The Barclays Community Football Fund access grants aim to support grassroots, community groups, working within the most deprived areas of the UK.
We want to make sure our funding reaches organisations providing accessible football activities for the most underrepresented groups of young people.
Who is eligible to apply?
We welcome applications from not-for-profit organisations including community groups, youth groups and traditional football clubs. Groups must meet the following criteria:
- You operate in an area of high deprivation and support the hardest to reach young people. We use the Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) to establish eligibility and only organisations located in or supporting young people from IMD areas 1-3 are eligible to apply.
- We recognise the disproportionate impact that the pandemic and cost of living crisis has had on young people with disabilities and will consider disability football applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3.
- You are already delivering football activities to young people under the age of twenty five, or you are wanting to start with our support.
- You are delivering services directly to beneficiaries from one or more of our priority groups as follows: women and girls, racially diverse communities, young people with disabilities, from the LGBTQ+ community and from lower socio-economic areas.
How much can I apply for?
You can apply for an access grant of £1000 to support delivery of your football activities to engage with young people from underrepresented groups.
You can apply for one grant of £1000 per club/group. We cannot give out awards to different teams within a club so please consider where the funds are most needed.
What are the open and closing dates for the fund?
There will be two funding rounds this year. The first round is open from Monday 12th February until Friday 12th April 2024. The fund will then re-open later in the year from Monday 15th July until Sunday 15th September 2024.
Please note that we expect the fund to be extremely popular and may close the funding rounds earlier if we receive a high volume of eligible applications. We encourage you to read the criteria thoroughly and submit an application early for the best chance of success. If we are oversubscribed in the first round and you are unsuccessful, we may consider you for the second round. Those groups will be contacted directly.
For more information, please read through our frequently asked questions below.
Access Grant FAQs
What does our application need to include?
The Barclays Community Football Fund is all about the inclusion of young people from underrepresented groups. This includes women and girls, racially diverse communities, young people with disabilities, from the LGBTQ+ community and from lower socio-economic areas.
We need you to clearly show how your organisation is inclusive of one or more of these underrepresented groups, what football activities you have on offer for them and how you know these activities are needed.
In 2024, we are only looking to fund groups operating in the most deprived areas across the UK. We will need you to demonstrate that you are operating in an area of high deprivation (IMD 1-3) and the challenges faced by the young people you support. We will consider disability football applications from groups that sit outside of IMD areas 1-3.
How can I check whether we are in an IMD 1-3 area?
We are using the Government Indices of Multiple Deprivation from across the UK. Please find links below where you are able to check your postcode.
What can the funding be used for?
The funding can be used for anything that will support your delivery of football activities to underrepresented groups. Typical examples of costs might include a contribution towards:
- Venue hire including floodlights / heating
- Coaching costs
- Volunteer expenses
- Equipment
- Kit
- Marketing and communications
- Training and qualifications
- Insurances and affiliation
We are unable to fund trips abroad, costs associated with elite football or talent development, and school based football activities.
What else do we need to submit along with our application?
You will need to attached two documents to your application:
- A governing document, e.g. Club Constitution or Articles of Association. This is so we can ensure you are a not-for-profit organisation benefiting the local community. Unfortunately, we are unable to fund Sole Traders or Companies limited by shares.
- A bank statement in the name of your organisation. The statement needs to be dated within the last 3 months and clearly show the account name, sort code and account number. This is so we can make payment if you are successful. We do not need to see any transactions or balance. We are unable to fund personal bank accounts, so the account name must match that name of the organisation applying.
We will also ask you to declare that you have an up-to-date Safeguarding policy, Health and Safety policy including risk assessments and relevant insurance to cover your activities.
When does the funding need to be spent?
The funding will ideally be spent within a six month period, to allow us to monitor the impact of the programme.
What reporting will we be required to complete?
We want to see how the fund and support has impacted your organisation. You will be required to complete a short feedback form six months after receiving your grant. Some organisations may also be selected for an audit and required to provide copies of invoices paid and receipts for any items connected to the grant.
Are schools eligible to apply for the fund?
Due to the work Barclays do with their Girls School Football Partnership, schools and other educational institutions are unfortunately not eligible to apply for the fund. Charities that support schools may be considered if they are inclusive of young people from the wider community and not just pupils from that school.
Our organisation has already received a grant from the Barclays Community Football Fund, can we still apply?
Groups who received a £500 grant from the Barclays Community Football Fund in 2022 or 2023 are eligible to reapply. However, we expect the fund to be extremely popular and if oversubscribed, we will prioritise applications from new groups. This is so we can reach and support as many groups across the UK as possible. Please take this into consideration before taking the time to re-apply.
Groups who received a larger, deep impact grant from the Barclays Community Football Fund in 2022 or 2023 are unfortunately, not eligible to reapply.
Can I get help with my application?
If you cannot use the online form or need additional support to complete your application, we are happy to help. Please get in touch at [email protected]
Ready to apply?
If you are not a Sported member or an existing grantee, you will need to create an account to start your application. If you already have an account, just log in to apply.