Facilities & Funding
Looking for a small amount of funding that will make a big difference?
Do you have a great community project that could come to life with just a small amount of funding? Then maybe Biffaward can help.
Biffaward has funding available under the Small Grants Scheme, and is encouraging applicants to come forward. Often groups only need a small amount of funding to make a real difference to their community, whether it be transforming a community building, protecting a precious nature reserve, renovating a cultural facility that sits at the heart of their community, or creating an outdoor space that will bring enjoyment for all. By applying for funding from the Small Grants Scheme groups have quicker access to funding to make their projects happen.
Under the scheme you can apply for between £250 and £5,000, however your project must cost no more than £10,000 in total.
The standard eligibility criteria apply, so we strongly advise you read the guidance notes that can be found on the application form, before completing your application, to ensure your application is eligible and that you answer each question appropriately.
The scheme operates a rolling application process, allowing you to apply at anytime. We would particularly welcome applications from our target regions of London and Scotland.
Download guidance notes
RFU Grantfinder
Clubs seeking finance & funding for improvements to their facilities should search the RFU’s new Grantfinder website.
Grantfinder is a free to use grant search facility which allows user to search through the thousands of grants and loans that could help your club. They ask you some basic questions about your organisation, and then list the support schemes that you might be eligible for.
You can use the funding search database to look for funding for:
● Providing sports equipment and facilities
● Supporting and promoting sports development
● To support recreational activities
The information that you search is updated daily by a team of researchers and is fully comprehensive. The search tool is completely free to use and there is no limit as to how many times you can use it.
To search for a grant, please register your details by visting the Grantfinder website
An easier way to get facilities funding
Inspired Facilities is focused on making it easier for local community and volunteer groups to improve and refurbish sports clubs or transform non-sporting venues into modern grassroots sport facilities.
Part of Places People Play, Sport England’s programme to deliver a London 2012 legacy of increased mass participation in sport, it is investing £50 million of National Lottery funding in up to 1000 community sports projects between 2011 and 2014.
What will the Inspired Facilities programme do?
Inspired Facilities will invest in refurbishing or improving existing sports facilities and converting existing venues into places suitable for playing sport. These are local projects developed and delivered predominantly by community and voluntary sector groups.
What’s different about Inspired Facilities?
Sport England has tried to make applying for an Inspired Facility grant as easy as possible, with no specialist knowledge required.
A catalogue with details and costs of the many of the facility improvements sports clubs has been produced – from boilers to better insulated roofs, flooring to floodlights, court surfaces to changing rooms.
Sport England has also appointed contractors who can do the work, reducing the amount of time and money it takes clubs to get the work done once they have received a grant.
Who is eligible to apply?
Any organisation entitled to receive public funding can apply. This includes voluntary or community organisations, sports clubs, town and parish councils, playing field associations, schools and education establishments and local authorities.
How much money is available?
£50m Lottery funding into 1000 sports facilities, through five funding rounds that will take place over the next three years.
Voluntary and community groups such as sports clubs, Parish and Town Councils can apply for grants of between £20,000 and £50,000 and will receive at least 70 % of the funding available in each round
No more than 30% will invested through local authorities, who can apply for up to £150,000.
A grant of £150,000 will be the exception rather than the norm and only available to local authority projects that can demonstrate a strategic rationale to their application.
What type of projects are they looking for?
Priority to projects and organisations that:
· Have not benefited from a Sport England lottery grant worth over £10,000
· Offer local opportunities to people who do not currently play sport
· Are the only public sports facility in the local community
Is partnership funding required?
It is preferred applications from the voluntary and community sector have partnership funding. However, generating partnership funding can be difficult for these groups to find, so an application which does not have any will not be ruled out . This also applies to parish and town councils.
Local authorities, other statutory bodies, and schools or educational establishments will, however, be expected to provide pound-for-pound partnership funding.
Is security of tenure required?
Security of tenure enables the protection of the value of an award if, for example, a project goes into liquidation. The length of security needed varies according to the size of the grant.
Community and voluntary sector projects will not require a legal charge under this programme unless otherwise indicated by Sport England.
A local authority generally cannot grant charges ,therefore Sport England will accept a restriction placed on the title registered at the Land Registry on grants over £100,000.
All projects will be expected to measure the number of visits to the facility every 6 months for 5 years. Further details will be supplied to successful projects as part of the award process.
