Sports Challenge Grants Eligibility Criteria

Cash for Kids exists to help disadvantaged children and young people up to and including the age of 18 who are affected by poverty, illness, neglect or have additional support needs.

Sports Challenge grants can only be made to support children living in our local communities within the UK.

Areas covered

Cash for Kids supports children and young people in the UK. Further details, including a full breakdown of our areas, can be found here.

Criteria

Applications will be accepted from

Charities with an annual turnover of less than £1 million.
Schools offering before or after school sports provision for disadvantaged children.
Sports Groups with a formal governance document (such as a constitution, articles of association, or club rules and regulations).
CIC (Community Interest Company) Limited by Guarantee with an asset lock and a governing body comprised of at least three members (at least one must be unrelated).

All applications will require

A governance document such as a constitution, articles of association or club rules and regulations or letter from Head Teacher authorising the application.
Safeguarding policy.
Paying in slip / statement for a bank account in the organisation name.
Most recent accounts or income/ expenditure documents or statement of school fund account.

Award size

Grants will be awarded to organisations participating in the Sports Challenge competition in line with the Sports Challenge terms and conditions.

Examples of what Sports Challenge Grants can be used for

Sports kits.
Sports equipment.
Specialist equipment e.g. sensory items / equipment for those with additional support needs.
Pitch hire (max. 12 months).
Hall / venue hire (max. 12 months).
Volunteer training costs including First Aid, safeguarding, coaching badges.
Holiday programmes that include food provision (Holiday Hunger).
Minibus.
Day trip / outing (UK / Eire only).
Financial hardship support (e.g. covering of subs).
Accessibility adaptions (e.g. installing ramps for wheelchair access / widening of doors / disabled toilets).
Team start-up costs for under-represented groups.
General wear and tear facility repairs, emergency repairs and improvements to existing facilities. We do not fund extensive building projects or renovations.
Maximum of 20% may be retained in reserves to enable future club sustainability.

Grants process and decision-making

All finalist groups will have passed due diligence and be pre-approved for a grant before fundraising commences.
As all donations are made to Cash for Kids, we have a duty of care to donors to ensure that all funds are spent in accordance with the grants eligibility criteria – not just top-up / prize grant amounts.
Once the competition is finalised, we will inform the total amount to be granted back to the group. This will include funds raised, top up grant and prizes. You will be required to complete a ‘Breakdown of Grants funds’ spreadsheet. This can only be done at this stage as you may raise more or less than detailed on the original application.
The breakdown of grant funds spreadsheet will be uploaded to your original application form by the Cash for Kids team and final application sent to the Local Executive Board for approval.
Once applications have been sent to the Local Executive Board it may take up 28 days to be approved and payments made.
Grant funds must be spent in accordance with the application made, breakdown of funds spreadsheet and in line with the eligibility criteria.

Post-grant monitoring form

All successful applications will be required to provide evidence relating to the grant in the form of a grant monitoring form. This will include financial evidence, case studies, quotes, and an opportunity to indicate if you are happy to provide photos / videos of the item(s) / project funded, and must be completed within six months (or before a new application is made to Cash for Kids if that falls within the six month period). As we allow 12 months of fees for pitch / venue hire you may send additional invoices and receipts after the six month window. Full details of requirements will be on the grants awarded email.

Failure to complete the grant monitoring form will result in the organisation being ineligible for any future Cash for Kids grants.

What we do not fund

You can view a full list of ineligible organisations, items and projects here.

These lists are not exhaustive and for general guidance. In exceptional circumstances we can take an out of policy application to the Cash for Kids Managing Director / National Grants Director for review.