Cycle Access Fund General FAQs
Use the questions below to find out who can apply, how the funding works and what’s expected from applicants and bike recipients within the Cycle Access Fund.
- What is the Cycle Access Fund?
- Can I apply to more than one strand at the same time?
- Can I apply more than once in the same financial year?
- What is an organisation?
- What is a capital grant fund? Can the fund be used for revenue costs?
- Who is eligible to apply for the Cycle Access Fund?
- What is the application process?
- Do we have to submit quotes for items?
- What is expected of Cycle Access Fund delivery partners? What kind of reporting, monitoring and evaluation is required?
- What is expected of our community members, users and/or recipients of funded bikes?
- Is proof of income or benefit status required for users and/or recipients of bikes with CAF funding?
- Is funding guaranteed?
- What is the deadline for applying?
- How quickly are decisions made on funding applications to CAF?
- What is the maximum amount that can be applied for?
- Is match funding required?
- Can the fund be used to pay for storage?
1. What is the Cycle Access Fund?
The Cycle Access Fund is a capital grant fund that supports organisations to provide access to cycles in their communities.
The key aim of the Cycle Access Fund (CAF) is:
- To support people who want to cycle for everyday journeys, but who are financially struggling and may face barriers to accessing bikes.
Applicants should demonstrate how you will
- Meet a particular need in your community
- Promote inclusivity
- Support those who are least likely to have access to a cycle of their own
The fund has five distinct strands that target support at different activities
- Strand 1: Individual Ownership
- Strand 2: Shared Use
- Strand 3: Recycle
- Strand 4: Repairs
- Strand 5: Cycle Parking and Storage
2. Can I apply to more than one strand at the same time?
Yes. Organisations can apply to the Cycle Access Fund for one or more strands in the same application.
However, applications to more than one strand from the same organisation will be reviewed individually and sequentially and may not be progressed at the same time. If you are successful at stage-1 your grant officer will be in touch to discuss this further.
3. Can I apply more than once in the same financial year?
Yes. If you have already been successful with a grant application; then that grant will need to be completed to an agreed extent before you can apply again. You will be able to discuss this with your grant officer.
Strands such as Strand 3: Recycle and Strand 4: Repairs often receive multiple applications from the same organisation in the same financial year.
4. What is an organisation?
We use a broad definition of ‘organisation’ to indicate that the fund is open to registered and/or constituted organisations but is not open to individuals.
An indicative (but not exhaustive) list of eligible, registered and/or constituted organisations includes; charities, community groups, commercial businesses, sole traders, CICs, SCIOs, nurseries, schools, universities, NHS organisations etc.
If you are unsure whether you are eligible, please contact the Cycle Access Fund team at [email protected] to enquire.
5. What is a capital grant fund? Can the fund be used for revenue costs?
CAF is a capital grant fund, as such, applications should be focused on the procurement of capital assets such as cycles or storage.
Revenue costs for daily running costs, delivery and/or promotion of programmes cannot be supported. Equipment, which is single use, such as a puncture repair kit, is also considered to be revenue expenditure.
However, costs for complementary activities may be considered where there is a direct link to capital elements, e.g. bike building, repair and recycling strands and transportation costs related to the procurement of bikes.
6. Who is eligible to apply for the Cycle Access Fund?
The fund is only available to organisations and not to individuals.
In 2026-27 we are funded by three Regional Transport Partnerships (RTP) to work in specific regions of Scotland, not the whole country. Check your local authority.
We can fund organisations for work which is carried out in the following local authorities:
- Argyll and Bute (only Helensburgh and Lomond District)
- City of Edinburgh
- Clackmannanshire
- East Ayrshire
- East Dunbartonshire
- East Lothian
- East Renfrewshire
- Falkirk
- Fife
- Glasgow City
- Inverclyde
- Midlothian
- North Ayrshire
- North Lanarkshire
- Renfrewshire
- Scottish Borders
- Shetland Islands
- South Ayrshire
- South Lanarkshire
- West Dunbartonshire
- West Lothian
7. What is the application process?
All strands (apart from 3: Repair and 4: Recycle) have a two-stage application process. Stage-1 requires the most detail and carries the most weight in our review and consideration of your application.
If you are successful at the first stage, you will be sent a shorter, stage-2 form which will include the rationale for your choices of asset, a detailed budget form and confirmed finance details for payment.
8. Do we have to submit quotes for items?
We do not require multiple quotes on any one item. Applicants should find the best possible costings. We need you to submit quote(s) from supplier(s); this will ensure that what you are looking for is available and will give you a timeline for delivery. We can only accept screenshot quotes for items £100 or less. All quotes need to match the figures on the corresponding budget spreadsheet.
9. What is expected of Cycle Access Fund delivery partners? What kind of reporting, monitoring and evaluation is required?
If successful in your application, and as part of our contract, you commit to completing accurate and consistent reporting. This will be detailed in your grant agreement.
In signing the grant agreement, you agree to support data collection about the delivery of the funded project both as a partner organisation and from any users or recipients.
The surveys and reporting forms we use have been designed to be as user friendly as possible. The monitoring forms and surveys we use are essential tools to help us understand, learn and measure the impact of Cycle Access Funded projects and to enable us to continue our work with valued delivery partners.
10. What is expected of our community members, users and/or recipients of funded bikes?
Across all strands (except 5: Cycle Parking &Storage) we require contact information for users and recipients of funded cycles to support monitoring and evaluation. The extent of our contact is clearly set out in your grant agreement and in the specific FAQs for each strand.
We will only contact participants to support the monitoring and evaluation of the Cycle Access Fund; we will not add them to any mailing lists or further share their details. For further information about how we use data please see our GDPR and Privacy policy.
In some cases, and in discussion with you as the grant recipient, Cycling UK and the Cycle Access Fund team will ask our delivery partners and/or their users and recipients whether they would ‘opt-in’ to further contact for a case study.
11. Is proof of income or benefit status required for users and/or recipients of bikes with CAF funding?
No. The Cycle Access Fund does not use means testing and there is no need to provide any proof of income from any of your participants/users/recipients.
You know your community best and we trust your professional judgement of their needs.
12. Is funding guaranteed?
Funding is very limited and no applicant is guaranteed funding. We expect that this will be a very popular and competitive fund.
13. What is the deadline for applying?
There is no set deadline. We will accept applications from the launch date and will hold regular grant panels to assess applications and allocate funding.
The fund will close, either when all funds have been allocated, or on 31 March 2027, whichever occurs soonest.
14. How quickly are decisions made on funding applications to CAF?
You can expect a decision on your funding application within 4 weeks of the date of submission.
15. What is the maximum amount that can be applied for?
The maximum amount that you can apply for will depend on the specific requirements of your project and the strand/s you apply to:
- Cycle purchases in the Shared Use and Individual Ownership strands are capped at x10 cycles
- Applications for Cycle Parking and Storage are normally capped at £5000
- Recycle and Repair grants are capped at £2000
In stage-2 of the application process you will be asked to provide detailed costings and quotes for the specific cycles, equipment and/or storage you require.
16. Is match funding required?
No, match funding is not required.
17. Can the fund be used to pay for storage?
If you need to purchase storage to enable you to own and use cycles you can apply for funding through Strand 5: Cycle Parking and Storage.
