Funding is crucial to development.
However, the processes involved in identifying the best funding pools to apply for and completing lengthy application forms can prevent groups from attaining much needed funds.
The number of applications for funding received from ethnic minority groups in Sport is worryingly low, despite the number of groups playing, watching and using football as a tool to deliver wider social messages.
Kick It Out and funding bodies, such as the Football Foundation, want to address this disparity and ensure that all groups have the opportunity to develop, reach their full potential and serve communities across the country.
Kick It Out understands the difficulties groups have experienced in getting funding in the past and uses this expertise to offer support and advice to groups exploring funding opportunities.
Here are just a few of the funding opportunities that Kick It Out can offer help and advice on:
Football Foundation
Small grants scheme
The scheme aims to increase participation by both players and volunteers in grass roots football by supporting the cost associated with providing new activity.
This scheme can offer up to £9,000 of a project cost that can not be more than £10,000. Percentage support varies, but will not exceed 90% of the total project cost.
Junior kit scheme
The aim of this scheme is to support Under 18 teams and adults with disabilities by offering free kit and/or equipment up to the value of £400. The voucher can only be exchanged with the foundations nominated supplier - Nike.
Clubs may apply for two vouchers every three years, as long as one application is for a girls’ team, and the other is for a boys’ team.
Schools may only receive one grant every three years.
Community Grant Scheme
The community scheme aims to create opportunities and build communities by funding projects that use football and sport to contribute to one of the following Community Programme Objectives:
> Preventing and reducing offending.
> Promoting respect amongst communities and bringing people together through football.
> Improving educational attainment and lifelong learning.
> Encouraging personal development from participation in football and sport through to volunteering, training and employment.
> Tackling the rise of obesity in children and adults.
> Improving the mental health and wellbeing of children and adults.
> Tackling regional health inequalities in life expectancy and chronic illness.
They are looking for projects that demonstrate they have considered equality of access in all areas of their work and we prioritise working with the most deprived groups and communities in England.
They will usually fund up to £250,000 for community projects that last between one to five years. Percentage support varies but will not exceed 90% of the total project cost. Only the most exceptional projects will receive 90%.
Sportsmatch
Sportsmatch is the government's grass roots sports sponsorship incentive scheme. They are funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport through grant aid from Sport England and administered in England by the Institute of Sports Sponsorship.
They receive around £3.5 million of government funding per year and to date around £70 million has been invested into grass roots sport thanks to the Sportsmatch Scheme.
The Young Peoples Fund
The Youth Opportunity and Capital Funds provide discrete revenue and capital budgets for young people to control and decide how money should be spent on positive activities and youth facilities in their area. Funded activities must support the five Every Child Matters outcomes, benefit the local community and offer good value for money.
The involvement of young people, especially disadvantaged young people, is central to the Funds. Giving young people genuine influence over local services is recognised as the most effective way of ensuring better access and increasing participation in positive activities.
New Opportunities Fund
The New Opportunities Fund is currently consulting on its plans for the Young People's Fund. The Fund was first announced by the Secretary of State in July 2003 following the Lottery Review and was highlighted in the 'Every Child Matters' consultation.
The overall focus of the Young People's Fund is to be on projects that support youth inclusion through the provision of facilities and activities both after school and in holiday periods.
The Fund will be the first new programme of the new Lottery Distributor that will come into being following the merger of NOF with the Community Fund.
The new 'Big Lottery Fund' will initially make £200M available over the next 3 years of which £157.5 will be distributed in England. Of this a significant proportion has already been earmarked for;
Positive Activities for Young People - £25.0M
Extended Schools - £14.0M
PE and School Sports - £28.4M
Get Real - £12.5M
The consultation in England, is solely concerned with the remaining £77.6M although it seems likely that the Young People's Fund will be extended beyond the initial 3 years.
NOF is proposing a three-tiered approach with grants being available to:
> Individual young people and small groups of young people to fund community activities, which support the outcomes from the ‘Every Child Matters’ Green Paper
> Voluntary and community agencies, and partnerships between voluntary and statutory organisations (where the voluntary and community sector is the lead partner) which support the outcomes
> Larger scale grants to voluntary organisations, which are of national significance and which demonstrate innovative approaches to delivering the Green Paper outcomes.
Awards for All
Awards for All is a Lottery grants scheme aimed at local communities.
Projects need to meet national and regional aims which broadly speaking are about: promoting education and health in the local community, widening participation, increasing skill base and improving quality of life.
Grants awards are between £300 and £10,000
Community development foundation
Faiths in Action
Faith in Action programme is a £4 million grants programme open to faith, inter faith, voluntary and community sector organisations at national, regional and local levels in England.
Sponsored by Communities and Local Government (CLG) and administered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF), Faiths in Action supports the Government’s aspiration to help faith communities and others to promote understanding, dialogue and develop strong and sustainable partnerships.
Round one funding now available
Grants of up to £12,000 are now available in round one, to be spent over two years from April 2009 to the end of March 2011
The deadline for completed applications (in electronic or paper format) and all associated paperwork is 5pm on 1 November 2008.
Grassroots Grants programme
Grassroots Grants is a £130 million programme that aims to invest in a thriving community sector.
It is funded by Office of the Third Sector (OTS) and delivered by the Community Development Foundation (CDF).
The programme, which will run from 2008-2011 is divided into two parts: an £80 million small grants fund for community organisations; and a £50 million endowments programme to enable local funders to generate additional donations on a matched basis and invest them in endowments, thereby building their capacity to provide long-term funding for frontline community organisations.
Local community groups should apply directly to their local funder, whose contact details can be found by clicking the link below.
Click here to see a list of Local Funders - Small Grants
Click here to see a list of Local Funders - Endowment Fund
Click here for a list of charitable trusts
