Sport England funding for clubs is one of the key areas of funding to target, whether that’s for an infrastructure project like a clubhouse build or starting new junior teams.
Here, we’ll look at some of the options available from Sport England funding as well as other sports club grants to try for.
Be sure you can tick all the requirements and hit whatever deadlines are part of the process. We’ve written a blog post with advice and some common funders.
Note: This article has been updated for June 2020 to reflect the latest developments and new information.
Sport England Emergency Flooding Fund
The Community Asset Fund was paused to new applications due to the volume and the impact of COVID-19 on the ability to get the work done that the funding was for. It's expected to be open again from July 2020 but keep an eye on the Sport England website.
Grants of National Lottery funding of up to £5,000 are available to help repair damage to pitches and facilities.
Following Storms Ciara and Dennis, clubs were seriously damaged and Sport England have acted to free up money from their Community Asset Fund to help.
The opportunity to repair grass pitches, to decontaminate and revitalise flood or wind-damaged clubhouses or overhaul damaged electrical systems will doubtless be appreciated.
Obviously, this won’t apply to all sports clubs but if yours has been affected then apply online and you should hear in a matter of weeks.
Flooding relief is currently one of the highlighted sport club funding criteria and therefore would be relevant in future too.
**Due to COVID-19, they are not currently accepting new applications - but that may change at any time.
London Marathon Charitable Trust
This is a funding pot specific to London boroughs and has two funding streams; one for small grants (£5,000 - £50,000) and a major grant up to £150,000.
Their Facilities Grants programme focuses on building, renovating and modernising facilities in London and Surrey which encourage people to remain or become physically active.
Their criteria are very clear so it’s always worth poring over the fine detail. Funders want it to be as transparent as possible to be able to award monies and not disappoint.
That said, it is a legitimate route of funding for sports clubs.
Bernard Sunley Foundation
This is a funding pot with three funding levels: £5,000 and under (small), up to £20,000 (medium) and then over £20,000 (large).
As a sports club, the key criteria to note is this Foundation only funds charities registered in England and Wales or CIOs (Charitable Incorporated Organisations).
Have a read of what they fund but encouragingly, under the ‘Community’ arm of their website, they specifically mention grants towards the building or refurbishment of sports centres and pavilions and playing fields.
**Covid-19 Update - For new grant applicants: The Foundation continues to accept new applications across our four funding categories.
Aviva Community Fund
Latest on COVID-19 from Aviva: They have broadened the criteria of the Aviva Community Fund to include applications for projects that enable causes to adapt or continue their vital services by covering core running costs, so they can help their beneficiaries and communities during this time of need.
**Applications are open for the next round of the Aviva Community Fund until 28th July 2020**
Every three months, £250,000 is shared equally among Aviva’s UK employees to donate to the projects that matter to them.
So, if a sports club is a charity (key criteria) then it can apply for funding of up to a maximum of £50,000 (via a Crowdfunding page) and Aviva employees then decide how the funding is distributed.
Here’s the eligibility criteria and examples of sports fundraising pages.
They specific two threads that matter:
- Financial capability and inclusion: giving people the tools to become more financially independent
- Community resilience: tackling inequality and improving environments to build more connected, more resilient communities
Tesco Bags of Help
Your local supermarkets are a great funding opportunity as they often have community funds available through their own schemes.
One of those is Tesco Bags of Help who offer grants of up to £2,000 to UK projects. For sports clubs (by way of example), it is possible to use the grants to buy sports kit or make improvements to a building that benefits the local community.
You are less likely to be successful if your sports club has applied before due to volume of applications from charities and community organisations.
The way it works is that three community projects are shortlisted in a local area. These will then be voted on by customers in Tesco stores (projects change every 3 months).
After the deadline, the project with the most votes from Tesco shoppers get a grant up to £2,000, the second-placed receives up to £1,000 and third place will get £500.
Update from Tesco Bags for Life - FAQs relating to COVID-19. New applications are still open!
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