Funding Links for UK Sports Clubs
Securing funding is a vital part of sustaining and growing a sports club—whether you're upgrading facilities, launching community programmes, or covering day-to-day costs. This section provides direct links to trusted funding sources across the UK, including grants, development funds, and support schemes tailored to grassroots and community sport.
Each link is chosen for relevance, accessibility, and practical impact. Where possible, we've included guidance notes, eligibility criteria, and application tips to help your club make the most of every opportunity.
| Funder | Funding Type | Eligible Structures | Description | Link |
| Access Sport – Angus Irvine Playing Fields Fund | Grants (up to £5,000) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports clubs in deprived areas of Greater Manchester to improve access to sport. | Link |
| Active Partnerships (e.g. London Sport) | Regional funding & support | CIO, CIC, CLG, CASC | Offers funding, training, and development support for clubs. | Link |
| AlpKit Foundation | Small grants (up to £500) | CIO, CIC, CLG, Unincorp. | Supports outdoor adventure and grassroots activity projects. | Link |
| Arnold Clark Community Fund | Small grants (£500) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports local charities and clubs across the UK. | Link |
| Asda Foundation | Capital & revenue grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports local community projects via Asda stores. | Link |
| Awards For All | Grants (£300–£10k) | CIO, CIC, CLG, CASC | Funds projects that bring communities together. | Link |
| Barclays Community Football Fund | Small grants (£500) | Unincorp., CIC, CIO, CLG | Supports inclusive grassroots football. | Link |
| Bernard Sunley Foundation | Capital grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports building improvements for community sport. | Link |
| Big Lottery | Grants (£10k+) | CIO, CIC, CLG, CCLG | Large-scale community impact funding. | Link |
| Black Heritage Fund | Community grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports grassroots projects led by or serving Black communities. | Link |
| Boost Charitable Trust | Small grants (up to £750) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds projects that help disabled and disadvantaged people participate in sport. | Link |
| Cash4Clubs | Small grants (£500–£1,000) | Unincorp., CIC, CLG | Supports grassroots sports clubs with no affiliation required. | Link |
| Charity Bank & Social Investment Business | Loans & blended finance | CIO, CIC, CCLG | Social investment for facility development or growth. | Link / Link |
| Cheshire Community Foundation | Grants (varied) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds projects improving lives in Cheshire, including sport and youth engagement. | Link |
| Children in Need – Project Grants | Youth-focused grants | CIO, CIC, CLG, CCLG | For clubs running inclusive youth programmes or outreach. | Link |
| Club Matters | Guidance & toolkits | All structures | Free resources for club development and governance. | Link |
| Club Matters – Company Formations | Governance support | All structures | Explains pros/cons of legal structures and how to incorporate. | Link |
| Clothworkers’ Foundation | Capital grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds buildings, equipment, and facilities for disadvantaged groups. | Link |
| Co-op Local Community Fund | Revenue grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports causes chosen by Co-op members in local areas. | Link |
| Comic Relief – Community Impact Grants | Social change funding | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds sport-based projects tackling inequality and mental health. | Link |
| Community Shares Booster Programme | Match funding (up to £100k) | Registered Society (CBS) | Match funding for clubs raising capital via community shares. | Link |
| County FA & Snap Sponsorship | Sponsorship & funding | All affiliated clubs | Offers sponsorship tools and funding access. | Link |
| County Grants Fund (Cricket) | Small grants | Unincorp., CLG, CIO | ECB-funded grants for grassroots cricket clubs. | Link |
| Crowdfunder + Match Funding | Crowdfunding + grants | All incorporated structures | Raise funds via Crowdfunder with potential match from national bodies. | Link |
| FA Funded Coach Education | Subsidised training | All affiliated clubs | Bursaries and funding for coach development. | Link |
| Football Foundation | Capital grants | CLG, CIO, CASC, Ltd | Funds facilities, pitches, and equipment. | Link |
| Football Foundation – Energy Support Fund | Capital grants | CLG, CIO, Ltd | Supports floodlight upgrades and energy efficiency. | Link |
| Football Pyramid | Strategic investment | Ltd, CIO, CLG | FA/NGB funding for clubs in the football pyramid. | Link |
| Foyle Foundation | Capital & revenue grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports charities and community groups. | Link |
| Gift Aid for Sports Clubs | Tax relief | CIO, CASC, CCLG | Enables clubs to claim tax relief on donations. | Link |
| GMCA – Sports Club Funding to Prevent Violence | Strategic grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports sport-based interventions to reduce youth violence. | Link |
| Greater Manchester High Sheriff’s Police Trust | Small grants | CIO, CLG, Unincorp. | Funds community safety and youth engagement projects. | Link |
| Greater Manchester Moving | Strategic support & microgrants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Regional support for physical activity and inclusion. | Link |
| Greater Manchester Police – ARIS Fund | Community grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | “Giving Back” fund from seized assets. | Link |
| Greater Manchester Violence Prevention Sport Fund | Multi-year grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | 2023–2025 fund for sport-led violence prevention. | Link |
