Grants & Fundraising for Netball Clubs
 

Community Chest Grants

CLUB DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

The Council is totally committed to supporting voluntary sports clubs in the work they do. Increasing club membership by young people is an important element of the Councils' strategy. The changes, following the Club Cymru evaluation where valuable lessons were learnt, will lead to more effective and flexible support and extend the focus on club development in all sports.

The Clwb Cymru programme will be phased out over the next 12 - 18 months and support will be provided on a more flexible basis through other funding programmes, some of which have been recently amended.

In the last 12 months, support available through Community Chest and Minor Grants has been extended and changes to the Capital Grant programme provides a higher percentage funding for high priority club schemes. These changes are summarised as follows:

SPORTLOT Community Chest
Clubs that wish to develop Women and Girls programmes or programmes in support of the local Community Chest priorities e.g. disability sport, projects in areas of social deprivation, can receive additional grants totalling up to £1,500 in any financial year.

Minor Grants
This programme with fast decision making and a simple application process has been extended from equipment to also include revenue projects and small capital schemes. Grants of up to £10,000 are available.

SPORTLOT Capital
The maximum level of grant has been increased to 80% for high priority schemes that will enable voluntary sports clubs to provide more and better opportunities for young people, especially girls, to play sport.

Support to National Governing Bodies
Club Models
One element of Clwb Cymru that was particularly successful was the development of models for clubs providing guidance on things such as coaching provision, facilities, equipment, child protection etc. This was effective in advising clubs of what they should be aiming for and providing a framework specified by the national governing body to inform grant decision making.

National Governing Bodies will be encouraged to continue to use such models, update where necessary and develop if not already prepared. Support will be available from liaison officers in developing sport specific models and a framework for the approach to club development.

Development support
Funding support is available through the Annual Plan process to assist national governing bodies in their work to support the development of clubs. To access this funding national governing bodies will be expected to have developed a club model(s) and clearly demonstrate how they will work in this area. It is anticipated that the majority of funding going into clubs will be accessed directly by the club through Community Chest, Minor Grants and Capital Schemes.

Dragon Sport
The development of community clubs as exit routes for school based Dragon Sport programmes continues to be a priority for the Dragon sport programme. Support, both in advice, training and finance can be accessed through Dragon Sport co-ordinators.

Training
SCW remains committed to the provision of training support for coaches and other volunteers. Running Sport workshops are available free of charge and can be delivered either as discreet workshops or on a mix and match basis as required by individual clubs. Sports Coach UK workshops are also available on an as needs basis. SCW continues to support the principle that coaches and other volunteers working in a voluntary capacity should be able to access their training at no personal cost.

Kite Marking
The introduction of a nationally recognised kite marking scheme was discussed as part of the Clwb Cymru review. It was decided not to proceed with this in the short to medium term although the potential benefits are recognised. More recently SportEngland has launched the Club Mark scheme and a number of Welsh NGBs are discussing the implementation of this on a UK basis. SCW will be pleased to support NGBs in either developing their own or working within a UK framework for kite marking clubs. SCW will require an acceptable club model prior to endorsing such a scheme. NGBs are advised to discuss their approach and work with their SCW liaison officer.

Guidelines for Applicants

Introduction

1. Community Chest is a Sports Council for Wales, National Lottery funded grant aid scheme.

It is designed to support the development of sport in the community at the local level. Decisions on grants are made by Community Chest Committees, one for each local authority area in Wales.

The administration of the scheme is made possible thanks to the support of each local authority in Wales.

2. These guidelines explain the main policies of the scheme and the criteria that will be used to assess applications and give advice on completing the application form.

Purpose of the Scheme

3. The Community Chest scheme is intended to make a difference to local sport and support activities which will increase participation and improve standards of performance in sport, particularly amongst young people.

Who Is Eligible to Apply for a Grant?

4. Any organisation can apply, provided they have a bank or building society account in the name of the organisation.

5. Voluntary sports clubs and organisations, even newly formed organisations, are expected to have an acceptable constitution or set of rules. Where this is not the case, they will be asked to demonstrate on the application form how their group is organised and managed. If you are not sure about what a constitution should include, please ask for a copy of the Sports Council for Wales information guide on constitutions.

Who Is Ineligible to Apply for a Grant?

6. Applications from individuals will not be eligible. This, of course, does not include an individual applying on behalf of their organisation.

What Can be Funded?

