The Cabinet Office has confirmed that its Find government grants service has fully launched, removing the reference to a pilot from the guidance page. The page was first published on 12 April 2022 and was last updated on 28 June 20231.
The service lets users search and filter a list of available government grants, check eligibility and find out how to apply1. The Cabinet Office describes the change in its update log:
"A description of what the service can be used for has been added. Reference to the pilot has been removed as the service has fully launched."
The grants listed through the service are open to three groups, according to the guidance:
| Group | Description as given |
|---|---|
| Voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations | For example, a charity |
| Individuals | Listed without further qualification |
| Small or medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and other businesses | Listed together |
Source: GOV.UK1
The page does not name any individual grant, set out eligibility criteria for a particular scheme, or give figures for funding available. It also does not state which grants relate to home energy work. Those details have not been reported on this page1.
Why it matters for households
Household energy schemes in the UK are delivered through a patchwork of routes: energy supplier obligations, local authority programmes and national grant funds. A single government search tool that includes individuals among its intended users is a route by which a householder can check whether a grant exists and whether they are eligible, rather than relying on a supplier, installer or intermediary to say so. That matters for energy independence because the ability to identify and apply for support directly is part of what determines whether a home can fund insulation, heating or renewable work on its own terms.
The page does not confirm that any energy-specific grant is listed, and it does not say how many grants are in the service. Anyone assessing a home energy grant offer should treat the official service as the reference point for whether a scheme exists and who runs it. Our pages on grants, schemes and household energy independence and on energy grant scams and fake government schemes set out how the different funding routes fit together and where misrepresentation tends to appear. The grants and schemes hub covers the main programmes, and the page on whether ECO4 measures can be funded with other government grants deals with combining support. For work that grants do not cover, interest-free loans and finance schemes for home energy work explains the alternative route.
What happens next
No further changes to the service have been announced on the page. The guidance carries no date for a next update and no timetable for adding grants1.
Sources1 cited
- Find government grants - GOV.UK, gov.uk