Sources of Funding

Funding for grassroots clubs

What is the Football Foundation?

The Football Foundation is the charity of the Premier League, The FA and Government, through Sport England. They deliver outstanding grassroots football facilities, meaning more games, better games and more people playing - helping transform communities where demand is greatest and impact will be strongest.
Large and small grants are available covering everything from goalposts to 3G facilities.

Find out more information and details about the Football Foundation.

Before applying for football foundation funding contact daniel.mcelhone@durhamfa.com or Joseph.Dredge@DurhamFA.com who will be able to guide/ advise on the application process.

Football Foundation Logo

Football foundation funding

Below are different funding pots that the Football Foundation offer. Please read criteria carefully before applying. 

Fencing

Fencing

Goalposts

Goalposts

Storage Containers Funding

Storage Containers

Portable Floodlights

Portable Floodlights

Changing pavilions and clubhouses

Changing pavilions and clubhouses

Grass Pitch Drainage

Grass Pitch Drainage

Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund

Grass Pitch Maintenance Fund

Grass Pitch Machinery Fund

Grass Pitch Maintenance Machinery

3G Pitch Machinery

3G Pitch Maintenance Machinery & Equipment

Small Sided Facility Improvement

Small Sided Facility Improvement

Premier League Stadium Fund

Premier League Stadium Fund

Premier League Defib Fund

Premier League Defibrillator Fund

Sources of funding 

Banks Community Trust 

 

Grants Are Available For Community And Environmental Projects In Areas Close To A Current Or Proposed Banks Group Operation In Scotland Or The North Of England.

 

Fund Information:

Funding body: Banks Group 

Maximum value: £ 5,000 

Application deadline: None specified

Who Can Apply?

Community groups, voluntary organisations and environmental projects that are charitable, educational, philanthropic, or benevolent in purpose can apply. 

To be eligible for the Banks Community Fund, applicant organisations must: 

• Be open to the community (public) and allow access to the premises/project for a minimum of four evenings per week or two days per week or 104 days per Year. 

• Be located in an area where the Banks Group is currently operating (applicants will need this information to complete their application). 

• Be a not-for-profit, voluntary or community group, community interest company or registered charity. 

• Have a governing document (constitution/set of rules). 

• Have a management committee/governance body with at least four independent and unrelated members. 

• Have a bank or building society account in the name of the group, with a minimum of two unrelated cheque signatories. 

• Have satisfactorily completed any previous grant from the Fund i.e. returned satisfactory monitoring information. 

Generally, to be eligible for funding through County Durham Community Foundation (CDCF), Volunteer-Led Organisations, registered charities and Community Interest Organisations must: 

• Have a management committee with a minimum of four members. 

• Have a bank or building society account in the name of the organisation/group, with a minimum of two unrelated Cheque signatories. 

• Have charitable aims. 

• Provide evidence of good governance practices and sound financial management (including registering with the Charity Commission, CASC or other governing body, depending on the size of the organisation) 

• Be registered with the Charity Commission or other relevant governing body if the annual income is more than £5,000.

 

The Banks Group operates throughout Britain; however, geographical areas of interest may change without notice. 

Groups should check with the Banks Community Fund Manager that their project is located within the vicinity of an eligible Banks Group site.

 

https://www.banksgroup.co.uk/corporate-responsibility/banks-community-fund/  

Biffa Awards - Community Buildings 

Grants are available for not-for-profit organisations to provide and improve community buildings that are located within the vicinity of a Biffa operation to 'act as mechanisms' for community involvement.

Fund Information:

Funding body: 

Biffa Award - Recreation Theme

Maximum value: 

£ 75,000 

Application deadline: None specified

Who Can Apply? 

Applications will be accepted from not-for-profit organisations in England and Northern Ireland. 

Applicants must: 

• Be applying for a project site located within five miles of a significant Biffa operation or 10 miles of an active Biffa Landfill site. 

• Be applying for a project site located within 10 miles of any landfill site (not necessarily owned by Biffa Group Limited) in England and Northern Ireland. 

• Have a project site open for a minimum of 104 days of full public access to the project per year. 

• Own the project site or have signed a lease agreement with the landowner of more than 10 years. 

• Be eligible for enrolment and registration with the scheme's regulator ENTRUST. 

Applications from churches must be able to demonstrate a wider community use and benefit, such as youth groups, special interest groups, exercise groups etc. 

