Your guide to Millions of Pounds worth of Funding!
A to Z Directory of Funding
The sportessex A to Z Directory of Funding is an easy-to-use tool to help you find funding opportunities for individuals, clubs, sports projects and activities.
There is a wide range of grants and sponsorship opportunities available in Essex, from £100 to over £1 million. Please check the Noticeboard and Directory for regular updates and announcements of new funding sources. If you cannot find a funding source which meets your requirements, we advise you to look at www.grantfinder.co.uk
sportessex highly recommends that before completing an application form, you first contact the relevant funding body to discuss your project or proposal, or you can contact sportessex for help and advice.
Active Harlow Training Grants
Grants are avilable for Harlow residents aged over 16 who volunteer or work in sport. The maximum amount that can be applied for is 50% of the course cost or £100, whichever is the lower amount. For more details and to apply please see the application form on the noticeboard above.
All England Netball Association - Youth Trust
Funding of up to £5,000 is available to help get young people into netball. Trustees meet three times a year and all applications are considered on their merits, but must be within the Trust's objectives and take into account their commitment to diversity and equity.
Website: http://www.englandnetball.co.uk/About_Us/AENA_Youth_Trust.php
Athletes Benevolent Fund
The British Athletes Commission (BAC), in partnership with Sports Aid has set up a Benevolent Fund as part of the BAC's member services with a view to creating, sustaining and developing a fund of monies from which current, recent and past elite athletes can benefit in times of hardship. Eligible applicants may apply under the following situations: injury, hardship, education, one-off need.
Website: http://www.britishathletes.org
Awards for All
Awards for All offers grant funding of between £300 and £10,000 help improve local communities and the lives of people most in need. Awards for All no longer funds small projects based mainly on sports, however if your project falls under one of the following categories it could still get funding:
* 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.
Website: www.awardsforall.org.uk
BBC Children in Need Grants
BBC Children in Need provides grants for up to three years to properly constituted not for profit organisations working with disadvantaged young people aged 18 or under. Funding is available to organisations that work with young people who are suffering from illness, distress, abuse or neglect, are disabled, have behavioural or psychological difficulties and / or are living in poverty or situations of deprivation. The general Grants Programme is separated into Small Grants of under £10,000 and Main Grants of over £10,000.
Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/pudsey
Cash 4 Clubs
Cash 4 Clubs is a sports funding scheme which gives clubs the opportunity to apply for grants to improve facilities, purchase new equipment, gain coaching qualifications, and generally invest in the sustainability of their club. In 2008 over £30,000 was given out in grants to 30 community sports clubs.
There are three tiers of grants at £250, £500 and £1,000. Previous grants have been awarded to the Southampton Canoe club which received a grant of £1,000 towards purchasing junior paddles and safety equipment; the Rugby Sea Cadets which received a grant of £1,000 to maintain and replace safety equipment; and Ipswich Basketball which received a grant of £1,000 to initiate a new women's team aimed at the 16+ league.
Applications can be submitted at any time and grants are awarded on a quarterly basis.
Website: http://cash-4-clubs.com
Comic Relief
Comic Relief funds a number of different programmes including sport for change. The charity welcomes applications from community groups and organisations using sport as part of a broader programme of work to bring about change at an individual and /or community level. Comic Relief particularly want to fund organisations working to support people from BME communities, older people and women/girls. This programme aims to fund projects that are using sport as a tool for social change and the charity is therefore especially interested in seeing a clear programme of work that supports the sporting activities. The maximum funding available through this programme is £100,000.
Website: http://www.comicrelief.com
Community Cash Awards
Community Cash Awards are grants from the Prince’s Trust. Anyone can apply who is aged 14-16 and is in school but struggling, or aged 16-25, unemployed or working less than 16 hours a week. The project should aim to improve life in a local community, for example a new basketball court or youth club. Projects must be run and managed by people between the ages of 14 and 25, clearly benefit the local community and be a new or developing project. The level of funding depends on the age of the applicant with up to £1,000 available for 14-16 year olds and up to £5,000 available for those aged 16-25.
Website: http://www.princes-trust.org.uk
Community Wildlife Fund
Grants of betweek £300 and £10,000 are available through the Big Lottery Fund to provide opportunities for children to learn about nature through play, help people to take up gardening and to go on nature walks, amongst other things. Grants are available for not for profit groups, schools (as long as the whole community will benefit), local councils and health bodies.
Website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_community_wildlife
Dickie Bird Foundation
The Dickie Bird Foundation provides grants of between £100 and £5,000 to individuals under 18 who are not able to participate in sporting activities to the best of their ability due to being financially disadvantaged.
Applicants will be asked for details of their monthly family income and to give details on how they intend on spending the money and the application also requires two referees.
Website: http://www.thedickiebirdfoundation.co.uk
Essex Community Foundation
Essex Community Foundation awards grants to voluntary or community groups, which are charitable in purpose and are working for the benefit of people in Essex, Southend or Thurrock. They support a wide range of projects and welcome applications from both new and established groups. Essex Community Foundation manages both a General Grants Round with a maximum of £10,000 funding and the Grassroots Grants programme which has a maximum of £5,000 funding and the Foundation have a history of supporting sports organisations.
