SAHP 2026 to 2036: Bid for funding using the CME route

Before you start  

Check you are eligible to bid for funding from the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036 by reading ‘Who can bid for the funding’.

Make sure your proposal meets the requirements detailed in the guidance.

You will be able to bid for funding online when the programme opens for bidding.

To receive grant funding from Homes England you must be a qualified investment partner. 

If your organisation is already a qualified Homes England Investment Partner

Homes England will not require existing investment partners already delivering in the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) 2021 to 2026 to reapply for Investment Partner qualification.

Make sure your security administrator information is up to date in the Investment Management System (IMS) as this information will be used to enable access to the online application system when the programme opens for bidding.

You can make changes to your existing security administrator or administrators now.

If your organisation is not already a qualified Homes England Investment Partner

If you do not already hold investment partner status, you must apply for investment partner qualification alongside your funding application before bidding closes.

Find out how to apply for investment partner status for the SAHP.

Investment Partner qualification and customer due diligence

Confirmation of Investment Partner status for the SAHP will be reviewed as part of our annual Continuous Qualification process to ensure your continued good standing and financial viability. This may include requests for additional information or further confirmations to be provided.

We will ask partners to supply ‘Know Your Customer’ information  for our customer due diligence process once you’ve secured a funding allocation. This process will need to have concluded satisfactorily before you can receive funding.

Continuous Market Engagement and Portfolio bids 

Continuous Market Engagement (CME) provides access to funding for the duration of the programme, while funding remains available, on a scheme-by-scheme basis.

It supports small and medium-sized partners, new entrants and local authorities who have development ambition but are unable to deliver and spend at scale.

It can also help deliver more complex schemes including specialist and supported, and rural homes.

We offer 2 options under the CME funding route:

• general
• portfolio

Both will be managed under the same grant agreement framework.

This guidance provides further information for partners wishing to submit a bid under the CME Portfolio route.

The CME Portfolio route is designed to give partners certainty on funding for a group of sites, helping to:

• de-risk development pipelines
• accelerate delivery
• maximise development capacity

Bids under the CME Portfolio route can be submitted at any time but must have been discussed with Homes England ahead of bidding and form part of the pipeline you have shared with us.

All bids for the CME Portfolio route will be assessed in line with:

• value for money
• strategic fit
• deliverability

More details on these criteria can be found in the main SAHP 2026 to 2036 guidance.

In addition to these, all bids will need to clearly set out how the route will unlock capacity and ambition and enable more homes to be delivered quicker.  

To do this, CME Portfolio bids should contain sites which:

• are named and identified sites, within a wider pipeline of development opportunities
• can start on site by 31 March 2028 and complete by 31 March 2032
• will deliver a number of new social and affordable homes that is below the minimum number required for applications under the Strategic Partnership funding route

We expect initial CME Portfolio bids to deliver between 300 and 500 new social and affordable homes over the duration of the programme. Where proposals sit outside but close to this range, we  encourage partners to speak to us.

Partners will need to demonstrate:

• a successful track record of delivery, which, for new providers, may be from other development activity
• organisational capacity to deliver a Portfolio of sites at the scale proposed
• how they are delivering the outcomes of the Regulator of Social Housing’s regulatory standards, including having a minimum V1 or V2, G1 or G2 and C1, C2 or C3 rating
• Board (or equivalent) approval to submit a Portfolio bid and certainty over wider funding sources

Existing partners must also demonstrate good continuous Investment Partner Qualification and annual performance ratings, including how they are addressing any outstanding compliance audit requirements.

Partners should submit CME Portfolio bids requesting the specific amount of grant required for each individual site. All schemes in a portfolio bid must meet subsidy rules.

Consortium bids 

A CME Portfolio bid can be submitted by a member of a consortium provided that consortium member is able to meet the requirements described.  

Delivery expectations 

We expect the CME Portfolio route to accelerate delivery but understand that not all schemes may have secured planning consent and, or, have a contractor procured. The priority is to support a portfolio of bids with genuine prospects for delivery. Partners are asked to be realistic in their assumptions and commit to regular discussion and review.

Portfolio bids need to set out and deliver against agreed milestone dates. Once approved, each bid stands alone and must meet agreed scheme specific milestones dates. All portfolio and non-portfolio bids will be treated equally by the Grant Agreement.

We expect to offer partners delivering through the Portfolio route the opportunity to apply for further grant, either through CME or a second portfolio, subject to the availability of funding and partners being able to demonstrate good progress towards the delivery of their initial allocation. The latter will include delivery against milestone forecasts.

After applying

Find out what happens after applying to the Social and Affordable Homes Programme 2026 to 2036.

Contact  Homes England

Contact Homes England about the Social and Affordable Homes Programme (SAHP) 2026 to 2036.