How to Apply for Salix Finance Funding — FE College Step-by-Step 2026
Step-by-step 2026 guide for FE colleges applying for Salix Finance funding — eligibility, evidence pack, portal submission, and what Salix actually scores.
Salix Finance Ltd administers two funding routes that are relevant to FE corporations in 2026: the Salix Decarbonisation Loan (rolling, interest-free, for solar and energy-efficiency projects under £600k typical) and the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (capital grant, round-based, for larger bundled programmes). This guide walks through how to apply for either, step by step, with the 2026 portal flow.
If you’ve already decided which route you need, jump to the relevant deep guide: Salix Decarbonisation Loan for colleges or PSDS Phase 4 for FE colleges. If you’re still choosing, see Salix vs PSDS Phase 4 — which route? first.
Step 1 — Confirm eligibility
FE corporations have been in scope for Salix funding since the November 2022 Office for National Statistics reclassification brought them into the central government accounting boundary. To apply you must be:
- A statutory FE corporation in England (the equivalents in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have separate devolved schemes)
- Borrowing within your corporation’s standing financial instructions (Salix Loan) or able to evidence match funding (PSDS)
- Targeting a project that displaces grid electricity, heat, or natural gas in a way Salix can score for kgCO2e/£
Sixth-form colleges that have not been ONS-reclassified are out of scope and need DfE capital routes instead.
Step 2 — Pull your evidence pack
Salix will not score a bid until you have the full evidence pack uploaded. Start gathering this in week 0 of your bid timeline — see the Salix bid timeline week-by-week for the full 14-week schedule.
The pack consists of:
- 12 months of half-hourly demand (HHD) data for every meter point in scope, sourced from the supplier or MOP
- Independent structural survey for every roof in scope (see structural survey pre-2000 FE estate)
- G99 DNO pre-application response confirming the proposed export capacity is grid-acceptable
- Firm installer quote (not indicative — Salix scores firm quotes higher)
- Independent generation model from PVSyst, Solcast or equivalent
- Carbon savings calculation worksheet using current published grid carbon factors
- Governor approval minute from the Finance & Resources Committee or full Board
- 25-year cashflow with discount rate stated
Step 3 — Build the carbon and value-for-money case
Salix scores every bid on kgCO2e per pound of capital. This is the metric the bid lives or dies on. For 2026 bids, use:
- Grid electricity carbon factor: 0.207 kgCO2e/kWh (current DESNZ published rate)
- Diminishing factor over project life: apply DESNZ published grid decarbonisation curve — do not assume a flat factor across 30 years
- Self-consumption ratio: modelled, not assumed at 100%. The portion of generation exported under SEG is worth less than self-consumed generation
- Lifetime savings: calculate over 30 years, not just year one. PSDS scores lifetime CO2e
A worked carbon savings methodology annex is the single most common Salix clarification request — include one even if not asked.
Step 4 — Get governance sign-off in advance
Salix will not release a loan offer (or PSDS grant offer) until the corporation has formally approved the borrowing or match funding. The governance pipeline typically runs:
- Director of Finance sign-off on the financial annex (draw schedule, repayment profile, balance sheet impact)
- Finance & Resources Committee approval if the project sits within F&R delegation
- Full Board approval if the project exceeds the corporation’s standing financial instructions threshold (typically £500k+)
Map this backwards from the F&R calendar at week 0 of your bid timeline. Missing a committee sitting can push the whole bid back a quarter.
Step 5 — Submit via the Salix portal
The Salix portal sits at salixfinance.co.uk and requires a corporate account login. The submission flow:
- Log into the portal as the named applicant for the corporation
- Select the funding route (Decarbonisation Loan or PSDS Phase 4)
- Complete the bid narrative fields (project description, decarbonisation metric, payback, AoC Climate Action Plan alignment)
- Upload the full evidence pack (PDF format preferred for narrative documents, CSV/XLSX for HHD data and cashflow)
- Confirm the named delivery lead and reporting structure
- Submit
For PSDS bids, submission must be inside the published round window. For Salix Loan bids, submission is rolling — but in practice, processing slows around end-of-financial-year (Salix capacity is finite).
Step 6 — Respond to clarifications quickly
Salix typically responds in 2-4 weeks for Loan bids and 6-10 weeks for PSDS bids. Responses are one of:
- Loan offer or grant offer issued — sign and proceed to delivery
- Clarification request — most commonly on carbon methodology, draw schedule, or generation model assumptions
- Decline — rare for technically-clean bids; usually means the round is oversubscribed and lower-scoring bids didn’t make the funding line
Respond to clarifications within 5 working days where possible. The longer a bid sits in clarification, the more likely it is to be deprioritised behind newer submissions.
Step 7 — After the offer is signed
Once signed, the project moves from funding workstream to delivery workstream. The first 90 days post-offer typically cover:
- Final installer contract execution (via CCS RM6011 if not already done)
- Detailed design and permits
- Material procurement
- Site mobilisation
See year-one implementation checklist for FE solar for what month 1 through month 12 looks like post-offer.
Common application mistakes
In our experience supporting FE corporations through Salix applications, the same five mistakes recur:
| Mistake | Why it fails | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Carbon factor stale (using 2015 vintage 0.412) | Inflates savings; Salix catches it | Use current 0.207 kgCO2e/kWh |
| Self-consumption assumed at 100% | Unrealistic for a college with summer holidays | Model self-consumption seasonally |
| Indicative quote, not firm | Salix scores firm quotes higher | Get the firm quote before bidding |
| No governor approval at submission | Bid sits in limbo | Sequence F&R sign-off ahead of submission |
| Generation model is installer’s own | Counts as marketing, not evidence | Use independent PVSyst/Solcast |
Where to go next
If you’re at the start of a Salix Loan bid, work through the Salix bid timeline week-by-week. If you’re targeting PSDS, work through the PSDS Phase 4 bid checklist. If Phase 5 is the more realistic window for your corporation, see PSDS Phase 5 prep for FE colleges.
Related guides
- Salix Decarbonisation Loan for colleges — full scheme overview
- PSDS Phase 4 for FE colleges — capital grant route
- Salix bid timeline week-by-week — 14-week delivery template
- PSDS Phase 4 bid checklist — 32-item evidence requirement
- Year-one implementation checklist for FE solar — what happens after offer sign