Our Small Grants Fund is Now Open!

At Personal Best Foundation, we believe in the transformative power of athletics. Our Small Grants Fund is designed to support new and existing projects that create or expand opportunities for young people in underserved communities to experience the benefits of athletics.

By doing so, we aim to help those children most at risk of physical inactivity become more active, benefiting them physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially.

What we offer:

• Grant Amounts: £500 - £2,000
• Purpose: To support projects and initiatives that break down barriers, increase opportunities and foster a love for athletics in young people.

Why apply?

• Create Impact: Help young people lead healthier, more active lives.
• Break Down Barriers: Support initiatives that remove obstacles to participation in athletics.
• Expand Opportunities: Develop programs that reach children and young people who need it most.

Who can apply?

• Athletics clubs
• Community organisations
• Youth groups
• Registered charities
• Community interest companies

If your organisation shares our mission of changing young lives through athletics, we encourage you to apply!

Eligibility for funding:

The fund is available to local organisations and athletics clubs as listed above who can meet the following minimum standards:

• The organisation is not for profit and has a governing document that sets out the organisations purpose, structure and how it will operate.
• Has a governing board / committee with at least three people who are independent (i.e. who are not related to each other or living with each other).
• Has a separate bank account in the name of the organisation
• The organisation has clear and robust safeguarding and health & safety policies.

Applications MUST focus on children and young people (up to the age of 25) who otherwise would be excluded from the sport. We are particularly interested in projects and initiatives which support:

• Children and young people from low income families
• Young people from Black, Asian and under represented ethnic and faith based communities
• Disabled children and young people
• Neurodiverse children and young people
• Children and young people with mental health problems
• Children and young people in care

Personal Best Foundation believes in the power of athletics to create positive outcomes for children and young people. The Small Grant Fund will support projects and programmes that demonstrate how they seek to affect change and contribute to one or more of the following specific outcomes:

Sporting outcomes:

• Sport inclusion
• Increased physical activity levels
• Skill acquistion
• Improved physical literacy

Social and developmental outcomes:

• Improved physical health
• Improved emotional and mental well-being
• Enhanced social well being and a sense of belonging
• Life skills
• Improved sense of identity

Our Small Grants Fund supports projects that either create new opportunities or expand existing opportunities for young people in underserved communities to experience the benefits of athletics.

Here are some of the things our funding could cover:

• Delivery costs: the costs required to deliver the project, where these costs are new costs to your project including people, facilities and equipment.
• Capacity building: the development and training of staff and volunteers including the provision of qualifications.
• Skill development: providing formal training for staff and volunteers to improve their skills and knowledge to help improve how you tackle inequalities.
• Equipment: purchasing specialist equipment or resources that will help tackle inequalities and help to get more children and young people active.

Applications must demonstrate an intended commitment to long-term sustainability.

We will not fund:

• Applications from an individual. You MUST be a registered organisation to be eligible for this funding.
• Projects that are unlikely to be of public benefit. We cannot support ideas that are solely or predominantly for the personal or private financial benefit of an individual or organisation.
• Schools and educational establishments that do not have significant community involvement / access.
• Projects and programmes that are delivered outside of England.
• Costs that have been incurred before the funding has been approved.

Deadline

Applications close at 11:59pm on Tuesday 29th October 2024

The review panel will meet in mid-November to assess applications and will aim to notify applicants (by e-mail) of the outcome shortly after. 

Before your application is assessed by the panel, we may be in touch to learn more about your project.

How to apply

Ready to make a difference? Follow the steps below to submit your application:

1. Review Eligibility Criteria – Ensure your project aligns with our mission and priorities.
2. Prepare Your Proposal – Clearly outline your initiative, the impact it will have, and how the funds will be used. We suggest that you draft your answers offline first. The questions can be downloaded by clicking here.
3. Submit Your Application – applications MUST be submitted via the online form by clicking on the button below.  

Apply for a Small Grant

Questions?

For more information or if you have any questions relating to the application process, please get in touch via our contact form no later than 12noon on Thursday 24th October 2024.

2023 Grant Recipients

Take a look below at some of our previous Small Grants Fund recipients.