Sport England Funding Themed Round - Active Women

Sport England’s themed rounds of National Lottery funding tackle gaps in sporting participation, to complement their other funding programmes.

Sport England’s second themed round (after Rural Communities) is Active Women. To be eligible for funding under the Active Women theme, applications must demonstrate that projects will address the specific barriers to participation in sport faced by either:

• Women in disadvantaged communities (the 20% most deprived lower super output areas in the country)
• Women caring for children under 16

SASSOT staff have attended the Sport England Funding Briefing on this round and we have collated our 'Top Tips' when considering applying to this funding stream.  Please click here to look at our 'Top Tips' - this is a MUST read.

Projects need to demonstrate how they will increase the number of women playing sport from either one or both of these groups. Sport England has a target of getting one million people playing more sport. Your project will contribute to the delivery of this target.

Not only do applications have to demonstrate how they will remove existing barriers in order that more women from the two target groups can take part in sport, they must also look at how they can allow those women to take part in sport more often.

The challenge involved in raising participation is different for each of the two groups:

Women in disadvantaged communities

For women in disadvantaged communities, regular participation in sport is lower than the average with over seven out of ten currently playing no sport at all. In addition less than half would currently like to play sport. The challenge is therefore to stimulate local demand for sport amongst these women.

Women caring for children under 16

Seven out of ten women caring for children under 16 would like to play more sport. However, research suggests that other competing priorities take preference over sport. The challenge is therefore to identify and provide an appropriate and accessible supply of sporting opportunities to meet demand.

A successful project will address the barriers to participation, for example, by offering childcare solutions, being affordable, taking place at an appropriate time and in a suitable location and ensuring that participants feel comfortable in their environment.

It will also grow participation in sport amongst either women in disadvantaged communities or women caring for children under 16. There will be a clear plan for how sporting participation will be sustained and the projects will be replicable.

Who is eligible to apply?

The programme is open to applicants from sports clubs, voluntary or community organisations, local authorities and educational establishments (such as schools, colleges and universities) which provide participation opportunities in community sport.

How to apply

Click here where you can review the Active Women Themed Round’s purpose, eligibility and assessment criteria and frequently asked questions to assess whether your proposed application is eligible and relevant.

The application process for all of Sport England’s Themed Rounds of funding will be two-stage and competitive.

As part of the application process you will need to consult with your Local Authority and Sport Across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (SASSOT) regarding your project. SASSOT officers have received specific training in providing support and advice to applicants to ensure projects have the best chance of being awarded funding, so please liaise with SASSOT before submitting your Stage 1 application.

The deadline for Active Women stage one applications is 5pm on 3 February 2010.

If you have a query on the Active Women Themed Round please contact Sport England on 08458 508 508.

Chris Turner
Club Development Manager
T: 01785 619681

E: cturner@staffordbc.gov.uk