Eligibility, Due Diligence and Expectations

Applicants may apply as a single organisation with or without partners, or may alternatively submit a joint application (for example, as a consortium, joint venture, unincorporated association, partnership, or otherwise). This may, for example, apply to entities who feel that alone they do not have the capacity or capability to address the department’s requirements, or wish to bring in additional expertise to meet the department’s required skills and experience for this role. 

Delivery partner requirements 

To be eligible to apply for the role of delivery partner for the UK Games Fund, you must be a UK entity and have been trading in the UK for more than 12 months. 

Your organisation will need to provide us with mandatory documentation:

1. We receive and can review at least 2 references.

2. If you have been funded by another part of the UK government, we obtain feedback from that department. 

3. You are able to provide an annual report and audited or certified accounts, covering the last two years, or similar documentation. Please note: in the event your last financial year end was more than 6 months ago, we may request further accounting information at a later date as part of the due diligence process.

Joint approach

The following additional information applies to applicants who put forward a joint approach:  

• A lead party must be identified that shall submit an application on behalf of all parties to the joint application.

• The lead party shall be responsible for all communication with the department during the application and appointment process.

• As part of their application, the applicant must submit a structure diagram identifying the roles and relationships between the parties including all relevant companies, their respective parent or ultimate holding companies. The structure should make clear who will be responsible for delivery of the grant and ensure that, as a minimum, the legal obligations and liabilities of the applicant are borne by an entity or entities which satisfy the financial requirements set out in this specification of requirements.

• The applicant must submit written confirmation from each party that they authorise the lead party organisation to act on their behalf in relation to this grant competition.

For joint approaches to be eligible, they must adhere to the following criteria and provide the following mandatory documentation:

1. The lead party must be a UK entity and have been trading in the UK for more than 12 months. For additional partners, this is a preference but not essential.

2. Any organisations that are applying as a consortium must provide a copy of annual reports and audited or certified accounts covering the last 12 months. NB. The lead applicant must provide these documents, and consortia partner documents must also be provided at this stage

3. Trustees and directors from multiple organisations are not related and there is no indication of fraud.

4. Where multiple organisations are located at the same postcode, there is no indication of fraud – if multiple organisations hold the same address, they will be asked to provide an explanation.

Equality, Diversity and Good Work

We want to understand how your organisation will approach equality and diversity, and job quality, both internally and considering how to ensure good standards are upheld by your onwards recipients. This is an eligibility requirement for all applicants.  

We want to see a demonstration of how you already, or intend to, support the following principles of Good Work through your implementation: 

• Fair reward, terms and conditions, 

• A balance of security and flexibility, 

• Autonomy and personal fulfilment,

• Skill use, development and progression,

• Agency, voice and representation, and

• A healthy, respectful, safe and inclusive work environment.

More information is provided on the Good Work principles in the application form. 

Your organisation will need to provide us with the following, as requested in section 7 of the application form: 

• an organisational equality and diversity approach

• an organisational “Good Work” approach for those you employ and contract

Due Diligence

DCMS does not tolerate fraud, bribery or corruption. Applications will be checked against various databases to assess accuracy of the information provided. DCMS will monitor the grant throughout its lifetime and may conduct additional assurance exercises to ensure that funding is being spent correctly. 

We expect applicants to provide further information, if requested, as the result of due diligence and risk assessment checks. DCMS will conduct its due diligence checks through processes including (but not limited to):

• The Government’s online automated due-diligence tool “Spotlight”

• Manual pre- and post-award checks in line with Cabinet Office’s Guidance for General Grants

Examples of issues that arise during due diligence checks - and may preclude applicants from being eligible for funding - include:

• Non-provision of the mandatory documentation

• Inaccurate or incomplete Charity Commission / Companies House information 

• Inaccurate or incomplete budget and cash flow documents

• Inaccurate or incomplete project plan 

• (In the case of a joint bid) the above issues being present with one of the delivery partners, even if not a concern for the other delivery partners / consortia members

Eligibility process 

Applicants will be asked to explain how they meet the minimum requirements set out above, referencing the mandatory documents where relevant. Applications which do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria will not have their scoring continued, as they will not be eligible to deliver the funding.

Delivery partner expectations

In addition to the above requirements, we expect delivery partners to demonstrate they have:

Sector knowledge and capability 

• • Knowledge and experience of working in the video games sector, with industry connections to enable the impactful running of a bespoke programme, and the ability to successfully identify commercial potential in video game projects;

  • Ability to work with other Creative Industry support mechanisms / delivery funds and their delivery partners;

Delivery experience

• • Experience of - and administrative capability to - assess, administer and monitor support to the programme’s target groups: UK-based SMEs in the video games sector, and graduate talent;

  • Experience of working closely with central government and the ability to draw on experience and data to advise on policy development and make recommendations to officials

Management capability 

• • Sufficient staff capacity and capabilities to deliver this project in the timeframe set out;

  • Appropriate financial management systems and processes to account for UK Games Fund grant expenditure accurately and transparently, such as fraud risk assessments, fraud, bribery, anti-corruption and due diligence policies, and experience managing counter fraud processes.

  • The ability to deliver a UK-wide programme

Applicants will be asked to explain how they meet the minimum requirements set out above, referencing the mandatory documents where relevant. Applications which do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria will not have their scoring continued, as they will not be eligible to deliver the funding.

Objectives of this fund to be achieved by 31 March 2029 are to directly support UK video game SMEs and graduate talent to:

1. Increase the economic value of the UK video game sector

2. Increase intellectual property (IP) in the UK video game sector

3. Increase employment, particularly among graduates, in the video game sector across the UK

4. Increase levels of private investment in the video game sector across the UK

5. Reduce access to finance barriers in the video game sector across the UK

6. Reduce skills gaps across the UK video game sector, including the business skills required to successfully release a video game

The timeline below is indicative and subject to change:

Competition opens for applications: Wednesday 19th November 2025

Clarification questions deadline: 23:59 Thursday 27th November 2025

Publication of clarification questions: Tuesday 2nd December 2025

Deadline of the application: 23:59 Tuesday 9th December 2025

Application Assessment: Wednesday 10th December-Tuesday 16th December 2025

Notification of recommendation for approval: Wednesday 17th December 2025

Notification of formal approval: w/b Monday 2nd February 2026

How to apply

Please follow the steps below to apply:

1. Ensure you have fully read the UK Game Fund application guidance outlined on this page and in supporting documents.

2. Read DCMS’s standard terms and conditions of grants.

3. Download and complete the application form.

Applications for this grant fund must be submitted by 23:59 Tuesday 9th December 2025 to peter.rice@dcms.gov.uk AND pawel.jarzembowski@dcms.gov.uk with the subject line:

Grant Application – [Organisation Name] – UK Games Fund.

Any applications received after the closing date will not be assessed.

It is your responsibility to ensure your application is concise, fully completed, and that you supply all the necessary supporting documentation.

Full application guidance can be found here.