Sport England Inspired Facilities Fund
Description
The Inspired Facilities fund forms part of the Sport England Strategy 'Places People Play' This fund focuses on making it easier for local community and volunteer groups along with local authorities and education establishments to improve or refurbish sports clubs. It also provides funding to transform non sporting venues into modern grassroots facilities.
Eligible activity
The fund will support the upgrade and conversion of buildings into venues suitable for community sport. Examples include building modernisation such as floor tiling, changing room upgrades and replacement showers. Outdoor sports lighting, outdoor sports surfaces and AdiZone (outdoor gyms), modular building for clubhouses or storage and sports equipment, not meant for personal use, that will help you make the most of your new facility.
Exclusions
This fund does not cover revenue projects such as coaching, staffing or travel. Applications for personal sports equipment, routine maintenance and repairs such as painting and broken windows will not be accepted. Retrospective funding applications are not eligible.
Who can apply
Applications will be accepted from fully constituted clubs, organisations or trusts, Community Amateur Sports Clubs, Local Authorities, Local Education Authorities, education establishments, town or parish councils, Community Interest Companies, Industrial Provident Society, private companies or business where the profits of the project or ring fenced and not for private gain, other public sector statutory bodies and National Governing Bodies.
All projects involving a sport recognised by Sport England are eligible to apply. To find out which sports are recognised please visit
http://www.sportengland.org/about_us/how_we_recognise_sports/recognised_sports.aspx
Those applying to the fund must own the project site or have a long term lease on the building. You can apply without this but you must be able to show proof if the application is successful.
Available funding
Community and voluntary organisations including Parish and Town councils can apply for grants between £20,000 and £50,000. These organisations are encouraged to find partnership funding either cash or in kind, but applications will still be assessed if partnership funding can not be found.
Local authorities, statutory organisations and education establishments can apply for grants between £20,000 and £150,000, with projects for the full amount being exceptional and only given to projects that can demonstrate a strategic rationale for the application. These organisations are required to provide pound for pound partnership funding.
Please note only 30% of the total funding is available for local authorities, statutory organisations and education establishments.
Additional Information
The Thomas Cook Children's Charity have partnered up with Sport England to offer additional funding to those applying to the Inspired facilities fund. The charity will fund projects that support disadvantaged people under the age of 18. Eligible activity includes funding to match your Inspired Facilities bid or revenue funding not covered through Inspired Facilities i.e. coaching. By completing a number of questions on the Inspired Facilities application, your details will be passed to the Thomas Cook Children's Charity Trustees for assessment.
Deadlines
Round 1: 1 August to 28 September 2011
Round 2: 1 February to 2 April 2012
Round 3: 23 July to 17 September 2012
Round 4 and 5: To be announced in 2013
Please click here for more information.
