The Office for Civil Society has begun telling organisations whether their bids to the £30m Transforming Local Infrastructure fund have been successful.
The OCS is due to make an official announcement tomorrow but some organisations have already begun tweeting about the outcomes.
Joe Irvin, the new chief executive of local infrastructure organisation Navca, said: "Awards emerging. Winners cheer: losers worry. Navca ready to counsel in either case."
Infrastructure organisations from English upper-tier local authority areas had to collaborate on bids of between £250,000 and £400,000. The awards will not fund existing work but support "transformational" activities, such as collaboration and consolidation.
One successful bidder, who did not wish to be named, told Third Sector he was pleased his consortia’s bid had been chosen, but any celebrations were muted by the fact that this was a rationalisation programme that could have painful consequences.
He said bidders in some ways felt like "turkeys voting for Christmas".