sported. - Opportunities - LIVING SPORT

sported.

What is sported.?

sported. is the UK’s leading sport for development charity, helping to transform the lives of disadvantaged young people aged 11-25.

We know that sport has the ability to engage and inspire young people. We also know that the people best placed to deliver sport and encourage change in young people are those at a local level, who understand the issues and problems affecting their communities. That’s why we support community and voluntary sports groups delivering sport for development. Our aim is to help them grow and run their organisations to the best of their ability. It’s our way of helping to change young people’s lives.

There are thousands of organisations throughout the UK delivering sport to disadvantaged young people. Many of them don’t have the resources, funding or business expertise to run their organisation to its full potential. These groups are off the radar of other funders and support services and despite the fantastic work they are doing, are often struggling to survive. That’s where sported. comes in. We are a free membership organisation providing the business support and funding these groups really need. Not only does it help them to become more sustainable, but it lets them focus on what they do best – inspiring young people through sport.

sported. provides a support network for groups delivering sport for development across the UK.

What we offer members

Becoming a Member of sported. is free and once joined, Member organisations can access a wide range of services, which include:

Funding

Once an organisation becomes a Member, they can apply to sported. for funding. We also help Members identify and apply for other sources of external funding. For example, last year we helped one of our Members leverage six times more funding than they had received from sported.

Skilled volunteers

Based on our personal knowledge of our Members, we carefully match them with the appropriate volunteer who can respond effectively to their needs. The skill set of our volunteer base is diverse, covering business planning, accounting, HR, marketing and fundraising, amongst others.

Online services

We have a Members Area on our website, packed with helpful online resources. Here you will find a range of business tools available from financial templates to marketing and PR guides, designed to help our Members in every aspect of their organisation.

Insurance scheme

Thanks to our partnership with insurance broker Lockton Affinity, all our Members have access to an exclusive sported. insurance offer, enabling our Members to save large sums of money on their insurance needs – an offer they can’t get anywhere else.

Once you've been accepted as a Member of sported. you can discuss funding options with Regional Manager David Sollis, email  d.sollis@sported.org.uk. sported. offer their Members two types of grants, as well as help to get you external funding:

• A small grant of up to £2,000. This one-off grant is available to all Members, with applications being reviewed every 3 months. Your Regional Manager will provide you with an application form and guide you through the process.  

• A large grant. Most of the grants that are awarded are for between £2,000 and £10,000. They do occasionally award larger amounts, but this will involve a longer process, which your Regional Manager will explain to you if relevant.

• External funding. sported. also work with Members to help find external funding opportunities in your area. The team of Regional Managers, Mentors and Experts will also help you with the application process. They have good relationships with local funders and can act as a referee for your bid or in some cases help fast track your application.

sported. will consider funding salaries, running costs/overheads and programme delivery costs. They will also consider supporting projects for more than one year, but funding will always be offered as part of a wider support package to ensure the ongoing development of your project or organisation.

They want to make sure that their funding is well used and isn't just a short-term solution. Generally they will not help fund large capital expenses such as building facilities.

Small Grant application forms and guidance notes can be found below

Visit the sported. website for more information

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