Funding
This section is intended as a starting point to aid individuals and clubs involved in sport in seeking funding. Sources of funding for organisations is more available than the assistance for individuals, so sources which will consider funding individuals have been marked with an asterisk.
Sport England
Distributes National Lottery funding. From April 2009 solicited funding will include:
Themed rounds: projects meeting the criteria within a given themed round will receive grants of over £10,000 to grow and sustain participation in community sport.
Small grants: grants of between £300 - £10,000 will be provided to support sport in the communities.
Innovation fund: funding will be provided to a limited number of large projects to test out new ideas
Sportsmatch: grants of between £500 - £100,000 will be provided to clubs and other bona fide organisations that need Sport England grants to bring in other funding.
Facilities Investment: funding will be provided to support sustainable investment in major sports facilities.
For further information www.sportengland.org
.
Awards For All:
Awards for All England are a simple small grants scheme making awards of between £300 and £10,000.
The Awards for All programme aims to help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need.
To do this we want to fund projects that meet one or more of the following outcomes:
- People have better chances in life - with better access to training and development to improve their life skills.
- Stronger communities - with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems.
- Improved rural and urban environments - which communities are better able to access and enjoy.
Healthier and more active people and communities.
The application form is short and simple. Email us the completed form.
You will find out if you are successful within six weeks
Obtain an application form by calling 0845 600 2040 (local rate) or visit the website at:
www.awardsforall.org.uk
Sports Aid (SAF)*
Sports Aid grant aids elite sportspeople who are of international competition calibre in their sport. Help is given for costs of training, travel and coaching incurred while preparing for competitions. The Sports Aid Charitable Trust offers grants to young people to develop their talents and to sportspeople with a disability.
In such cases, applications must be made through the appropriate governing bodies. For further information on the application process, contact:
Sports Aid
3rd Floor, Victoria House
Bloomsbury Square
London
WC1B 4SE
Tel: 020 7273 1975
Fax: 020 7273 1981
E-mail: enquiries@sportsaid.org.uk
Website: http://www.sportsaid.org.uk
Local authorities*
Local authorities are a significant funder of local sports initiatives. Check with your local authority’s department of leisure, recreation or sport to find out what funding resources are available for projects in your area.
If you are interested in finding out about assistance with funding education courses, check with your local authority or local education authority, some of which may donate small sums for such purposes.
Other small grant assistance schemes may be available through your local sports forum (usually called a sports council, but not connected with the central government-funded Sport England or our new Regional Sports Boards). To find out if there is such a local sports council in your area, contact your local authority's department of recreation or leisure. Alternatively you may wish to consult your local telephone directory or Yellow Pages.
Governing bodies*
Some governing bodies have their own grant schemes. It is advisable to check with the governing body for your sport to ascertain whether:
a) they offer grant aid;
b) they know of other funding sources for your sport
Football Foundation
Based on a partnership of the FA Premier League, the Football Association, Government and Sport England. In the first year alone £24 million will be invested into the game, rising to between £50-60 million per annum for the second year. The Trust provides financial help for football at all levels, from national stadia and FA Premier League clubs down to grass-roots development. Details of the Trust's many grant regimes may be obtained from:
Football Foundation
30 Gloucester Place
London
W1U 8FF
Tel: 0845 345 4555
Fax: 020 7287 0459
Email: enquiries@footballfoundation.org.uk
Website: http://www.footballfoundation.org.uk
Sportlink
This organisation is a register of sportsmen, sportswomen and events and looks to link them to business sponsorship partners. They can be contacted at the following address:
Sportlink UK
Orchard House
Lower Street
Pulborough
West Sussex
RH20 2BL
Tel: (01798) 872555
Fax: (01798) 815173
Website: www.sportlinkuk.co.uk
Children In Need
Children In Need fund not-for-profit organisations (voluntary orgs, charities etc) to run projects that make a positive difference to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people in the UK.