Website: www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk
Every Child Funding
The government has launched funding to ensure that every child is able to access out of school activities, no matter what their financial situation is. If your child, or a child you know is unable to take part in out of school sports because of the financial cost of things including subscription fees, examination fees, clothing, transport, equipment and much more then they should contact their school for more information on this fund.
There is a wide range of criteria that can allow young people to receive this funding, so it really is worth asking to check your schools eligibility.
FANS
FANS stands for Free Access for National Sportspeople and is a scheme designed to provide support to the county’s leading talented sports performers.
The scheme provides nationally ranked sports people with free access to participating local authority and private leisure and sports facilities at designated times, for personal training and development.
For more information on FANS, or to download an application form, click here.
The February Foundation
This charitable trust makes grants of around £5,000 and looks at each application on a case by case basis. The Foundation focuses its grant making around Secondary and Higher Education, including amateur sport and community based charities. Although no specific exclusions are stated applicants are encouraged to contact the Foundation themselves to check the eligibility criteria.
Website www.thefebruaryfoundation.org
Football Foundation
The Football Foundation provides financial help for football at all levels and is dedicated to revitalising the grass-roots of the game.
Grants are available for FA affiliated under 16-teams and can be used for the purchase of kit. The maximum award is £400.
Funding will also be targeted at community and education initiatives, including study support centres, community coaching schemes and social inclusion projects with grants ranging from £100 to £1m.
Website: www.footballfoundation.org.uk
The Foundation for Sports and the Arts
The Foundation for Sports and the Arts (FSA) provides support for sports and arts related projects and grants of up to £40,000 can be awarded to a wide range of projects. The Foundation’s aim is to enhance the quality of life for the communities to encourage and fund sports and arts at every level with promoting participation and enjoyment being viewed as more important than sporting excellence. Funding is available for capital and revenue projects although capital projects are prioritised and both community groups and organisations can apply for grants.
Website: http://www.thefsa.net/
Jack Petchey Foundation
The Jack Petchey Achievement Award Scheme the Jack Petchey Foundations flagship programme. It is now run in almost 2,000 schools, colleges and clubs throughout London and Essex, contributing millions of pounds to youth organisations.
The scheme is an excellent reward and recognition initiative which enables schools and clubs to celebrate the achievements of young people and receive additional funding for the organisation.
Participating groups regularly select a young person to receive an Achievement Award, and each winner receives:
* A framed certificate and Jack Petchey Foundation medallion.
* £200 to be spent on a school/club or community project of the recipient’s choice.
The young person chooses how their award money is to be spent within the organisation.
Website: www.jackpetcheyfoundation.org.uk
The Lord's Taveners
Founded in 1950 at the Old Tavern at Lord's cricket ground by a group of actors who enjoyed watching cricket, the Lord's Taverners has developed into both a club and a charity. The charity runs four separate schemes designed to help young people, and particularly those with a disability, take part in sport or gain mobility.
Youth Cricket The Foundation provides complimentary equipment bags containing a variety of cricket apparatus, grants are available for the installation of non-turf cricket pitches, practice ends and nets and the charity also provides a limited number of grants for special projects that benefit youth cricket.
Grants can be used towards the cost of youth cricket festivals, tournaments or regional competitions. They may also be spent on the provision of special coaching schemes.
Specially Adapted Minibuses Minibuses are available to give young people with special needs the opportunity to see the world beyond the confines of the organisation which cares for them. A contribution of £8,000 is required from the applicant towards the cost of the vehicle.
Sport and Recreation for Young People with Special Needs (SRSN) Grants of up to £25,000 are available to enable young people with disabilities to participate in sporting and recreational activities within a group environment. Grants can be used for specially adapted sports equipment, playground equipment, soft play and multi-sensory equipment, riding equipment, pool hoists and water ski equipment
Sports Wheelchair Sponsored Scheme This scheme assists with the purchase of manual sports wheelchairs for young people aged from 8 to 25 years. All applicants for standard sports wheelchairs will be requested to make a contribution of £350 before the order is placed. The Taverners will contribute up to 50% of the total cost (excluding VAT) up to a maximum of £1,500 for a bespoke sports wheelchair.
Website: http://www.lordstaverners.org
The National Hockey Foundation
The Foundation is a Charitable Trust originally established to develop and operate the hockey stadium at Milton Keynes. It is completely separate from the Hockey’s National Governing Body. Grants are available for between £10,000 and £75,000 for projects which aim to get young people involved in Hockey.
Website:http://www.thenationalhockeyfoundation.com/index.htm
The People’s Millions
The People’s Millions are looking for new projects that aim to improve local facilities or help people get more out of their area. Up to £50,000 is available for each organisation and winners will be chosen by the public in November 2010 after each of the finalists has had their project shown on their ITV Local News.
