The KCFU is launching this season’s Small Grants Programme (SGP) and invites applications from clubs for grant funding.
The County’s Small Grants Programme (SGP) makes available grant funding to assist Clubs to improve their facilities and pitches. The funding exists principally to provide a kick-start to major capital projects, such as the building of a new clubhouse or to improve changing room facilities, but subject to the financial resources being available, it is also used to support smaller projects. Grants from the SGP are available to all the County’s clubs.
Timetable
The SGP will be run in two phases, which will allow clubs that have yet to formulate their respective club development / facilities plans for the coming season an opportunity later in the year to apply. Grant awards will be based on each application’s strict adherence to the CB’s strategic priorities.
The timetable, which allows for monies to be awarded and disbursed within the County’s accounting period for both phases, will be as follows:
Phase 1 – Applications are invited now, to be received by 31 August 2018, with grant awards announced by 30 September.
Phase 2 – Applications invited from 1 December 2019, to be received by no later than 31 December, with grant awards announced by 31 January 2019.
Completed applications should be submitted to Nigel Fray (Facilities Funding Manager), by the deadlines above, to facilities@kent-rugby.org ,
Application criteria
The County has therefore set out the following criteria (including two new criteria) against which applications for grant funding will be assessed:
- Applications will be accepted from all clubs at whatever Level
- Applications should clearly explain:
- The amount being applied for
- The project to which the grant award will contribute and its objective(s);
- The issue that the project is seeking to address, i.e. an identifiable ‘need’
- The priority the club attaches to the project
- What the club has already done to commit to the project, i.e. funds already raised and commitment of the club’s committee and its membership.
- Clubs must have returned their current annual financial report to the County (this is a standard requirement for county funding).
- Clubs must support County teams, where players are required and must either be an England Rugby Accredited Club or actively working towards becoming Accredited, through engagement with their RFU Rugby Development Officer.
- Successful applicants will be required to spend the grant award within 6 months of receipt.
- Successful clubs will, 6 months after the award, be required to notify the County of the spend and also to indicate the extent to which the award has helped to secure the project’s objective(s).
- New criterion: Applicant clubs must have completed and/or updated, and submitted the County’s ‘Club Facilities Audit’ – see below.
- New criterion: The maximum amount that can be applied for is £5,000. This is not a target for applicant clubs to aspire to! The total annual budget for the SGP is £25,000 (split over the two phases); given the disparity between available funds and the anticipated number and size of grant applications, the assessment process will be very rigorous.
Club Facilities Audit
The Club is grateful to all clubs that completed last year’s audit. As noted above, the criteria for SGP applications to be considered has been extended to include the requirement that the audit has been completed.
For those clubs that did complete the audit, last year’s version should be reviewed and either updated or confirmation made to the County that the audit remains as originally submitted. There is, however, on an additional piece of information that we require from each club: This related to the club’s legal status, i.e. clubs are requested to inform the County as to whether they a limited company, unincorporated association, limited partnership, CASC, etc.