Support on offer for clubs’ future plans
SPORT Wales has expanded its ‘Be Active Wales Fund’ to help support even more communities across the country to stay active throughout the Covid-19 crisis and beyond.
When the fund was initially launched in July, the two priorities were to provide immediate financial support so that not-for-profit sports clubs and organisations could stay afloat, and also to assist their return to activity by helping to cover the cost of them meeting Covid-19 safety guidelines.
Now, the fund has been expanded so that grants of between £300 and £50,000 are also available to support clubs with their future plans. Funding can help them to be more innovative in their approach, to become sustainable for the long-term, or do more to tackle the inequalities that exist in sports participation.
For example, clubs may have fantastic ideas to increase opportunities for black and minority groups, people with disabilities, or women and girls. Sport Wales also has a specific target of improving opportunities for people living in areas of deprivation as research suggests that these disadvantaged communities have sadly fallen even further behind in terms of participation during the pandemic.
More than 550 clubs have benefited from a share of over £880,000 so far, and millions are still available for Sport Wales to distribute through the Be Active Wales Fund thanks to money from Welsh Government and re-purposed funding from the National Lottery.
Sport Wales Chief Executive Sarah Powell said: “As community sport restarts following the national firebreak, it will once again play an important role in keeping Wales active and supporting a healthy lifestyle.
“We want to ensure sport is ready and able to provide vital assets to local communities through these difficult times and beyond.
“The ‘progress’ element of the fund provides us with a chance to support more clubs who are ready to think about doing things differently in the future. Depending on the circumstances of your club, you should decide which element of the fund you want to apply for.”
Be Active Wales funding is only open to not-for-profit clubs and community organisations. Applicants should only apply for one element of the Be Active Wales Fund at any given time – either to ‘protect’, ‘prepare’ or ‘progress’.
For more information please visit sport. wales/beactivewalesfund