Grant Directories

The Primary Club provides financial support for a wide range of recreational and sporting facilities for the blind and visually impaired (VI). It is the major supporter of the thriving network of VI cricket clubs in the UK. But, while its origins and heart are in cricket, the Club also supports VI futsal, goalball, golf, skiing, swimming, tandem cycling and Braille chess. Through the James Fund the trustees are keen to support projects that relate clearly to the sporting and/or recreational needs of the blind and partially sighted. The Primary Club are keen to support projects that are either innovative (in the sense of enabling support to be provided in new ways, or to a wider community) and/or collaborative (for example enabling schools and other organisations to deliver support together which they could not achieve alone). Grants of up to £25,000 are available.  

British Rowing, the governing body for the sport of rowing, provides grants to support rowing clubs that are working to make the sport of rowing more inclusive and to reach new and diverse communities. Through the Adaptive Equipment Fund, grants of between £500 and £1,000 are available to support clubs that want to start or build on their existing adaptive rowing activity to make rowing more accessible for people with disabilities and impairments. The funding will support a range of equipment to adapt new or existing boats or indoor rowing machines. This could include stabilisers, supportive fixed seats, and small piece of kit such as alternative hand grips. The funding programme, which is delivered in partnership with Sport England, will also provide coaching and mentoring advice and support.

Get Kids Going! is a national charity which provides disabled children and young people up to 26 years with funding to help them participate in disability sports. Young people from all backgrounds and levels of experience, from beginners to paralympic level, can apply for the funding for specialist sports wheelchairs to help them compete in sporting events such as marathons, triathlons, tennis, athletics, skiing, rugby, basketball etc. The charity also gives sports grants to help with the cost of training, physiotherapy, sports psychology, travel, competition fees and the design and development of sports equipment. 

The Mortgage Advice Bureau Foundation funds sustainable community projects throughout England, Scotland and Wales by making grants to support charities and community interest companies. The Foundation, has teamed up with Crowdfunder to make £100,000 in funding available. Organisations can apply for up to 50% of their crowdfunding target, up to a maximum of £5,000, to support projects that match one or more of the following themes: the environment and conservation; health and wellbeing; and the prevention or relief of poverty. Projects could include rewilding projects, community gardens, social inclusion and mental health projects, sports projects, community food banks, money management and budgeting skills, and educational projects for communities to reduce their carbon footprint. No deadline given.

Love Rowing, British Rowing’s Charitable Foundation, provides grants to support rowing clubs, community organisations and charities that are working to make the sport of rowing more inclusive and to reach new and diverse communities across the UK. Grants of up to £3,000 are available to support organisations to get more people involved in rowing, create better awareness around the benefits of the sport, and make the sport more accessible. Preference is given to activities focused on children and the young, people with disabilities, ethnic minority groups, LGBTQ+ and socio-economically disadvantaged communities underrepresented in the sport of rowing. Rowing clubs must be affiliated with British Rowing.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is the national governing body for all cricket in England and Wales, supporting the game at every level – from grassroots to elite level. Through the County Grants Fund the ECB aims to support affiliated cricket clubs to create welcoming environments, provide enhanced facilities and playing opportunities, and to help clubs tackle the impact of climate change. Funding of between £1,000 and £10,000 is available

The Poundland Foundation is a grant making charity, whose aim is to transform communities and change lives across the UK. Through the ‘Kits for Kids’ scheme, grants of up to £750 are available to local children’s sports clubs or organisations working to improve children’s fitness and health. The scheme will award 250 grants to provide equipment and kit to help children get active again after the Coronavirus pandemic. Applications will be considered for any kind of team sport, from football to netball, hockey to volleyball. Money for the Foundation comes from in-store fundraising, carrier bag donations and micro-donations through chip and pin machines. 

The Hargreaves Foundation is a grant-making charitable foundation set up in 2020 by Peter Hargreaves and his family.  Applications are open for charities and educational institutions seeking funding to support those under the age of 18, and living with a mental health problem, physical disability or growing up in poverty through the mediums of sport and education.

The Cumbria Community Foundation exists to benefit disadvantaged people and communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference within their local area. Through the Russell Armer Fund, the Foundation provides grants of £3,000 to small voluntary and grassroots groups to enable them to support their local communities. Examples of projects supported include new first responder groups, inclusive play areas, and equipment for sports training.

The Community Foundation for Merseyside exists to benefit disadvantaged communities by making grants to support relevant charitable or voluntary organisations, which make a difference to their local communities. Through the Fred Curran Trust Fund the foundation provides grants of up to £1,000 to improve the lives of people with disabilities in Knowsley. The fund aims to support projects delivered by charities, community groups and social enterprises that offer sporting opportunities to improve skills and help beneficiaries to become more active.

The Community Asset Fund is a programme dedicated to enhancing the spaces in local communities within England that give people the opportunity to be active.  This can include non traditional spaces such as canal towpaths, woodlands and open spaces – all with potential to be used and enjoyed as part of an active lifestyle.

