Small Grants Programme

• a not for profit constituted voluntary or community organisation. 
• a community amateur sports clubs (as registered with HMRC) 
• a registered charity 
• a not-for-profit company (limited by guarantee without share capital or charitable incorporated organisation) 
• a community interest company (CIC) or other social enterprise 
• a community benefit society 
• a school (if your project benefits and involves the communities around the school) 
• local authority bodies (including town, parish, and community councils). 

Flooding (only while applications were open)

The Small Grants Programme eligibility criteria applied to organisations seeking storm relief funding. Organisations applying needed to confirm they had any relevant permissions required to carry out the work.

Previous recipients of emergency funding from us for flood or storm damage who applied again needed to show the steps they had taken to mitigate against further damage.

Applicants needed to submit evidence of damage which was directly attributable to the flooding in October/November 2023, including photographs.

Applicants were also required to show why the damage couldn’t be covered by their insurance policy.

As part of our commitment towards our collective net zero ambitions, applicants were asked to explain how, as an organisation, they were attempting to reduce energy usage, promote responsible travel and reduce waste.

• an individual, sole trader or organisation with less than three people or where decision making is not equitably shared (e.g. an incorporated body with Persons of Significant Control) 
• a national governing body for sport or Active Partnership 
• a commercial / for profit entity  
• an organisation based outside the UK  
• an organisation applying on behalf of another.

Please note, you could only be in receipt of up to £15,000 in a 12-month period.  

We prioritised projects that supported our focus of investing most in those that need it most.

We did this by supporting more projects that demonstrated one of these things: 

• The project supported people who live in areas of disadvantage as defined by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation areas 1-3.  
• The project was focused on tackling inequalities.  

Your project should involve your community

People know what's most needed for them to be able to be more physically active. With this fund, it was important you involved your community from the start, to understand what motivated them and what barriers they might have faced. 

We wanted to support projects that showed they understood local people and the communities they formed.

Sport and physical activity 

All of our funds can support projects delivering recognised sports and physical activity – a full list of which can be found here.  

We can consider requests for activities outside of this list, where the following applies: 

• The identified activity is specifically focused on the needs of the target audience
• The activities being delivered are part of the Broad Activity Categories identified through Active Lives:
  • active travel 
  • walking/cycling activities 
  • dance activities 
  • fitness activities 
  • sporting activities.

It may be possible to include activities that aren't on the recognised list.

In these instances, we'd need to understand how an alternative activity would be part of a progressive route to a recognised sport or activity.

You might also tell us why this activity is most suitable for the people you'll be working with. 

Project length 

We expected your project to be able to start within six weeks and run for up to two years. 

If you were a school, or an organisation working with a school

Your project should have involved and benefited the community outside of the school. The project must have been delivered outside of statutory curriculum hours. 

If your project involved football 

We supported football projects as the main activity, or part of a multi-activity offer, where it could demonstrate one, or more, of the following:  

• The focus was on tackling inequalities and supporting those who are less likely to be physically active
• The focus was on a non-traditional format of football where the emphasis was on being more physically active and not competition
• The project utilised existing community spaces that may not traditionally be used for football activities
• The project connected football activity to existing community services or locations. 

Flooding (only while applications were open)

We funded emergency costs to help restore sports facilities and activity venues. Examples included:

• skip hire to remove sediment and rubbish
• minor electrical works to restore power
• decontamination works or clearing of blocked drains
• cleaning work to get showers and changing rooms back up and running
• securing buildings.

• We won't fund football projects: 
  • with the aim of supporting existing teams
  • focused on expanding or creating competitive football activities.  
  • where there is other support available; this includes the Football Foundation, the Football Association and any available local support via County FA, Active Partnerships and local authorities. 

If your project involved altering an existing facility 

We could support minor facility alterations where they achieved one or more of the following: 

• Making a community activity space more accessible 
• Refurbishing a space to enable more physical activity to take place 
• Improving energy efficiency to support more resources going towards creating physical activity opportunities.

You must have had, or provided confirmation that you didn't need, the relevant planning permission/building control consent and/or landlord approval. 

We weren't able to support facility alterations where, after the funding decision, there remained a funding shortfall that prevented the work commencing within six weeks. 

Flooding (only while applications were open)

The funding was only designed to help with the initial clear-up to enable activity to resume. We didn't fund the following costs:

• loss of stock
• replacement of damaged equipment
• loss of income
• goods or services valued in-kind (you were required to provide evidence of expenditure)
• any routine maintenance or repairs resulting from everyday wear and tear
• any expenditure coverable by insurance
• football facilities where they were predominantly used for affiliated / competitive league football – any funding request for projects that included football needed to clearly show they were a multi-activity facility.