Cyber Essentials First Step Fund

The Cyber Essentials First Step Fund is a new government-backed initiative designed to help UK micro, small and medium-sized businesses strengthen their cyber security and achieve Cyber Essentials certification at a significantly reduced cost.

Eligible organisations can receive a 75% discount on the cost of a new Cyber Essentials assessment, meaning businesses only need to pay the remaining 25%. The amount payable will depend on the size of the organisation.

To qualify, your organisation must:

• Be a UK-based micro, small or medium-sized organisation
• Have fewer than 250 employees
• Be applying for Cyber Essentials for the first time, or not have held a Cyber Essentials certificate within the last four years

Cyber Essentials is a government-backed certification scheme that helps organisations protect themselves against some of the most common cyber threats. Certification can also help businesses demonstrate good cyber security practices to customers and suppliers and can be important when looking to access certain contracts and supply-chain opportunities.

The discounted assessment must be purchased by 31 March 2027. Once purchased, organisations have six months to complete and submit their assessment.

For SMEs that have been considering Cyber Essentials certification, particularly those looking to strengthen their position when bidding for public sector or larger supply-chain contracts, this provides an opportunity to achieve certification at a substantially reduced cost.

Find out more.