Sport England’s work and contribution to Tackling Inequalities focuses on reducing the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on activity levels in under-represented groups, ensuring gaps between those who are active and those who are not do not widen during this period. 

Living Sport, with a strong understanding of the needs and issues of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, is here to support community groups in their areas as a result of the impacts of COVID-19 and to ensure that this funding and support enables community groups working with target audiences:

  • Lower Socio-Economic Groups
  • Black, Asian Minority Ethnic Communities
  • Disabled People
  • People with Long-Term Health Conditions (LTC)

- to continue to exist and engage with their communities with a view to keeping them active during both the lockdown and early recovery stages.

This fund is designed to deal with ‘here and now’ issues that our sector organisations are facing as a result of the impact of COVID-19. It is about supporting organisations in the community now so that they have a future to plan for. We would expect the funding to
be supporting community groups with immediate effect.

This funding is intended to support two activities:

a. Provide financial support to sector organisations that connect to our priority audiences that may be experiencing financial hardships at this time. In many cases this will be as part of a wider sector support offer including other funders.

b. Provide opportunities for our priority audiences to be active at this time by adapting offers or providing new offers.

Please consider the following conditions (and others) will will need to met for applications to be successful:

a. Will this investment impact upon at least one of the four priority audiences?
b. Is there a real 'here and now' requirement to support this audience (now to October)?
c. Has the requirement arisen as a direct result of this community group or audience being adversely affected as a result of COVID-19?
d. Will this investment help a community group that focuses on one of our four priority audiences that needs funding to continue to survive and/or connect to one or more of our priority audiences at this time to keep them active?
e. Is there a clear ‘line of sight’ from this investment to physical activity taking place either now or in the immediate future (now to October)?
f. Will the funding to be used to support a trusted community organisation?

The following are eligible items of expenditure for this fund at this time:

a. Staff costs
b. Training costs
c. Rent / Facility hire
d. Utility costs
e. IT costs
f. Insurance


There are certain items that are not eligible for lottery funding as follows:

a. Activities or costs which are already covered by other government
funding including rates
b. Capital works
c. Activities promoting religious or political beliefs
d. Where there is personal benefit to an individual
e. Any private business or profit making organisations unless they are a Social
Enterprise or Community Interest Company
f. Sole Traders / Partnerships
This list is not exhaustive, if you are unsure please do get in touch.

For more information, please contact [email protected] or call 01473 01487 841559 ext.3029