Further information
For further information about the Inspired Facilities Fund visit the Sport England website or contact Rick Bruin the RFU Regional Funding and Facilities Manager rickbruin@rfu.com
Alternatively, contact the Middlesex Rugby facilities and funding manager Graham Lee grahamklee@virginmedia.com
Rugby Football Foundation launches Helping Hand grants
The Trustees of the Rugby Football Foundation (RFF) have launched a new ‘Helping Hand Grant’ from 1st July 2011. The grant, which is available to clubs playing at level 5 or below, recognises that current economic times are difficult and provides a mechanism for clubs to apply for a small grant of between £500 - £1,500 for eligible Capital Projects, for example a new set of rugby posts or redecorating the changing rooms, with the club matching the grant on a pound for pound basis.
The grant will be available to clubs that play level 5 or below in the RFU league structure and builds on the successful RFF Groundmatch grant that has invested over £4.4 million into the game since 2003.
The new Helping Hand Grant will be viewed as an extension of the Groundmatch Grant scheme with the maximum amount of funding that a club can apply for in a 24 month period set at £5,000. However a club can make a number of applications within that time period up to the limit of £5,000.
Download the Helping Hand Grant application form
For further information on the ‘Helping Hand Grant’, Groundmatch Grant or the Interest Free Loan scheme please contact one of the Regional Funding and Facilities Managers:
North: Ted Mitchell tedmitchell@rfu.com 07738 029212
Midlands & East: Ross Baxter rossbaxter@rfu.com 07764 960405
London & South East: Rick Bruin rickbruin@rfu.com 07738 029211
South West: Dave Stubley davestubley@rfu.com 07736 722387
Funding Opportunities
Graham Lee works in partnership with the RFU to ensure that the county’s clubs have appropriate and available funding for capital clubhouse and grounds improvements. However, Pro-Active West can offer a number of smaller pockets of funding to enable you to develop your club in areas such as coaching, administration and volunteering.
PRO-ACTIVE West London is a partnership of organisations, people and local interest groups whose common purpose is to co-ordinate the delivery of sport and active recreation across the West London sub-region. They are one of five sub-regional Partnerships across London established by the London Regional Sports Board in May 2006 with a further 44 County Sports Partnerships (CSPs) established by Sport England across the country. Their remit is to increase participation in sport and physical activity at all levels for all people in Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith & Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon and Hounslow.
They can provide support and guidance for NGB’s, clubs, coaches and volunteers on a variety of sport development related subjects.
Pro-Active issue a regular newsletter which gives details of success stories funding opportunities. Visit their website to sign up www.pro-activewestlondon.org
For more information about Pro-Active services, or for help and guidance, contact Debbie Griffiths, Sports Development Officer tel: 01895 267569 email: debbie.griffiths@brunel.ac.uk
Pro-Active Regional Sports Development contacts
Brent: Sarah Hawken, sarah.hawken@brent.gov.uk tel: 0208 9373723
Ealing: Ben Haygreen, haygreenb@ealing.gov.uk
H'smith & Fulham: Jardine Finn, jardine.finn@lbhf.gov.uk tel: 020 8753 1738
Harrow: Harvi SinghChoda, harvinder.singhchoda@harrow.gov.uk tel: 0208 4241069
Hillingdon: Yolanda Edwards, yedwards@hillingdon.gov.uk
Hounslow: Jo Valks, jo.valks@fusion-lifestyle.com tel: 0845 4562857
These items may be of interest to clubs
1. Project Funding Clubs who are thinking of major projects,such as floodlighting,pitch improvements and clubhouse extensions,should begin to compile their requirements in making an application for a RFU Capital Grant by April 2011.
Minor projects such as a boiler replacement can apply for Rugby Football Foundation grant of up to £5000.00 .This a match funding scheme and clubs are required to find 50% of the proposed expenditure.Applications for this type of grant should be submitted no later than June to be included in the 2011 –2012 allocation of funds.
2. Pitch Maintenance Scheme CH Grounds Maintenance Ltd have agreed with the RFU a minor increase on their rates as follows:-
One pitch £200.00/pitch, two pitches £190.00/pitch, three pitches £180.00/pitch and four pitches £170.00/pitch plus a transport charge of £40.00 all plus VAT.
3. Floodlighting lux levels It has been brought to my attention that the RFU during 2010 relaxed its lighting levels under regulation 13.7.9 for level 6 clubs and below can now play league/cup games under a lighting level of no lower than 100 lux. A reduction of 50 lux on previous levels.
Facilities
Individual clubs need to recognise how their future development aims and objectives impact on their facility needs.
This will ensure that facility requirements are needs led and deliver the right facilities in the right places and for the right reasons, which will support delivery against the Critical Success Factors detailed in the RFU’s Strategic Plan.