Applicants should check their project location's eligibility using Biffa Awards Postcode Checker, which can be found on the Awards website.

https://www.biffa-award.org/recreation/

 

National Lottery Awards 

Annual awards scheme celebrating the UK's favourite lottery-funded projects and the difference they have made to people's lives. The awards recognise the dedication and commitment of people across the UK who use lottery funding to improve the environment around them.

Fund Information

Funding body: National Lottery Community Fund (Big Lottery Fund) 

Maximum value: £ 10,000 

Application deadline: None specified

 

 

Who Can Apply? 

The Awards are open to authorised representatives of projects that have received Lottery funding at any time since 1994. The main beneficiaries of the project must be based in the UK. 

Individuals can also nominate a Lottery funded project that they would like to be entered for an Award. When this happens, the nominated project will be contacted to see if they would like to enter as participation must be voluntary. 

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/  

 

National Lottery Awards for All - England 

Grants Are Available For Charities, Voluntary Groups, Schools, And Local Authorities In England To Carry Out Projects That Will Improve Their Local Community.

 

Fund Information 

Funding body: National Lottery Community Fund (Big Lottery Fund) 

Maximum value: £ 10,000 

Application deadline: None specified 

 

Who Can Apply?

Awards for All welcome’s applications from: 

• Voluntary and community organisations, including: 

Registered charities. 

Constituted groups and clubs. 

Not-for-profit companies and community interest companies. 

• Schools. 

• Statutory bodies (including town, parish, and community council). 

To be eligible for funding applicants must have: 

• Two unconnected people on the board or committee. 

• A UK bank account in the name of their organisation. 

• Annual accounts (unless the organisation is less than 15 months old). 

The Big Lottery Fund is 'keen' to support smaller organisations and will consider their income when making a decision

All applicants are expected to be able to demonstrate that the group and activities they run are open and easy for new people to get involved, and that they support equal opportunities and challenge discrimination. 

https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-england  

 

 

Postcode Dream Trust 

Three Or Four Large Grants Are Available To Give British Charities The Chance To Deliver The Project They Have Always Dreamed Of, But Never Had The Opportunity To Bring To Life.

Fund Information 

Funding body: People's Postcode Lottery 

Maximum value: £ 1,500,000 

Application deadline: None specified

Who Can Apply?

All applications must come from charities in Scotland, England, or Wales for projects to be run in these regions. Not-for-profit organisations are encouraged to collaborate to deliver a more effective and wide-ranging project. 

All applications must come from at least two organisations. The following conditions apply: 

• One of these organisations must be a registered charity, who will be considered the lead organisation for the project and will enter a contractual relationship with the Trust to deliver the project. The main grant contact must be with this organisation. 

• The supporting partners can be charities, voluntary groups, community interest companies, universities, or other not-for-profit organisations. 

• The lead partner in any application must have an annual income that is at least two times the grant amount applied for (i.e., if applying for £500,000 then the lead applicant must have an income of at least £1 million and if applying for £1.5 million then the lead applicant must have an income of at least £3 million as evidenced by their latest audited accounts).

 

Organisations who have previously applied for or received funding from Postcode Dream Trust are eligible to apply as long they have collaborated with at least one other organisation and adhered to all funding requirements. 

https://www.postcodedreamfund.org.uk/  

 

Sir James Knott Fund

Grants are available to charities in the North East of England to help improve the conditions of people living and working in the North East of England. Grants are awarded in the areas of the arts and culture; service charities; public services; housing; heritage; health and sport; education and training; environment; and community issues and events. 

Fund Information:

Funding body: Sir James Knott Trust 

Maximum value: Discretionary 

Application deadline: None specified

Who Can Apply?

Eligible applicants are UK registered charities operating in, or for the benefit of, the North East of England (comprising Tyne and Wear, Northumberland, County Durham, inclusive of Hartlepool). 

Organisations that are not registered charities may apply provided the local Council for Voluntary Service (CVS) or a registered charity can administer or process funds on behalf of the applying organisation. 

http://www.knott-trust.co.uk/

 

 

Suez Community Trust Fund

Grants are available to non-profit making organisations in qualifying areas of England for improvements to local community facilities, historic buildings and structures, sport and recreation facilities.

Fund Information

Funding body: SUEZ Communities Trust

Maximum value: £ 50,000

Application deadline: None specified

Who Can Apply?

To be eligible, applicants must:

• Be run on a not-for-profit basis. This could include community groups, parish councils, charities, community interest companies, sports clubs, community associations, local authorities and voluntary organisations.