Website:http://www.peoplesmillions.org.uk
People’s Postcode Trust
People’s Postcode Trust provides funding opportunities to small organisations, community groups and charities, through grants ranging from £500 - £10,000. Projects must fall within one of six categories, with ‘To advance public participation in sport’ being one of these.
Website: http://www.postcodetrust.org.uk/index.php
Reaching Communities
Reaching Communities funds projects between £10,000 and £500,000 that help people and communities who are most in need, and can really make a difference. Projects can be new or existing activities, or be the core work of your organisation.
Reaching Communities aims to fund projects that respond to needs identified by communities, and those that fund projects that help those most in need including those people or groups who are hard to reach.
The project criteria for applications is as follows:
* People having better chances in life, including being able to get better access to training and development to improve their life skills
* Strong 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.
Website: http://www2.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities.htm
The Rowing Foundation
The Rowing Foundation administers funds for the aid and support of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and disabled people of all ages through participation in sport and games, particularly water sports. In aiming to 'put young people on the water', the RF does not confine its assistance to rowing. Grants have been made towards the purchase of buoyancy aids, splash suits, canoes and the promotion of taster rowing courses for youth clubs, sailing and other water sports clubs with grants between £500 and £2,000 available.
Website: http://www.ara-rowing.org/rowing-foundation
The Santander Foundation
The Santander Foundation brings together the charitable donations formerly made in the UK by Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Bradford & Bingley savings business.
Grants of up to £10,000 can be awarded anywhere in the UK where there is a branch of Santander or Alliance & Leicester however the Santander Foundation only make donations to organisations with charitable status for their work within the UK.
All funding must directly help disadvantaged people through education and training and/or financial capability and education and training could include could be any activity disadvantaged people undertake where they improve their confidence in a skill or their understanding of a subject.
Website: http://www.santanderfoundation.org.uk
Sport England Grants Programmes
Themed Rounds - Sport England’s themed rounds of National Lottery funding tackle gaps in sporting participation and the organisation aims to run up to three themed rounds in each year. The current round is Active Universities and applications are encouraged for projects which will address the barriers to participation which are faced by students.
The closing date for this round is 23rd June 2010.
Small Grants - The small grants programme will provide funding for community-level activities that help people become involved in sport, keep people in sport or help people improve their performance at their chosen sport. The small grants fund is able to support projects costing between £300 and £10,000 and grants can be given on a rolling basis so that £10,000 can be drawn down every 12 months.
For more information on this fund please click here.
Sportsmatch – This programme makes awards to not-for-profit organisations running projects at a community level which meet one or both of Sport England’s objectives of Grow or Sustain through matching eligible sponsorship pound for pound, up to a maximum value of £100,000.
Sportsmatch is open to applications for projects that will be delivered in the 2010/11 financial year, however Sport England expect to have allocated all Sportsmatch funds by Autumn 2010, so please ensure you leave enough time for the submission of your completed application.
Sustainable Facilities - The Sustainable Facilities Fund invests £10m a year of Lottery and Exchequer money into innovative projects capable of transforming the places where we play or take part in sport and it is envisaged that five and ten capital projects will be supported each year.
Facilities which could potentially be funded must be based on a site where the applicant holds ownership or long-term leasehold and must include recognized sporting activity of at least two recognised National Governing Bodies.
Website: http://www.sportengland.org/
sport:exl
sport:exl is the name of the Essex Foundation for young athletes.
The vision of sport:exl is to award grants and bursaries to aspiring and talented young athletes in the county who need a helping hand to reach their potential. The sport:exl grant making criteria is simple, directing its assistance to those who need it most, from young athletes not yet recognised by the National Governing Body for their sport, to those already at their peak and who may be a future Olympic or Paralympic Champion.
Click here for the full criteria and an application form for sport:exl
The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation
The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation currently distributes over £2m per year for projects across the UK. The funding is available through the Small Grant Scheme, which provides grants of up to £10,000 and the Large Grant Scheme which offers grants of between £10,000 and £30,000. The Trustees look favourably upon projects concerned with areas of deprivation and suggested projects include sports rehabilitation schemes and the provision of sporting equipment or facilities. It is not necessary to be a registered charity in order to apply however applications will only be considered from not-for-profit organisations.
Website: http://www.trusthousecharitablefoundation.org.uk
UnLtd Sport Relief Awards
UnLtd Sport Relief Awards provide opportunities for young people to bring communities together, to help them promote understanding and solve conflict through sport and being active.
This funding programme is for 11-21 year olds, who are prepared to go the extra mile and use their passion for sport to bring respect and understanding to their communities by setting up their own projects and funding of up to £10,000 is available.
Website: http://www.unltdsportrelief.com
vcashpoint
vcashpoint is a £1 million initiative that provides grants of up to £2,500 to young people to set up their own volunteering projects within their community. To apply for a vcashpoint grant, you must be aged 16-25, live in England, and be up for running the project yourself. You'll need to show how your project will help other people (not relatives), the environment or your community.
