Sustainable travel grants 2026-27
To apply for a sustainable travel grant, complete our travel behaviour questionnaire and its associated grant application form, and submit them online no later than 16th October 2026.
How much funding can we apply for?
Capital grants of up to £5,000 per workplace, subject to available funds and a competitive bidding process.
You may apply for the full £5,000, however, please note that if your project or work has been quoted for and/or comes below £5,000, we will award that amount, and not the full £5,000.
What can the funding be spent on?
This is capital funding that can be used for any physical feature within the grounds of the workplace. It should support the aims, objectives and targets within your workplace travel plan and encourage sustainable travel to and from work. We encourage you to be creative and innovative with your ideas for funding. A few examples include, but are not limited to:
- cycle storage
- showers, lockers, and changing room facilities
- bicycles and gear for the office
- electric charging points
- signage and road markings
- footpath and cycle-path improvements
- bus stop facilities
Who is eligible?
To be eligible to apply for this funding you must:
- be registered as a business, or a local authority, or a public service organisation e.g. NHS;
- have a business bank account to which any funds (if successful) would be paid;
- have at least two employees on your payroll;
- have fully completed and submitted our travel behaviour questionnaire and grant application form, plus uploaded evidence of any planning application if you require planning permission;
- have a place of business in a Kent County Council district which employees work from (not a home address) and, if the property is leased, have approval from the landlord to implement the proposed measures;
- be able to fully implement and invoice your scheme by 1st February 2027 (if planning permission is required, please bear in mind that this may affect your timescale);
- be able to provide evidence of other funding sources, should you choose to use this grant as match-funding for a larger project;
- be able to provide evidence that the grant amount requested will be sufficient to deliver the project (ideally through attaching quotes from suppliers).
How to apply
- Register your business on the website.
- Login to your account and complete the travel behaviour questionnaire.
- Ensure you have a quote for the work, and upload this onto the website.
- Upload evidence of any planning application, should you require planning permission.
- Complete and submit the application by 16th October 2026.
You will hear from us by 30th October 2026 about whether your application has been successful
If we have our own travel plan, can we use this instead of completing the questionnaire?
You are welcome to upload your travel plan to support your application; however, you must also complete the questionnaire.
The site of my workplace is outside of Kent, can I still apply?
This funding is available only to workplaces located in Kent County Council districts.
If our business has multiple sites, are we required to fill out an application for each site?
Yes, you will be required to submit an application for each site for which you seek funding.
If we were previously successful in receiving a grant, can we apply again?
Yes, you are welcome to apply again this year; we will, however, give first consideration to businesses who have not yet received a grant.
How will applications be assessed?
All applications will be objectively scored by the Active Travel Interventions Team in KCC's Road Safety and Active Travel Group and assessed on the information provided in the grant application. Please note - applications demonstrating innovation and the ability to create modal shift will be given preference.
All applicants will be informed by email of the outcome of the assessment process on or before 30th October 2026.
The decision of the assessment panel is final and no correspondence will be entered into concerning unsuccessful applications.
All provisionally successful applications may be required to allow a site visit or to provide additional information or clarification of project proposals, prior to final grant award.
What happens if I am successful?
- Successful applicants will be notified by email and will be asked to complete an online Agreement form, outlining the key Terms and Conditions of the grant.
- You will need to provide a brief update to your account on a monthly basis (from November 2025) outlining progress of your project or work as it occurs. Reminders will be sent out.
- Ensure you complete the work by 1st February 2027.
- Upload your invoice on business letter headed paper, as well as photographs of the completed work, and all receipts and contractors' invoices by 1st February 2027, so that we can proceed with your reimbursement.
- You will receive a reimbursement once this process is complete.
When will we be reimbursed?
Funding will be reserved for successful applicants from date of notification.
Businesses will be expected to fund all projects up-front and invoice Kent County Council on completion of the works.
You will be required to upload all relevant contractors' invoices and receipts, photographs of the works, and an invoice to Kent CC on your business letterhead by 1st February 2027.
You will receive reimbursement as soon as this process is complete.
What are the dates I need to know?
The last day to apply is 16th October 2026.
Grant application outcomes will be notified by 30th October 2026.
If you are successful, you must accept (or decline) your grant by 13th November 2026.
Work must be complete and contractor receipts, photographs and an invoice on your business letterhead must be uploaded by 1st February 2027.
Who can I contact for further advice and clarification?