The RFU Strategic Plan identifies CSFs that have been highlighted to be the key measures of performance. The CSFs that impact on facility development and on which prioritisation of investment will be based include:
● increase number of adult participants
● increase number of U13 to U16
● increase number of volunteers
● increase number of women and girls sections
● increase the number of under-represented groups
● clubs to achieve club accreditation
● clubs are registered as Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) if appropriate
● increase club, higher education and further education links
● increase club and school links
● training for volunteers (CVCs, CCCs)
● appropriate coach and referee ratios
Readiness Factors
In addition, clubs wishing to develop their facilities need to address the following Readiness Factors:
● be sustainable and continually meet objectives (incorporating playing, administration,facilities, finance, legal requirements and social)
● have development and management plans in place to meet realistic objectives outlined in the Strategic Plan
● have appropriate security of tenure
● demonstrate a commitment to sports equity principles and the improvement of access to all sections of the community.
● have sufficient appropriately trained or skilled personnel to support the programmes
Clubs should ask themselves the following questions and ensure that they fulfil the identified criteria:
Who is aware of the project?
● Is it included in this Middlesex Facilities Plan?
● Is the club working with the local Rugby Development Officer?
● Does the Local Authority know of the club’s plans
● Is the club working with other relevant organisations?
What is the club’s Track Record?
● Can the club give evidence that it is run soundly both financially and administratively?
● Is the club involved in Rugby Development work?
● Has the club managed previous investment well?
● Is there a financial need?
What is the regional/strategic significance?
● Will the facility be used for local/county/regional RFU programme?
● Can the project provide an adequate level of partnership funding?
● Is there no similar/alternative facility nearby?
● Are other appropriate partners involved in the project?
These factors should be taken into consideration by the club through individual club development plans that in turn drive facility needs, and reflect both national priorities (as set out in the RFU Strategic Plan) and their local requirements.
Facility Priorities
The following facility improvements and developments have been set as priorities that will impact upon the CSFs identified earlier:
● Increase the provision of integrated changing facilities that are child friendly and can sustain concurrent male and female activity at the club
● Improve the quality and quantity of natural turf pitches
● Increase the number of Artificial Turf Pitches (ATPs)
● Improve the quality and quantity of Community Use floodlighting
● Improve the quality and quantity of Competition floodlighting
● Provide a safe environment for all rugby and sporting activity
● Support central venues for player, coach, official and volunteer training
● Support the development of multi-sports clubs
● Other projects that assist clubs to become sustainable
The Principles of Developing and Funding a Project
It is recommended that in the first instance, clubs and other providers contact their CB and the RFU Funding and Facilities Manager for the region to discuss facility development plans and the potential to access more localised funds and their eligibility.
Additional do’s and dont’s are identified below.
Do….
● Involve the RFU in the process as early as possible
● Start by revisiting and developing your whole club plan
● Be clear on what you want to achieve as a club in the short, medium and long term
● Be clear on what resources you need in order to achieve this
● Form a facility project team to drive your ambitions forward
● Prioritise your facility needs
● Submit all facility needs to your relevant annual CB Audit
Do not…
● Attempt to move forward in isolation
● Complete speculative application forms without seeking advice
● Drive a major facility project as an individual or as an agenda item on the main committee meetings
● Pay for architects drawings without consulting relevant specifications
● Think of facilities as the end product – what will they enable you to do?
New funding streams are continually being introduced across the country. An up to date list of funding sources is maintained in the club development section of the RFU website. This list is by no means exhaustive.
EXPLANATION OF FUNDING STREAMS
Rugby Football Foundation
There are two streams:
● Interest Free loans up to £ 100k
● Ground Match Grant up to £5k - matched £1 for £1
The Calendar year for this type of grant runs from July to June and has a 6-8 week turnaround on decision. Fairly reactive funding source. Can also be used as the club’s partner funding contribution to the RFU CIP programme below (as long as the rules of Groundmatch are followed i.e. the club needs to find £5k to put to Groundmatch other than the RFU CIP grant.
The RFU Capital Investment Programe
Unlikely grants would exceed £100k (and at this level would require first charge over the property) and funded by the Whole Sport Plan – Government funding to Sport England – This is a four year programme (2009 – 2013). The current funding is £12.M across the country drawn down in four tranches: Year 1 £4.0m, Years 2&3 £2.25M each and Year 4 £3.5M. The Fund is in Year 2. It is possible that the remaining years (2011-2013) maybe subject to a 40% reduction following the Government's spending review.
The financial year for this funding runs from April to March and again Clubs should submit their application three months prior to the year commencing via consultation with the CB Facility co-ordinator and Facilities & Funding Manager as part of the ongoing facility audit. Clubs will be invited onto this programme. FFM and CB will prioritise clubs from October to December every year for invitation to programme to commence in following April.
Contact your Facilities & Funding Manager
You can contact the Middlesex Rugby Facilities & Funding Manager by emai: graham.lee@middlesexrugby.com