Dear Service Provider,
Important information relating to the Core Funding 2024/2025 Programme Year is available below, including:
- Payment information
- August Review and Confirm
- Base rate capping rules for 2024/2025
- Partner Service funding agreement 2024/2025
Core Funding 2024/2025 payments
The August payment for the 2024/2025 Core Funding programme year will be processed this week and should reach Partner Services’ bank accounts on Friday 30 August. The first payment covers the period 1 September to 30 September.
Partner Services who have completed their August Review and Confirm on or before close of business 27 August 2024 and their Review and Confirm record has reached an ‘Approved’ status will be included in this payment run.
For all other Partner Services who submit their original Core Funding application on or before 31 August 2024, Core Funding payments will only continue to be processed as per the Core Funding Payment Schedule, provided the August Review and Confirm is completed and is at an ‘Approved’ status.
For Partner Services who submit their original Core Funding application on or after 1 September 2024, Core Funding allocations will be representative of an entitlement from the first Monday after which the programme year begins, or the Monday of the week the Funding Agreement is accepted, whichever is later. Partner Services in Core Funding for less than a full programme year will be allocated the appropriate number of weekly payments. Core Funding payments will only be processed as per the payment schedule once a Partner Service’s original application has reached an ‘Approved’ status.
Core Funding allocations can be viewed on the Programme Funding page of the Early Years Hive.
Future Core Funding payments will be paid in advance and equate to four or five weekly allocations depending on the number of weeks in the month as per the Core Funding Payment Schedule.
August Review and Confirm
The August Review and Confirm is open from 1 August to 31 August 2024.
Partner Services who have submitted their 2024/2025 Core Funding application on or before 31 August must complete the August Review and Confirm. To allow Core Funding payments to commence as noted above, the August Review and Confirm must be at an approved status.
If a Partner Service does not complete the Review and Confirm process within the required timeframe, Core Funding payments will be placed on hold until such a time as the process is completed.
For more information and support in submitting a Review and Confirm, Partner Services can refer to the Core Funding reminder announcement posted to the Early Years Hive on 15 August 2024.
Base rate cap for the 2024/2025 Core Funding programme year
As previously communicated, Partner Services who submit their 2024/2025 Core Funding application on or before 31 August will have their base rate capped at their approved August Review and Confirm for the 2024/2025 programme year.
For Partner Services who submit their Core Funding application from 1 September onwards, they will not be required to complete the August Review and Confirm window, and their base rate will cap on the approval of their original Core Funding application.
Core Funding Partner Service funding agreement 2024/2025
A key component of Core Funding is the activation of the Core Funding Partner Service funding agreement 2024/2025. The funding agreement is the contract for Core Funding and is a requirement of Partner Services to activate to participate in the Core Funding Programme.
Partner Services have 21 days from the submission date of their original Core Funding Application Module to activate the funding agreement. Once 21 days passes, the Core Funding Application Module will be cancelled if the funding agreement is not activated. If the 21 days passes without activating the Funding agreement, Partner Service are then required to start a new application submission on the Early Years Hive.
To support Partner Services in activating their Core Funding Partner Service Funding Agreement 2024/2025, step-by-step guidance, available from the below link.
Step-by-step guidance on how to activate a Core Funding Partner Service funding agreement 2024/2025 can be found in the Core Funding Applicant Guidelines on the below page of the Early Years Hive:
Core Funding Applicant Guidelines 2024/2025
If you require any further assistance or clarification on any of the above, please contact the Early Years Provider Centre (EYPC) by raising a Request using the following categories:
- Programme: Core Funding
- Request Type: Application
- Request Type Detail: (Please select relevant option)
Regards,
The Early Years Team