A £7.5 million fund, with up to £10,000 in match funding, as part of a support package to help clubs and organisations set up and run crowdfunding campaigns related to Covid-19, such as for a loss of income due to the pandemic.

Since May 2020, we’ve been running a successful crowdfunding initiative called Active Together, helping sports clubs and other organisations to set up and run their own crowdfunding campaigns to help sustain themselves through the coronavirus (Covid-19) crisis.

Initially with a £1 million budget from the National Lottery, Active Together was designed to help with the immediate financial impact of coronavirus and in the longer-term, the return to play.

To date, we’ve supported campaigns with a financial pledge towards their target fundraising amount, but in addition to this, we've been providing:

• free 1-2-1 coaching by experts
• advice and guidance on campaign improvements
• access to free online courses
• free 30-minute webinars, monthly.

Criteria

Return to Play: Active Together - Sport England’s Extra Funding Scheme during the COVID-19 crisis.

This investment aims to help community sport and physical activity organisations who are experiencing short term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis. As we ease out of lockdown measures and return to play, there's a lot for sport and physical activity providers to consider as lockdown restrictions evolve, so campaigns to enable this will also be considered.

Our match investment, of up to £10,000, aims to help organisations start to help themselves on the road to recovery. It's specifically targeted at organisations who have a role in supporting the nation to be active but who are experiencing short term financial hardship or the ceasing of operations due to the ongoing crisis.

To be eligible to apply, organisations must be:

• Local sports clubs,
• Charities, community, voluntary and social enterprise sector organisations that deliver sport and/or physical activity in their local community, including organisations that are not solely or primarily sports organisations,
• Town or parish councils delivering activity within their community,
• For the benefit of people residing in England.

The following are not eligible for funding:

• Individuals or sole traders,
• For profit businesses or partnerships,
• Local authorities, with the exception of town and parish councils,
• Schools, colleges and universities,
• Commercial sport and physical activity providers, e.g. private gyms,
• Leisure operators.

Pledge Criteria

If your application is approved, you’ll get match funding of up to 50% towards your initial crowdfunding target, up to a maximum of £10,000.

To receive a pledge, you will need to do two things (the ‘pledge conditions’):

1) raise at least 25% of your initial target,

2) raise this from a minimum number of supporters

Following receipt of a pledge you will also need to reach 100% of your initial funding target to receive the funds from Sport England.

Note – Sport England reserve the right to vary these pledge criteria; projects will be notified if their pledge criteria will vary from the stated terms above.