Meet the funders
COMMUNITY ASSET FUND
Sport England’s new Community Asset Fund marks a change from the way it has previously invested in facilities for sport and physical activity. Sport England reviewed past activity and asked for feedback from those that have previously applied for funding – as well as other organisations. The Community Asset Fund programme builds on the experience Sport England has gained from its previous funding programmes Inspired Facilities and Protecting Playing Fields. There are a number of things
background, to regularly and meaningfully engage in sport and physical activity. In particular, it wants to see
projects that help individuals who are not currently active to become active and, overall, it wants to build positive attitudes to sport and activity in communities everywhere. Every project Sport England
considers is developed in good faith, backed by a group of enthusiastic their community. Although it can’t fund every project, Sport England aims to fund as many as possible. It wants to make sure its investment has the greatest impact, which means prioritising those projects and places that most need support. It works hard with the organisations it supports – but this means it’s also keen to see organisations consider This is called partnership funding
and involves getting local partners a project, making the case for further investment stronger. While Sport England would prefer all projects it works with to have some partnership funding or value in kind, it isn’t a requirement. It recognises that for some it may not be possible to secure it, and will still consider these applications.
For more information on funding and initiatives from Sport England, go to
sportengland.org.
Sport England wants to achieve with this funding, but, most importantly, it wants to help local organisations create quality and financially sustainable facilities that can benefit their community for years to come – which may mean providing help with getting things up and running too.
Guidance and support Before school leaders apply, they should read the online guidance. These explain all the eligibility criteria, plus tips and advice for developing your project. You might already own and lease
your facilities to local community groups, or are considering developing your grounds or a facility that has the potential to be used for sport and leisure. If so, Sport England is keen to hear from you – it wants to invest in ideas that will help get people active. Bids of between £1,000 and
£150,000 will be considered. While Sport England understands that education establishments are likely to need to access levels of investment of up to £150,000, it’s worth noting that awards over £100,000 will be the exception rather than the norm.
Your space or facility Sport England’s Community Asset Fund is a facility-based development programme – so it’s focused around a specific place or space. Appropriate ownership of the facility or space is an eligibility requirement. If you are planning to change
a space – for example, by adding signage or with a more substantial redevelopment of a building, it is likely you will need permission. As well as being assured of permission, Sport England needs to ensure a long-term benefit for its investment that is proportionate to the amount of funding it’s awarding. Applicants will, therefore, need to own the space or facility through freehold or leasehold. If you are working towards having appropriate ownership, you can still apply and confirm where you’re up to.
Education establishments Statutory bodies such as local authorities plus all education establishments provide important community sports facilities at a local level. Sport England’s Community Asset Fund is open to applications from all bodies but an annual budget will be ring-fenced for these organisations. Although Sport England will always look objectively at each project, it recognises that education establishments are different to community organisations and you should bear that in mind when preparing your application. Education establishments will specifically need to: Provide a minimum of pound-for- pound partnership funding. Demonstrate the strategic need for their project proportionate to the scale of investment requested. Limit requests to a maximum of £150,000 in any 12-month period.
The application process Sport England has made some big changes to improve the experience when applying for funding: There are no deadlines, so you can apply whenever your project or idea is ready. Decisions will be made as soon as possible on all applications. The information you have to provide in the first instance has been kept to a minimum. You will only be asked for supporting information once an in-principle decision to offer funding has been made.
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