FUNDING- What makes a good bid? T
his is a question that we are often asked by sports clubs and, more
frequently, by schools. The answer is not always straightforward as major sources of funding appear to be harder to get and the pot seems to be shrinking! A bizarre situation when we think that, in 2012, London will be hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games. We have also had the recent announcement about Pre- Games training camp venues across the country with many facilities gearing themselves up to potentially host teams from countries across the world! There are, however. still many sources of funding out there and, to be successful in accessing some of that money, you have to think smart and be focused on your project.
What’s Out There?
There are, in fact, a number of different sources available depending upon the scope of your project and its location. The list is large:
Trusts and Charities Awards For All The Lottery Landfill Tax Coalfield Regeneration Trusts Football Foundation Foundation for Sport and the
98 Arts
Local Authorities Health Authorities Rugby Football Foundation
TV fund raisers i.e. Sport Relief
Sponsorship Sportsmatch National Sports Foundation Governing bodies of sport
At a very local level, there are many more, but these can be very specific, you will need to use something like the ‘Directory of Grant Making Trusts’ or ‘Funderfinder’ to track these down.
Planning Your Project
When planning your project, there are three key areas that you need to address:
• Strategic Need • Local Need • Sports Development
Let’s take a quick look at these in turn. Strategic Need
When you sit down and plan your project, you need to consider where it will fit into the ‘big picture’. In other words, will this be a key facility for your local area, for the county, for the region or is it just a very local scheme which will benefit a small group of people?
This is an important issue to consider as it will, in some way, determine where you will be seeking funding from. Funding bodies will expect you to have consulted with a range of organisations such as:
• Your sport’s governing body
• Your local County Sports Partnership
• Your local authority
• Your Community Sports Network
You need to identify the local competition. Your project is important to you, but if there are already other similar facilities in the area, then will the market be able to sustain another one?
Local Need
At a local level, it is important to identify who exactly uses your facilities and the converse, who doesn’t use them? If, locally, people aren’t using your facilities, then it’s important to find out why. This can be done through a local survey. Finding out why will help to answer the question as to whether people are actually interested in your project. Are you able to meet unmet demand? This will be critical when you are
developing your business plan because if the figures don’t stack up, potential funders
Sports Development
Sports development covers a range of issues and is often ignored by people when planning a new facility. It is critical to identify your potential new customers. Most funding bodies will want to see an increase in participation as a result of their investment, and something that is a benefit to the local community. Quite simply, funders want some payback for their investment. It’s no use seeking to
improve your existing facilities if they will continue to only benefit a small group of people. County Sports Partnerships, local authorities and Sport England, to name a few, want to see an increase in participation and will only support projects which can demonstrate that. Two new tools available to you and which can help you make the case are Active People and Market Segmentation.
will not be keen to invest in your project. Similarly, to strategic need, you need to identify any local competition. Is there a similar facility being planned locally that you weren’t aware of or is there already something in the next village or town with underused capacity?
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