UK Sports Grant Applications

GRANT AID

It is not easy for a BSAC Branch to raise the money required to purchase major assets such as diving equipment, a dive boat or compressor. However, there are two sources of Grant Aid in UK, and a grant or sponsorship are increasingly popular ways of financing major capital projects. Grant from these sources is not available to Branches outside the UK - but there may be equivalent agencies in foreign countries where BSAC Branches exist.
Grant aid takes a long time to negotiate, and at the end of the day there is no guarantee that an application will be successful. Any application is likely to take several months to be processed. The process of acquiring the application forms, submitting your application, the grant-aiding authority considering the application (and usually consulting with the governing body HQ) and finally letting you know the outcome, takes on average six to nine months. But then, if you get a grant of several thousand pounds, it is worth the await.
There are currently three sources of Grant aid or sponsorship, and one for 'doubling you money' in the case of sponsorship:

Sports Council: National Lottery
'Sport England' (formerly the English Sports Council), with the involvement of the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Sports Councils, administers the Sport England Lottery Fund (SELF), to distribute National Lottery proceeds allocated to sport. Any sports body, large or small, can apply and diving clubs stand the same chance as any other sports club for getting a grant from this source. In the first two years of its operation alone, the SELF distributed more than £1,100,000 to some 60 BSAC Branches! The project must meet certain criteria set down by the Sport England Lottery Fund, the main points of interest to diving clubs being:

• Applications cannot be made by individuals but should be made by bona fide organisations which have a constitution / bye-laws. Since safety is an important factor in applications likely to be made by diving clubs, affiliation to the governing body - BSAC - is a condition of grant. (Sub Aqua Association (SAA) and it's clubs have been able to gain access to Sport England grants since March 2002 following the signing of an accord with BSAC & Sport England)
• Projects should have a long life span (at least a five years, in the case of equipment and boats) and represent clear value for money; which will improve opportunities to participate in sport and will benefit a wide cross-section of the community – particularly among social minorities. Revenue projects will not be considered, nor will those which are evidently for the replacement of worn-out assets or are speculative. On the other hand projects which are to finance Branch the upgrading of assets and expansion stand a good chance.
• The SELF will not normally consider projects whose total capital cost is less than £5,000. Also, the applicant club will be expected to raise a minimum of 35% (LSF will offer up to a maximum of 65%) of the total project cost from their own fund raising efforts. There is effectively no upper cost limit on the size of an application.

Full details and instructions for making an application for grant are included in an Application Pack available from the Sport England Lottery Fund. Application Packs can be obtained by calling telephone help-line on 08458 508 508. This is the only way to obtain an Application Pack. .
Study carefully the various guidance papers which form part of the Pack, or visit the Sport England website at www.sportengland.org/
If you believe that your project meets the conditions for financial help from the SELF, make an application!

Foundation for Sports and the Arts
The Foundation for Sports and the Arts (FSA) is an independent discretionary trust financed by football pools promoters, with the object of increasing participation in, and application of, sporting and artistic activities.
 

Since it started awarding grants to diving clubs in 1992, The FSA has granted over £1,500,000 to sub-aqua clubs and it its early days, 100% grants were not unusual. Since the National Lottery was introduced in late 1994, the football pools promoters have had less money to give to the FSA. Consequently, applications now undergo a more detailed scrutiny and only high priority projects are likely to be accepted. The chances of a 100% grant are now remote. If a Branch has reserves which can be put into the project, or is evidently trying to help itself by raising funds for the project, the prospects of an FSA grant for the balance are much improved.
 

The upper limit of FSA grant is £75,000. In practice, most grants to sub-aqua clubs are for between £5,000 and £20,000, but some other sports have received grants of £30-50,000.
Apply to The Foundation for Sport and the Arts, P.O. Box 20, Liverpool L13 1HB (Tel: 0151 259 5505) for the necessary application forms. FSA prefers to receive preliminary requests for their latest guidance document, by telephone.

Local Authorities
Another source, which was more generous in the affluent 1980’s than it is today, but worth a try. All Local Authorities have responsibilities for promoting sport and recreation and grants are not unknown. You may not get the lot, but even a small contribution is better than none. Some Clubs have gained a Local Authority grant for use as part of their own fund raising towards an LSF or FSA grant.
Apply to your Local Authority Recreation & Leisure Department. Try to speak to the officer responsible for grants to sports clubs, to find out what the prospects are and what is involved in making an application for grant.

Sponsorship
The Institute for Sports Sponsorship runs the Sportsmatch Scheme, which matches on a £1 for £1 basis, independent sponsorship of new projects aimed at increasing participation in sports and physical recreation - and sub-aqua is one of the eligible sports. It enables the sponsor to enjoy greater marketing benefits from their investment being matched by an award; and the recipient sports club will be happy!
To qualify, sponsors have to invest a minimum of £1,000 (£500 for Wales). The upper limit for any one project in one year is £50,000 (£15,000 in Wales). Applications should be made jointly by the sports club and the sponsor. Find a local sponsor and use this scheme to double your money!
Apply to: Sportsmatch, Warwick House, 25-27 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 0PP (Tel: 0207 233 7747) for more information.

Applying for a Grant
All grant aiding authorities will have their own set of Grant Application Forms and associated instructions. Read them carefully and be sure to comply with all instructions. Failure to do so can delay the application - or cause it to be rejected. You should aim to submit a clear, complete, and carefully prepared application: time invested at this stage should pay off!
You will almost certainly be asked to support your application with a copy of the Branch annual accounts, so have them properly laid out and audited. Accounts should also show that regular income is sufficient to support the project (i.e. meet the running costs) in the future, if a grant is offered.
All LSF and FSA grant applications which get past the first selection process are copied to the Headquarters of BSAC, the governing body for the sport, for comment and approval and it is HQ policy to give positive support to all applications received. Since HQ sees and comments on applications anyway, it cannot additionally write letters of support for Branches to submit with their individual applications.