| Greene King IPA – Grassroots Sports Fund | Small grants | Unincorp., CIC, CLG | Supports local sports clubs with equipment and kit. | Link |
| Headley Foundation | Small grants | CIO, CLG | Supports education, arts, and community projects. | Link |
| Hedley Foundation | Small grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports youth development and sport-based education. | Link |
| Howdens Kitchens & England Football | Equipment grants | Unincorp., CLG, CIO | Kitchen equipment for clubhouses and hubs. | Link |
| JazzApple Foundation | Small grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports youth, arts, and community sport projects. | Link |
| Lancashire Community Foundation | Grants (varied) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports grassroots organisations across Lancashire with health, sport, and inclusion projects. | Link |
| London Marathon Foundation | Strategic grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds physical activity projects with long-term impact. | Link |
| Manchester Airport Community Fund | Grants (£300–£3,000) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds clubs within 10 miles of Manchester Airport. | Link |
| Manchester Active Neighbourhood Sports Fund | Small grants (up to £500) | CIO, CIC, CLG, Unincorp. | Supports Manchester-based clubs to deliver physical activity aligned with priority themes. | Link |
| Manchester City Council – Funding Page | Directory of grants | All structures | Central hub for council and partner funding. | Link |
| Manchester City Council – Neighbourhood Investment Fund | Grants (up to £10k) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Localised funding for community-led projects in Manchester wards. | Link |
| Manchester Community Central – Funding | Grant finder & support | CIO, CIC, CLG | Local VCSE support and funding advice. | Link |
| MCRActive Funding | Small grants & support | CIO, CIC, CLG | Manchester-based sport and physical activity funding. | Link |
| Million Hours Fund | Youth-focused grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | DCMS fund for youth engagement during evenings/weekends. | Link |
| Morrisons Foundation | Capital grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds registered charities for community improvement projects. | Link |
| Muckle LLP | Legal support | All structures | Legal firm offering club governance advice. | Link |
| Muckle – Guide to Club Structures | Governance guide | All structures | Explains pros/cons of legal structures for clubs. | Link |
| National Lottery Community Fund | Grants (£300–£500k) | CIO, CIC, CLG, CCLG | Funds projects that improve lives and strengthen communities. | Link |
| OneStop Community Partnership | Small grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports local clubs and community groups. | Link |
| Peter Harrison Foundation | Disability sport grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports inclusive sport for disabled people. | Link |
| Persimmon Homes – Community Champions | Monthly grants (£1,000) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports youth sport and community groups near Persimmon developments. | Link |
| PitchPower Tool | Facility audit tool | All structures | Free tool to assess pitch quality and unlock funding. | Link |
| Postcode Community Trust | Grants (£500–£25,000) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports community wellbeing and sport projects. | Link |
| Power to Change – Community Business Fund | Grants (£20k–£300k) | CIC, CBS, CIO | For clubs operating as community businesses with local impact. | Link |
| Poundland Kits4Kids | Equipment grants | Unincorp., CIC, CLG | Provides kit for children’s sports clubs. | Link |
| Proper Good Funding | Small grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports grassroots community projects. | Link |
| Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Activity Fund | Grants (£300–£10,000) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports community sport projects tackling inequality. | Link |
| Rank Foundation – Pebble Grants | Small grants (£250–£4,000) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds small-scale community projects including sport. | Link |
| Snap Sponsorship | Sponsorship & funding | All affiliated clubs | Offers sponsorship tools and funding access. | Link |
| Sport England Small Grants | Grants (£300–£15k) | CIO, CIC, CLG, CASC | Funds projects that increase physical activity. | Link |
| Sported | Microgrants & mentoring | CIO, CIC, CLG, CASC | Offers funding and support for inclusive sports clubs. | Link |
| Tesco Stronger Starts Grants | Grants (up to £1,500) | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports youth sport and healthy eating projects. | Link |
| The Foundation for Sport and the Arts | Strategic grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Supports arts and sport projects with community impact. | Link |
| The National Lottery – Talent Pathway Grants | Individual athlete support | Ltd, CIO, CIC | Supports young athletes on Olympic/Paralympic pathways. | Link |
| True Colours Trust | Specialist grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Funds disability sport and inclusive play spaces. | Link |
| UK Shared Prosperity Fund | Local development grants | CIC, CIO, CLG, Ltd | Supports community infrastructure and engagement via local authorities. | Link |
| UK Sport & NGBs | Elite & pathway funding | Ltd, CIO, CLG | For talent development, coaching pathways, and facilities. | Link / Link |
| Variety – Youth Sports Equipment | Equipment grants | CIO, CIC, CLG | Provides specialist equipment for disabled and disadvantaged children. | Link |
| VAT for Sports Clubs | Tax relief guidance | CIO, CASC, CCLG | HMRC guidance on VAT exemptions and liabilities. | Link |
To discuss your needs or request a consultation, contact us at info@gmhsc.co.uk