Introduction
This funding guide is intended as a starting point for football clubs seeking to obtain funding for football activities & projects. Please note that potential sources of funding and the conditions of grant aid may change. For this reason this document is set up to direct readers to various funding websites.
General Pointers
The most important source of funding for any football club is its membership, both in the form of regular fees and subscriptions and fundraising activities such as social events and raffles.
The revenue, which can be raised from these sources, is however often limited and can be restrictive to the clubs overall aims and growth. Due to this, external sources of funding have a key part to play in the development of many clubs.
Obtaining funding from sources external to any club is a complex and often frustrating process, however approached in the correct manner, wasted effort can be minimised and prospects of receiving support greatly enhanced. The points outlined below provide general hints, aimed at assisting you in strengthening your funding applications.
- Always read the entire application pack thoroughly before attempting to respond to any questions. It is essential that you are fully aware of what the objectives of the funder are in relation to the grant programme you are applying under.
- If possible find another club, which has successfully obtained funding from the funder and speak to them about their experience of the process and ask if in hindsight they would have done anything differently.
- Make a photocopy of any application form and fill this in as a draft until you are happy that you have framed your application in the best manner possible.
- Most funders have a clear idea of what they will and will not fund make sure that you are aware of this and that your application is appropriately structured.
- Make sure that your project is able to deliver the kind of results, which the funder is seeking, i.e. helping more females to become involved in football.
- Before completing the final application form, obtain another opinion, the Football Development Officers at the County FA will be happy to provide this service.
- Ensure that your application complies with the timetable for applications if one exists; late applications are unlikely to receive support.
Football Foundation
The Football Foundation is a unique partnership funded by The F.A. Premier League, The FA and the Government. The Foundation is the UK’s largest sports charity. The Football Foundation is playing a key role in revitalising grass roots sport, investing in parks, schools and playing fields and harnessing the power of the game within communities, to promote education and social inclusion.
Tel: 0800 027 7766
Email: enquiries@footballfoundation.org.uk
Website: www.footballfoundation.org.uk
National Lottery Funding
The National Lottery makes a difference to us all by investing in people and places across the United Kingdom. Outlined below are the different Lottery distributors that operate in England and across the UK. The National Lottery works in partnership with 14 Lottery distributors to support good causes in the arts, heritage, health, education, environment, sport, community and charity sectors.
Tel: 0845 275 0000
Website: www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk
Awards for All
Awards for All provides small Lottery grants of £300 - £10,000 to support local community activity. Awards for All is a joint Lottery programme supported by Arts Council England, Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund and Sport England.
The national aims of the programme are to:
- Extend access and participation
- Increase skill and creativity
- Improve the quality of life
Tel: 0121 200 3511
Email: west.midlands@awardsforall.org.uk
Website: www.awardsforall.org.uk
Big Lottery Fund
The Big Lottery Fund brings together the work of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund and gives out half of all money raised by the National Lottery for good causes. They are the largest funder of the voluntary and community sectors, and will play a key role in tackling disadvantage and improving the quality of life in communities.
Tel: 0845 410 2030
Email: enquiries@biglotteryfund.org.uk
Website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Sport England
Sport England is the strategic lead agency for sport in England and invests both National Lottery and Government funding into sport. Sport England’s vision is to increase participation in sport and to make England the most active and successful sporting nation in the world.
Tel: 0845 850 8508
Email: info@sportengland.org
Website: www.sportengland.org
Foundation for Sport and the Arts
The Foundation for Sport and the Arts channel money donated by Littlewoods Gaming to a wide range of sporting and artistic causes. Many communities, organisations and individuals throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland have benefited, from major capital projects through to modest but critical training bursaries. Their goal is to increase active participation in sport and the arts, especially amongst young people and those with more ability than resources.
Tel: 0151 259 5505
Email: contact@thefsa.net
Website: www.thefsa.net
Corporate Giving
Similar in nature to sponsorship corporate giving is a method by which a number of major companies are able to support community projects. Unlike sponsorship there is often little that could be seen as a benefit to the funder other than the knowledge that they are supporting a worthwhile community project & that this will benefit their image on a local level. Many large companies will consider supporting small-scale sports projects, to find these you must contact local companies direct.
Sportsmatch
This is a government initiative, which aims to improve the quality and quantity of business sponsorship. Every pound put up by a new business sponsor starting from a minimum of £1,000 has the potential to be matched on an equal basis. A Sportsmatch award will enable a business sponsor to enjoy all the commercial benefits of sponsorship whilst sharing the cost. (Sportsmatch funding is not available for capital projects).
Tel: 0207 233 7747
Email: info@sportsmatch.co.uk
Website: www.sportsmatch.co.uk
For more information or assistance with any funding project please contact Andy Norman, County Development Manager
Tel: 01905 827137 Ext 204
E-mail: andy.norman@worcestershirefa.com