The £3m Sporting Capital Fund provides unsecured loan funding of between £50,000 and £150,000 to a wide range of organisations to develop new projects, operations and revenue streams.  Organisations eligible to apply include community sports clubs to social enterprises, charities and profit-with a purpose to deliver sport and physical activity.

The Yorkshire Cricket Board Development Grant can provide funding of up to £250 (50% of project costs) to support affiliated clubs that are starting a junior section, starting a women/girls’ team or section, starting a disabilities team or to help a Special Needs individual within the club. Funding can be used for coach bursaries (to attend UKL1, L2 or relevant workshops); equipment; and other innovative ideas approved by the YCB GAG Committee.

The Ron Pickering Memorial Fund is a grant making organisation that was established to help young British Athletes to fulfil their potential. Since its creation the memorial fund has awarded over £2 million in small but significant grants to several thousand talented young British athletes. The grants are designed to make a difference and range in value depending on the athletes age, ability and personal circumstances but have always had an impact on the athletes ability to develop, helping recipients make the difficult transition from junior to senior level through support for equipment, specialist coaching or travel and importantly helping build the athletes' confidence and self-esteem through recognition.

Spirit of 2012 is an independent trust, established with a £47m endowment from the National Lottery Community Fund. The Spirit of Achievement is a flagship programme over 4 years with a budget of £4.6m that aims to build on the success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games in challenging perceptions of disability (including self-perceptions) and empowering disabled people to better participate in their communities. Spirit aims to promote wellbeing and social cohesion by funding organisations that provide opportunities in sports, physical activity, arts and culture, volunteering and social action. Funding can be used for: Programme costs, including staffing and related overheads; external monitoring and evaluation costs; a small amount of capital expenditure and some core operating costs.

Through the Opportunities Through Sport programme, the Foundations supports sporting activity 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. The Trustees welcome applications for 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 a 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.

Boost Charitable Trust was created in 2005 to Build on Over-looked Sporting Talent. Their aim is to give opportunities to those who wish to fulfil their sporting ambitions, at any level. In particular, the Trust wants to fund projects that promote access to sport for socially or economically disadvantaged individuals, people with disabilities.Since inception, Boost has supported a number of organisations, with grants totalling in excess of £2 million. The majority has been focussed within the United Kingdom.  

The Rowing Foundation is a registered charity. Its purpose is to promote the participation in rowing of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages.  The Foundation gives grants of £500-£4,000 to help organisations and clubs involved in on water elements of the sport of Rowing who are individually affiliated to British Rowing (other than via their governing body) and whose requirements may be too small or who may be otherwise ineligible for an approach to the National Lottery or other similar sources of funds.

Individuals, disability groups, clubs and special schools can apply for funding to the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust for the purchase of specialist wheelchairs and tennis equipment. Groups, clubs and special schools may apply for one or more tennis wheelchairs designed for general use at grass roots level. A deposit of £250 per chair is required and the Dan Maskell Tennis Trust will offer a grant for the remaining cost. There will also be a delivery charge to be met by the applicant. Individuals, groups, clubs and special schools can also apply for kit bags including tennis rackets, balls, mini nets and coaching aids. The trust may also fund tennis rackets, coaching lessons and development/coaching courses.

Sport Aid provides financial support to young talented athletes performing at National level in able-bodied and disability sports.  It is open to young people aged between 12 to 18 years and up to 35 years for disability sports. The Sport Aid Awards helps towards the cost of travel, training, accommodation, competition fees and sports equipment. Nominations for the awards are made through the National Governing Bodies of the athlete's sport. They will be able to discuss the award in more detail and provide an application form.

The Bruce Wake Trust is a grant giving organisation that was established to encourage and assist the provision of leisure activities for the disabled. The Trustees will consider grant applications related to the provision of leisure activities for the disabled but favour particularly applications whereby the potential beneficiaries meet one or all of the following criteria. The potential beneficiaries are physically disabled wheelchair users; Improved access for wheelchair users is proposed; and a sporting or leisure activity involving disabled wheelchair users is proposed. The trustees meet quarterly to discuss applications.

The Dickie Bird Foundation was founded by former Test Cricket umpire Harold "Dickie" Bird MBE in March 2004, and provides grants, to assist financially disadvantaged young people under 16 years of age to participate in the sport of their choice irrespective of their social circumstances, culture or ethnicity. The aim of the grant is to help young people, who, through no fault of their own, are disadvantaged or underprivileged due to the financial situation of their family/guardians or carers and therefore are unable to follow or continue in the sport of their choice. The grants are to help with the cost of essential sports equipment.

The Sport England Small Grants Programme has been set up to support local community sport projects which seek to increase participation, sustain participation or develop opportunities for people to excel at their chosen sport. For example, Sport England might provide a grant to a sports club to expand its age range by helping it to buy extra team kit or pay additional coaching fees. Or Sport England may help youth clubs work together with local sports clubs to get more young people playing sport. Not-for-profit clubs or associations, statutory bodies or educational establishments can apply for grants of between £300 and £15,000.