7. The main purpose of the Community Chest is to support good projects which will create new or improved sports activities that are additional to what is already in place and would not be able to happen without a grant. There are a few hard and fast rules for what is and is not eligible for support. However, as a guide, the following list provides an indication of the kinds of activity which could be eligible in an application:

7.1 recruitment and training of volunteers
7.2 coach education and development
7.3 new club or team start-up costs (in the case of new and separate clubs or sections for juniors, girls, disabled and ethnic minority groups, this might include the initial purchase of team kit but would not include kit for school teams)
7.4 non-personal small items of equipment
7.5 publicity and promotional materials
7.6 developing new competitive opportunities or structures
7.7 developing club/community/school links
7.8 sports events and festivals
7.9 transport schemes in special circumstances, e.g. in rural areas, for start-up programmes but not for regular or ongoing transport costs.

8. There could be many other eligible activities, so please do not be put off if your ideas are not included in this list.

9. Whilst young people are the main priority for the scheme, this does not mean that other applications will be unsuccessful, just that they may be given a lower priority. In particular, the Committees are keen to see more grants going towards:-

9.1 women and girls
9.2 people with disabilities
9.3 ethnic minority groups
9.4 coaching
9.5 areas of deprivation and socio-economic disadvantage
9.6 volunteer recruitment

10. All projects must be completed within 12 months. Normally, grant aid support will be limited to 30 weeks or sessions, as support beyond that period could lead to dependency on grant.

11. The maximum grant is £750 and this amount to any one applicant and group of people may not be exceeded in any one financial year (April - March). You can only hold one Community Chest grant at a time.

What Can Not be Funded?

12. There are certain types of project which will be ineligible for grant. This does not necessarily mean the entire application is invalid, but it may include some ineligible elements. These include:

12.1 sports not on the Sports Council for Wales' eligible sports list (at the front of the application pack)
12.2 projects not based in the area of the Community Chest Committee's responsibility
12.3 financial support to individual athletes
12.4 personal items of clothing, equipment or kit
12.5 ongoing running and organisation administration costs
12.6 activity already taking place
12.7 projects which have started before the award of grant
12.8 replacement, repairs and ongoing maintenance
12.9 catering and hospitality
12.10 mainstream activities that are traditionally funded by central or local government, e.g. school or youth service curricular activities
12.11 projects that are commercially driven and will generate a profit for distribution for private gain
12.12 projects already receiving a grant from the Sports Council for Wales or another Lottery Fund.

Assessing Applications:
What the Committee Will Look For?

13. In assessing applications for grants, the Community Chest Committee will take account of the following:

13.1 that you are a properly run organisation
13.2 that there is a clear need for the project
13.3 that the project is appropriate in scope and content
13.4 that the project benefits are achievable and can be measured
13.5 that the costs and level of grant requested are realistic and represent value for money
13.6 how much you are prepared to contribute to the project
13.7 that there is an obvious financial need.

When to Apply?

14 Applications will be accepted and considered by your local Committee throughout the year.

The Committee will meet between four and six times a year, but please make sure you allow enough time for your application to be received and sent to the Committee in time for their next meeting.

Normally, application forms should be submitted at least three months before the planned start of the project.

For further details on any aspect of the Community Chest Grants, contact your local Sports Development or Netball Development Officer

 

Are you looking for funding?

If you are looking for funding for your organisation or project, WCVA can carry out a funding search for its members on Grantfinder. Contact the Helpdesk on 0870 607 1666, help@wcva.org.uk or complete a funding enquiry form online at
www.wcva.org.uk/content/all/dsp_enquiry.cfm?0=0&display_sitetextid=190&lang=en
Grantfinder and other funding information is also available from County Voluntary Councils (CVCs) - contact the WCVA Helpdesk for details of your nearest CVC

 

Foundation for Sports and the Arts

The Foundation will support activities that increase access to arts and sports, particularly for young people in disadvantaged communities. Grants are available for a wide range of activities, including equipment for play areas, drama groups, museums and arts projects or sports clubs. The current focus for funding is revenue grants to encourage young people to use sporting and arts facilities. Details from Foundation for Sports and the Arts, PO Box 20, Liverpool L13 1HB,
Tel: 0151 259 5505.

 

Community Fonebak

Community Fonebak, Britain’s first nationwide mobile phone recycling scheme designed to raise funds for small local charities and community groups, has been launched by the high street mobile phone store The Link and the specialist environmental firm Shields Environment. For each mobile that can be reused, community groups can receive £4 cash or £5 of vouchers, redeemable at The Link, Dixons, Currys and PC World. For more information, or a starter kit, interested groups can call the Fonebak helpline on 01727 202603 or visit www.communityfonebak.com.