Active Travel Interventions Team
email: ActiveTravel@kent.gov.uk
Case studies
Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce
"There's been a general raised awareness around healthy travel options since our awarded grant. A couple of staff have begun walking in, which is a direct result of encouraging people to think differently.
We have two regular cyclists now and have had one or two site visitors use their bikes to attend meetings. Physically, the bike shed has been a great "advert" for visitors and it was this that told the visitors they could cycle in."
Tudor Price, Head of Business Development, Kent Invicta Chamber of Commerce, Ashford
East Kent ITeC
"We would like to thank you for the sustainable travel grant this year. It has enabled us to provide a great bike shed and associated pathway for both our staff and our clients (who are usually unemployed adults undertaking IT Training courses).
Now that the weather is better, we have seen a marked increase in the number of students making use of the bike facilities. Also, some of our staff who previously would probably not have considered cycling, have begun to cycle to work.
We found the application process very straightforward."
Julie Baldoc, East Kent ITeC, Margate
Ripple Farms
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"Thanks for this, we are very pleased with our bike rack. Our staff are happy that they now have somewhere secure to lock up their bikes whilst at work. One thing I have thought of as an idea for bigger businesses is to have an electric bike to hire out to staff, this may well encourage new cyclists, as you can take some of the hard work out of cycling and gradually do more yourself as you get fitter. Also good for someone who needs to carry quite a bit of stuff in with them." Mirelle Frost, Director, Kent Enterprise Trust, Herne Bay |  |
Kent Enterprise Trust
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"Since our cycle parking instalment and our new clothes drying facilities, we've seen an increase in walking, running and cycling and have even won a Healthy Business Award!" Mirelle Frost, Director, Kent Enterprise Trust, Herne Bay |  |
Grant Funding: Your Agreement
If you are successful in your bid for Capital Grant Funding, you will receive an email notification in October 2026 informing you of the amount of funding that you have been awarded. To accept the Grant Funding award you will be required to sign a contract stating that you agree to deliver your project as per the terms and conditions. If you are offered a funding award you will have until Friday 13th November 2026 to sign the Funding Agreement on the Jambusters system.
In order to ensure that your project runs smoothly, we have prepared "5 Key Points" that you should be aware of before you sign the Funding Agreement:
- Make sure you're aware of the exact amount of funding that you are being offered and be mindful that this amount will not include VAT as we do not reimburse VAT costs
- It's great to have received the full amount that you have requested, however there are occasions when Part Funding is awarded instead.
- Make sure you upload your Bank details
- Without your bank details (sort code, account name & number) we cannot reimburse your funding! You will be asked to upload your bank details once you sign the Funding Agreement.
- Your bank details must align with the address on your invoice.
- Check the Grant Conditions
- You may have requested funding for several measures, however, the funding you have been awarded may only be to cover a particular aspect of your proposed project.
- Uploading Evidence
- As your project draws to an end, you will need to ensure that you are uploading a progress report and your evidence on to the Jambusters site promptly. This evidence must be uploaded to your site by the latest, Monday 1st February 2027.
GLOSSARY:
Funding Agreement - This is the contract that you sign when you accept (or decline) the funding offered. It is available on the Jambusters site from the moment that you are offered your award amount. Simply log on to Jambusters and click on the "Grant" tab on your page to view the agreement at any time.
Part Funding - You may have been awarded part of the amount that you requested and not all. This can happen due to a number of reasons. Commonly this occurs when no quote was provided within the application to give a clear cost of a project. For example, you might have applied for £5,000 "for scooter storage". However, we are aware that some scooter storage options can be purchased and installed for less than £1,000. Part Funding may also occur when the grant conditions outline that only particular aspects of your project will be funded.
Grant Conditions - This will appear within the first few lines of your Funding Agreement. The Grant Conditions specifically outline what the awarded amount can be spent on. This could be "Towards X as requested". Or it may be that you requested funding for, "pedestrian shelter and seating areas, as well as the replacement of existing bike storage", however your Grant Conditions state, "Towards the replacement of the existing bike storage only". In this instance, whilst you may choose to install the additional items yourself, ONLY the Grant Conditions will be provided reimbursement.
Evidence - This refers to:
- Supplier Invoice; the invoice(s) from the contractor(s) who completed the installations on the school site,
- Photos; we love to see both before and after pictures, however photos of just the completed installation will be acceptable,
- Final Invoice; this is the invoice from your school to KCC, to request the reimbursement of funding. Once you sign the grant funding contract a template for this invoice will be available on the Grant tab of your Jambusters profile.