Children must be under 18 and meet one of their four definitions of disadvantage:
Illness, distress, neglect, abuse
Any kind of disability
Behavioural or psychological difficulties
Living in poverty or situations of deprivation
There are no minimum or maximum amounts for grants. Application is online at: www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
Peter Harrison Foundation
Through the Opportunities Through Sport programme applications are accepted from charities nationwide.
The Trustees wish to support sporting activities or projects which provide opportunities for people who are disabled or otherwise disadvantaged to fulfil their potential and to develop other personal and life skills.
Grants will often be “one off” grants for capital projects. We will, however, also consider revenue funding for a new project or if funding is key to the continuing success or survival of an established project.
The Trustees welcome applications for the following types of project:
Projects which provide a focus for skills development and confidence building through the medium of sport
Projects that have a strong training and/or educational theme within the sporting activity
Projects that provide sporting equipment or facilities for disabled or disadvantaged people
Projects with a high degree of community involvement
Projects that help to engage children or young people at risk of crime, truancy or addiction
The Yapp Charitable Trust
The Yapp Charitable Trust make small grants, for running costs and salaries, to small registered charities to help sustain their existing work with:
- elderly people
- children and young people, aged 5 – 25
- people with disabilities or mental health problems
- people trying to overcome life-limiting problems of a social rather than medical origin, such as addiction, relationship difficulties, abuse, a history of offending
They also make grants to support small charities' work in education and learning, (including lifelong learning)
They do not fund:
New organisations – you must have been operating as a constituted charity for at least 3 years
New work – we provide continuation funding to sustain existing work that has been happening for at least a year, not to create new paid posts, launch new activities or for special events.
Capital expenditure - buildings, renovations, furnishings, equipment, minibuses.
Work with under-5s
Spinal Injuries Association – Rebuilding Lives through Sport
The aim of the SIA Rebuilding Lives Through Sport programme is:
To provide a fund to allocate grants to promote and encourage participation in wheelchair paralympic sporting disciplines with a particular focus on grassroots level support.
The purpose of the fund is:
To distribute up to £500,000 worth of grants into clubs and societies which promote and encourage wheelchair participation under the auspices of the appropriate governing body.
Eligible sports, as recognised by the IPC (Aug 2007) are:
Archery Table Tennis
Athletics Sitting Volleyball
Boccia Wheelchair Basketball
Handcycling Wheelchair Fencing
Equestrian Wheelchair Tennis
Powerlifting Wheelchair Rugby
Rowing Alpine Skiing
Sailing Ice Sledge Hockey
Shooting Nordic Skiing
Swimming Wheelchair Curling
Comic/Sport Relief:
Small, locally based not for profit groups or organisations can apply for a share of an annual pot of £30,000. The maximum award is £10,000, although the average grant is likely to be in the region of £2,000. Priority will be given to applications that provide clear evidence of need and a long term impact on people’s lives who are excluded or disadvantaged through low income, rural or social isolation, age, disabilities, race, sexuality or gender.
50% of the annual allocation needs to be spent on projects which increase access to sport and exercise for people who face social exclusion and isolation. The rest can be spent on schemes which increase local services, build skills of local people, increase community cohesion and/or respond to local economic needs. This work can cover a small geographical area such as a housing estate or village, but we will also consider work covering a slightly larger area such as a town or borough where there is evidence of community involvement.
What will we fund? Community sport activities, furniture projects, projects providing access to benefits advice, projects combating fuel poverty, community consultation exercises, community employment projects, food co-ops, running and project costs, volunteer training costs.
The closing dates for receipt of applications are on 1st October 2009 and 1st April 2010.
For an application form and more information:
Contact Sue Fortune @ Lincolnshire Community Foundation. Telephone (01529) 305825 or email: sue.lincolnshire@btconnect.com
Wheel Appeal:
The Wheel Appeal is aiming to raise £6,000,000 to provide over 2,000 disabled people with a new sports wheelchair, training and coaching that will enable them to participate in sport and enjoy competitive and recreational sport.
The Wheel Appeal will either fund 'standard' manual sports wheelchair or provide a grant towards a 'bespoke' sports wheelchair. Unfortunately the Wheel Appeal does not provide funds towards power wheelchairs.