National Lottery Awards for All Offers Clubs Up to £20,000

Grassroots sports clubs in England can apply for between £300 and £20,000 from National Lottery Awards for All, and with no fixed deadline, applications can be submitted at any time.

Although sports clubs are eligible, Awards for All isn’t specifically a sports fund. The National Lottery Community Fund uses it to back projects that bring people together and make communities stronger, so asking for new kit or a few taster sessions won’t be enough on its own. A successful application needs to show what the project does for people beyond the club, whether that’s tackling loneliness, giving young people something positive to do or opening up the club’s facilities to the wider community.

Projects can run for up to two years, and the money can go towards equipment, running costs, staff, training, transport, utilities, volunteer expenses, one-off events and small building or land projects. Insurance, coaching qualifications and affiliation fees can be included too, as long as the project needs them. Clubs that don’t own their building will need a lease of at least five years, or a letter confirming one is coming, plus the owner’s written permission for any work.

Constituted clubs, CICs, not-for-profit companies, parish and town councils and community benefit societies are all eligible, and there’s no need to be a registered charity. The fund gives priority to organisations with smaller incomes, but there are a few rules that catch people out: the committee must include at least two people who aren’t related or living together, clubs can’t apply while they already have an open Awards for All grant or are waiting on a decision, and the application has to be written by the club itself rather than a paid bid writer.

Clubs should apply at least 16 weeks before they need the money, and projects can’t start, or spend a penny, until a decision has been made. Around one in three applications are successful, so planning ahead and clearly showing the difference the project will make gives a club its best chance.

Clubs in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own versions of Awards for All, each with slightly different rules.

Full details and the application portal are available at https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/funding-programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-england