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Finding Funding

Finding the right funding for your organisation, project or group can feel like a maze. But don’t worry. Here are some top tips on what to consider and some places to look for grants.

Top Tips for Your Funding Application

We’ve pulled together top tips based on our own experience. Both from applying for funding ourselves and from running funding pots and seeing what makes an application stand out. These handy hints will help make your application as strong as it can be.

Our top tips

Round Pegs, Round Holes

Make sure your project is a good fit for the funder. Every funder has their own set of priorities, whether that’s getting more people active, supporting young people, tackling health inequalities, or bringing communities together. It’s important to make sure that your aims and values align with those of the funder. There’s no point trying to make square pegs fit into round holes! 

You can do this by looking at their published criteria, attending any Q&A sessions they host, or getting in touch with a listed contact. 

You’ll also need to check what the funder’s governance requirements are: will they want to review your safeguarding policy? Do they need a copy of your organisation’s charitable objectives or constitution? 

Meeting Community Need

Funders love it when you can show that your project is meeting a real need. One of the best ways to do that is with local data and insights – things like how many people in your community are affected, or what the main challenges your target audience are facing. 

You could also add in some quotes or stories from people in your community – hearing real voices can really bring your project to life and help funders see why it matters. 

You might use datasets like Active Lives, information from the Office for National Statistics, or data and insight specific to your local area. We’ve included some links to useful datasets below. 

Community Involvement

Community involvement shows funders that people in your area want and need the idea or project that you’re proposing. And it can boost interest, engagement, and outcomes, too. 

There are loads of different tools and resources out there to support community consultation and engagement activities. You could look at our Engaging Young People: a toolkit, or at Sport England’s Tools to support tackling inactivity through system change for some ideas. 

Budgeting

In most cases, you’ll have to tell the funder how much money you’re seeking, and how you’ll spend it. 

The National Council for Voluntary Organisations has some great information on how to do this. 

Workforce Development

Think about the skills you already have in your team, and if you’ll need to invest in any workforce development to support the delivery of your idea or project. This might be recruiting a whole new member of staff, training for your existing team, or networking and peer learning opportunities.  

Measurement, Evaluation, Learning

It’s a good idea to think about how you will monitor and evaluate your project right from the start. What are the things you’re trying to change, and how will you know if you’ve been successful? 

Action Hampshire’s Impact Measurement Guidance Booklet has some great ways to help you do this. 

Sustainability

Lots of funders will ask how you will make your project or your impact sustainable. This might include how you’ve developed your workforce to be able to deliver the project or idea themselves; it might include how you’ll generate further income from participant fees or similar. And you might also include how the project will impact participants or the community, lead to behaviour change, and how that change might be sustained. 

Energise Me Funds

We offer a small number of funding pots designed to support and amplify Bold Leaders; those driving change through the We Can Be Active strategy.

While our funds are limited, they aim to unlock potential and empower individuals and organisations making a difference through physical activity in their communities.

Find out more about what’s available and how to apply below.

Workforce Bursary Scheme

Apply for Hampshire bursaries to develop your skills.

Hampshire Talented Athlete Scheme

Access funding and support to reach your goals.

Primary PE & Sport Premium

Primary PE & Sport Premium funding provides a great opportunity

Where To Start Looking

Looking for funding opportunities? Look no further!

Below you’ll find a range of funding pots that might be right fom you, from small grants to big investments. Whether you’re just getting started or ready to scale up, there’s something here that could help bring your physical activities to life.

Sport England, Funding

Sport England fund a range of projects and organisations throughout the year that help people get active. See what’s currently available on their website.

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Sport England, Generating Funding

Sport England have also put together a list of all the ways you can generate funding if they haven’t got a fund suitable for you open, from Crowdfunding to Gift Aid.

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Sported Funding Bulletin

Sported’s Funding Bulletin connects you to lots of open funding opportunities across the UK.

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Get Grants Funding

Get Grants Funding Finder is a free resource listing a variety of grant funders, what they fund, how much they fund and how to apply.

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Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Community Foundation often have grant programmes open to help non-profit organisations, community groups and individuals.

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National Lottery Good Causes

The National Lottery raises money for good causes and is there to help communities of every shape and size improve their lives.

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Asda Foundation

There a variety of grants offered by Asda Foundation to empower local communities and combat cost of living.

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Sources of Insight and Data

Need a hand finding the facts and figures to back up your funding application?

Below you can find useful sources of insight and data to help make your case stronger. Whether you’re after local stats or wider research to support your ideas, these are a great place to start.

Insight Hub

Energise Me's Insight Hub is a collection of trusted data, insights, research and resources to help you in your work.

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Office of National Statistics

The Office of National Statistics has loads of national and local data – including the 2021 Census – to help you understand the people in your area.

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Sport England Active Lives

Need to know the physical activity levels of adults or children and young people? Sport England’s Active Lives data gives you great insight into this.

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Sport England Place Need Classification

Want to see where the need is greatest? This place tool will help you understand which areas Sport England sees as a priority for funding and support.

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Hampshire Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA)

Hampshire County Council’s JSNA looks at the current and future health and wellbeing needs and inequalities within our Hampshire population.

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Portsmouth Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

If your project’s based in Portsmouth, this tool is a great source for local health data and priorities.

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Southampton Data Observatory including Joint Strategic Needs Assessment

For projects in Southampton, this observatory is a goldmine of local data – from health and wellbeing to population trends and everything in between.

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Public Health Outcomes Framework

Looking for big-picture public health data? This tool gives you national and local insight on everything from physical activity to mental wellbeing.

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#BeeWell Neighbourhood Data Hive

An interactive dashboard so you can explore the domains and drivers of young people's wellbeing across Hampshire, Southampton, Portsmouth and Isle of Wight.

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Supporting those who are least active

We work hard to support those who are least active in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. But we can’t do it alone. If you’re seeking funding for a project to support people who aren’t very active then please chat to us about your plans.

We can often provide data and insight to support applications. And, we might even be able to join forces to make exciting projects happen.

Get in touch

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