Funding opportunities for clubs

Posted by Jane Thompson on 09/01/2017

At some point most clubs require additional funding to help them do the things that they want . Whether that might be to set up a programme of instruction, to encourage new novice members; to buy equipment to help members; to improve facilities at the club hut, and so on.

There are various grants, loans and other support available. This article will give you the information and links to the main ones.

Funding for Huts

The Sport England Inspired Facilities Programme has been replaced with the Community Asset Fund that will fund the renovation and modernisation of local sports facilities, which includes mountaineering huts. Although the fund is managed by Sport England it will support the development of huts located in Wales or Scotland, as long as the club is based in England with most of its members living in England.

Several BMC clubs have been awarded funding to upgrade their club huts here is a selection with their feedback:

Gloucester Mountaineering Club gets £50000

Bromsgrove & Redditch Mountaineering Club received £40,719 towards its hut in Tremadog and Lancashire Mountaineering Club received £50,000 towards the club's new hut in Beddgelert

MAM received a grant from Sport England's Inspired Facilities programme

Sport England Funding Programmes

A range of grants available for equipment, training courses, instructor development, new members, hut improvements.

Small Grants - The Small Grants Programme makes awards between £300 and £10,000 to not-for-profit organisations, including clubs, to help with any of the following

- Reduce the drop off at ages 16, 18, 21 & 24

- Grow the number of disabled people playing sport

- More people play sport once a week

- Increase the number of 14-25s playing sport once a week

Funding can be used for instructor-led sessions, equipment for use by new members and marketing of recruitment campaigns.

An example of Sport England funding used by Lancashire Mountaineering Club

Full list of Sport England grants available

Sport Wales Funding Programmes

Sport Wales Funding Programmes – for training for new members, equipment, instructor support

Community Chest – up to £1500 available to increase the number of people participating in mountaineering and to increase the quality of their experience.

Development Grant – grants of between £1501 and £25000 available to develop instructors within your club, to purchase equipment and to develop sports facilities, including huts.

Funding for Instructors

For training new instructors and developing existing instructors.

If you have people within your club who wish to undertake one of the recognised instructor awards through Mountain Training check out the grants available on the Sportscoach UK website. Most grants are aimed at people who will then provide voluntary hours back to their club.

Plas y Brenin Awards and Bursaries

These grants are for instructor training and skill development

Plas y Brenin offers several awards and bursaries to help people train to become instructors or to develop their skills and safety in the outdoors. Awards and bursaries include:

The Future Leaders Fund

James Brownhill Memorial Fund

Gerald Harris Memorial Trust

Godfrey Jackson Memorial Award

Jonathan Conville Trust

Kathmandu Memorial Bursary

Full list

Active Partnerships

Active Partnerships (formerly County Sports Partnerships / CSPs) can help with funds locally that provide support for instructors, new activity, and equipment.

Every English county has an Active Partnership (AP). One role of the AP is to support local clubs and coaches/instructors to access funding to help them to deliver sport. Check out the website for your local AP to see what support they can offer you. Some APs will have funding to help train coaches & instructors, to set up new sessions, and to promote new activity. They will also be able to advise on other local funding that you may be able to access.