such as a DPO/DDPO, charity, social enterprise or co-operative) independent of the state and market, based in the UK, operational for at least 2 years, able to provide its last 2 years' accounts, and legally constituted with governance and financial controls
Neither the organisation nor its senior leadership or trustees may have unspent convictions for electoral or other relevant offences
It must be politically impartial, commit to accessible communications (plain English, Easy Read, large print, BSL) and meet public sector accessibility requirements for any website or app
Partnership and consortium bids are welcome, with one lead accountable body

What it funds

Developing and launching the Access to Elected Office Fund by March 2027, including partnerships with other DPOs and third-sector organisations (in particular for disabled candidates in Northern Ireland), a project plan agreed with the Disability Unit within 2-3 weeks, fraud-prevention protocols and an Independent Non-Partisan Adjudication Panel of disabled people
Ongoing management of the Fund: application intakes, award assessments and grant dispersals within agreed timescales, support for applicants and accurate financial and award records for audit
Promoting the Fund accessibly: an accessible website or webpages, promotional materials and non-digital routes, with activity stepped up ahead of elections throughout the 3-year grant
Monitoring and evaluation: quarterly performance reports against Key Performance Indicators and a joint evaluation with the Disability Unit
Awards to disabled candidates for the additional disability-related costs of contesting elections, like BSL interpretation or accessible transport, mostly paid to third-party service providers rather than to candidates directly

What it will not fund

Standard campaign expenses, e.g. registration fees or leafleting
Lobbying, campaigning for elected office outwith the strict purpose of the fund, or influencing legislation

How to apply

Read the advert in full and check your organisation meets every eligibility criterion
Complete the online application form on Find a Grant: organisation details (legal status, governance, finances, eligibility), project plan showing how you will meet Objectives 1 to 3, a 3-year budget with set-up and running costs for each year, barriers and risks with mitigations, your monitoring and evaluation approach, and a declaration
Submit by 2pm on 4 November 2026

applications made any other way are not accepted unless agreed in advance with the Disability Unit's Access to Elected Office team, who also handle questions and accessibility requirements.

Have ready

Financial accounts for the last 2 years
A 3-year project budget, including set-up and operational management costs for each year

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