Model Grant Funding Agreement (MGFA)
Source: gov.uk (2025-12-01)

The template Model Grant Funding Agreement is used for the award of government general grants.

The Model Grant Funding Agreement is a template that:
- has been developed for the award of government general grants
- has been developed for basic, complex and high-risk awards
- reflects government priorities and recommended ways of administering grant funding at the time of publication
- aims to aid assurance and reduce administration, legal costs and negotiation time
- is suitable for use across the range of policy areas that government supports through grant funding and contains applicable provisions
- is intended for use by grant specialists and lawyers, and provides options to allow grant agreements to be as required tailored. Grant makers should carefully assess whether the provisions contained in the template are appropriate for awards under their scheme, and tailor the template as required. Any specific and/or specialist legal advice that is required should be sought from legal advisers.
Disclaimer: Notes on this publication

The long-form model grant funding agreement template is published on GOV.UK (http://gov.uk) for information only, to increase transparency in government grant making. The template is not intended to be downloaded and used to create grant agreements.

The template is intended for use by grant makers in central government departments and their grant making arm’s length bodies. Use of the template is not mandatory. It should be used flexibly to help grant makers develop grant agreements, and the terms and conditions in this template will not always be fully replicated in government grant agreements offered to grant applicants.

The long-form model grant funding agreement has been prepared, with legal advice, by the Government Grants Management Function. When using the template, grant makers are strongly advised to take further legal advice about the appropriate terms and conditions to include in the grant agreement created for their grant scheme.

This version of the template is published as an interim measure, for transparency. An update to this website will be published in 2026, which will include additional versions of the template, and guidance notes for users will also be included at that time.

Note for grant makers in public bodies

If you intend to use the model grant funding agreement template, please access it on the grants centre of excellence. That version will also give you access to the accompanying guidance notes. You will need to register to access the service.

The grants centre of excellence (https://gcoe.civilservice.gov.uk/sign-in/)

The Civil Society Covenant

Following the publication of the Civil Society Covenant (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-society-covenant/civil-society-covenant) on 17 July 2025, government committed to providing a route for Civil Society organisations to provide feedback on the use of the Model Grant Funding Agreement template, by government funders. If you work in a Civil Society organisation and you would like to provide feedback on grant awards you have been offered, which you consider are inconsistent with the guidance in Minimum Requirement Six: Grant Agreements (PDF, 285KB) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6878d0672bad77c3dae4dd42/2023-11-10_Minimum_Requirement_SIX_-_Grant_Agreements_-_v2.5.1.pdf) (paragraphs 14-16), please email:

xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx).

Guidance for government grant makers on how to use the Model Grant Funding Agreement

Guidance on government grant agreements (PDF, 285KB) (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6878d0672bad77c3dae4dd42/2023-11-10_Minimum_Requirement_SIX_-_Grant_Agreements_-_v2.5.1.pdf)