Want to secure grant funding for your club? If so, please read on for some advice to get you started...
New gear for trainees, improved facilities, support for instructor training, an increase in membership…the potential benefits of a successful grant application are numerous.
Injections of grant funding can have a very positive effect on a dive club’s vitality, and the good news is your chance of funding success is pretty high. Many BSAC clubs have now had grant success with considerable sums being awarded to many BSAC clubs. Why not join them?
Here’s what to do for YOUR club to be in with a chance…
Check out the main funding bodies’ websites
The main national players for sport grants are the Big Lottery Fund administered regionally by Sport England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland (see below for a little more info on these).
You then only need to spend some time on Google to search for more regional funding bodies, grant making charities, local authority funding projects and smaller community pots. All are keen to support increasing sport participation, community projects and active lifestyles – and so far, BSAC club diving seems to tick the boxes.
Learn from the experiences of others
In these financially tough times where there’s increasingly more pressure on funding pots and more organisations are competing for grants available, you need to establish how you can make your application ‘stand out’. To help with this, seven BSAC clubs share their insider knowledge on putting together a winning funding bid with their ten steps to grant success and grant success stories.
Main funding websites
National Lottery – funding is administered by the four national sports bodies:
- Sport England
Includes the Movement Fund scheme which will offer crowdfunding pledges and grants from £300-£15,000. In the first two years of operation the Sport England Lottery Fund distributed more than £1,100,000 to some 60 BSAC clubs!
- Sport Northern Ireland
Offers a range of funding pots for sports in communities - Sport Wales
Sport Wales distributes grants and funding to community clubs, volunteers, and athletes. The grants team can support you with information, while local authorities can provide advice on grant applications. - Sport Scotland
Includes its Sports Match and Awards for All funding schemes - The National Lottery Community Fund
Local authorities
Find out contact details for your local authority, sport development advice and potential grants and funding available from the government services and information website.
Directory of Grant Making Trusts (2024-2025 edition)
A valuable resource The Directory of Grant Making Trusts 2024/25 lists more than 2,000 funding bodies and trusts in the UK. Priced at £135, the cheaper option is to use a copy in your local reference library.
Jubilee Trust
BSAC’s own grant-making trust, the Jubilee Trust, supports expedition diving and projects.
Crowdfunding
If your club has a great story to tell, then asking the public to contribute money could be a great way of raising funds. Read how Sub C Divers raised £30,000 through crowdfunding.