• Own or hold a lease for the project site with at least five years remaining.

• Projects should be based at a project site which must be owned or leased by the applying organisation.

To be eligible for funding the project site must be in England and within a SUEZ Communities Trust funding zone. A funding zone is anywhere within a 2.5-mile radius of a qualifying SUEZ recycling and recovery UK waste processing site.

The Trust provides a post code checker so that potential applicants can check the eligibility of the project's location.

Applicants do not need to be registered Environmental Bodies nor do they need to register a project with ENTRUST before applying for funding. SUEZ Communities Trust will register the project with ENTRUST (the scheme regulator) once funding has been approved.

The Trust would normally expect to act as the Environmental Body registering and overseeing the project unless there are exceptional circumstances. This means the Trust can work more closely with projects and are in a better position to ensure that value for money is being achieved on each project supported.

For those applicants whose project area is governed by either Lancashire County Council or Cornwall Council, an application should be made to the regional funding body which distributes Landfill Tax collected by SUEZ UK in that area.

 

https://www.suezcommunitiestrust.org.uk/apply-for-funding/england/

 

Suez Community Landfill Fund (Smaller Project) 

Grants are available for not-for-profit organisations in qualifying areas of England for physical improvement to community facilities, such as village halls, public parks, sports facilities, historic buildings and structures.

Fund Information:

Funding body: SUEZ Communities Trust 

Maximum value: £ 20,000 

Application deadline: None specified

Who Can Apply? 

To be eligible, applicants must: 

• Be run on a not-for-profit basis. This could include community groups, parish councils, charities, community interest companies, sports clubs, community associations, local authorities and voluntary organisations. 

• Own or hold a lease for the project site with at least five years remaining. 

• Projects should be based at a project site which must be owned or leased by the applying organisation. 

• Have a project that is located in England, within a SUEZ Communities Trust funding zone (anywhere within a 2.5-mile radius of a qualifying SUEZ recycling and recovery UK waste processing site). 

Applicants should check the Trust's post code checker to ensure their project's location is eligible. 

https://www.suezcommunitiestrust.org.uk/apply-for-funding/england/  

 

 

Trusthouse Charitable Foundation

Grants are available to smaller charitable and not-for-profit organisations in the UK to fund community support, arts, education and heritage projects in areas of extreme urban deprivation or remote, socio-economically deprived rural areas. 

Fund Information:

Funding body: The Trusthouse Charitable Foundation 

Maximum value: £ 60,000 

Application deadline: None specified 

Who Can Apply?

Established charitable organisations (including CICs, social enterprises, not-for-profit registered companies, voluntary organisations) in the UK are eligible to apply. 

To be eligible, applicants must: 

• Have a total annual income under £500,000. 

• Be a small to medium-sized organisation with a demonstrable track record of success working to address local problems in communities in areas of extreme urban deprivation or remote, needy rural locations. 

The level of the applicant's income will determine which grants programme they can apply for: 

• Small grants (for organisations with a total annual income under £250,000) 

• Major grants (for organisations with a total annual income under £500,000) 

https://www.trusthousecharitablefoundation.org.uk/  

Other sources of funding

There are also additional Organisations that may support your club such as… 

Tyne & Wear Community Foundation https://www.communityfoundation.org.uk/  

County Durham Community Foundation https://www.cdcf.org.uk/  

Other ways to generate funding :

Funding streams won't always match what you're looking for, so Sport England have compiled a list of all the other ways you can generate funding, from crowdfunding to Gift Aid- check out the following link for more information and ideas. 

https://www.sportengland.org/how-we-can-help/our-funds/other-ways-to-generate-funding?section=overview  

 

Hays Travel Foundation:

Grants are available for registered charities and local causes which help young people to achieve their potential within areas where Hays Travel have a branch.

Fund Information:

Funding body: Hays Travel Foundation 

Maximum value: £ 15,000 

Application deadline: None specified

 

Who Can Apply? 

Registered charities operating in areas where Hays Travel have a branch may apply. 

To be eligible, organisations must be working to help young people (up to 25 years) in at least one of the following areas: 

• Education. 

• Prevention of poverty. 

• Health. 

• Arts and culture. 

• Sports. 

Charities which are not located in an area where Hays Travel operate must be able to provide evidence of how the proposed project impacts a community in which they do. 

A list of all Hays Travel branches can be found on the Branch Locator on the Hays Travel website. 

https://www.haystravel.co.uk/foundation