Sports clubs and community organisations joined London Sport and Sport England this week for a practical session exploring how to successfully apply for funding through Sport England’s Movement Fund.
Led by Billy Ketman, Sport Welfare Manager at London Sport, alongside Sport England’s Bex Ransom and Amy Connell, the webinar focused on what makes a strong application and some of the most common reasons funding bids are unsuccessful.
One of the strongest messages throughout the session came from Sport England’s Bex Ransom, who stressed the importance of demonstrating genuine community demand. Successful applications are rarely based on assumptions. Instead, clubs should be able to show evidence that local people want and need the activity being proposed. This could include waiting lists, surveys, participant feedback or direct conversations with local people.
A successful application also starts with understanding who you are trying to reach. The Movement Fund prioritises projects that help tackle inequalities and support those who are less likely to be physically active. This includes people on lower incomes, disabled people, older adults, people from culturally diverse communities, women and girls, LGBTQ+ communities and unpaid carers.
Sport England’s Amy Connell also reminded applicants not to spend valuable space repeating national statistics about inactivity or obesity that funders are already familiar with. Instead, clubs should focus on what is happening in their own community, the barriers local people face and how their proposed project will help overcome them.
Being specific was another recurring theme throughout the session. Assessors want to understand exactly who the project is for, what activities will take place, where they will happen, when they will be delivered and who will lead them. Clear, detailed applications are far more effective than broad or generic descriptions.
Sport England also encouraged clubs to think beyond the initial funding period and explain how participants will be supported to remain active once the funded project ends.
For clubs considering facility improvements or environmental sustainability projects, Sport England explained that applications should clearly show how any improvements will ultimately help more people become physically active.
Finally, attendees were reminded that the Movement Fund is a rolling programme, with applications accepted throughout the year. Rather than rushing an application, clubs were encouraged to spend time gathering evidence, consulting with their communities and developing a strong project plan.
London Sport also highlighted other funding opportunities available to clubs and organisations, alongside the wider importance of being ‘funding ready’, including ensuring clubs have strong governance, safeguarding and welfare arrangements in place.
Strong safeguarding and welfare arrangements not only help create safer environments for participants, but can also strengthen funding applications. Funders will often consider an organisation’s safeguarding and welfare credentials as part of their decision making, helping ensure the organisations they support have safeguarding embedded throughout their work.
