London’s Community Investment Fund will be distributed on a £2m per annum basis. In order to allocate these limited funds the London Regional Sports Board will apply particular criteria.

Projects must contribute to the overall aim of the London Plan, increasing participation in sport and physical activity in London by 1% per annum
Projects should reflect the priorities set out by the London Sports Board in the London Plan for Sport
Priority will be given to projects that address the specific success criteria of this plan under one or more of the following headings:

In addition priority will be given to those projects that:
Are innovative and in multi-sport, multi-activity and multi-use settings.
Deliver sport and physical activity to those groups which represent the region's and Sport England's priorities.

• Have significant partnership funding secured, thus reducing the call on the limited funds available as well as increasing the overall investment in sport. Applicants should look to exceed the government's 2:1 external to lottery funding ratio where possible.

Applicants should note the following:

• Robust evidential proof of need, sustainability and how the project delivers against the above, backed up by current and potential future delivery figures will be required for each application.
  
• Revenue projects will receive a maximum of three years tapered funding. Applicants’ business plans must make provision for sustainability  
  
• All awards will be fixed. There will be no opportunity to return for increased funding once an award has been made.
  
• Schemes that have already received project funding, or are likely to receive funding from another source in the future, are unlikely to receive funding. In certain circumstances, however, consideration may be given to revenue funding to support an existing capital project.
  
• Given the £2 million per year budget, smaller grant requests are more likely to be successful.  It is very unlikely that large capital requests, particularly any in excess £500,000 would be successful
  
• Applications will be considered from community organisations/charities and not for profit trusts.
  
• Local authorities and other statutory agencies will be considered but must demonstrate partnership working and cannot use the fund to replace statutory funding.
  

The funding available is clearly insufficient to meet demand and to deliver the London Plan for Sport in its entirety. This means that the London sports board will focus its attention on those activities, sports and organisations that offer the best return on investment and can best deliver the priorities highlighted in the London plan.

Whilst the application process is open, it is vital that applicants read the London Plan for Sport carefully and having established eligibility. You shouldl also attend one of the monthly workshops or arrange an advisory meeting to gauge the probability of success of an application.

With fierce competition for limited funds we will provide advice and guidance to ensure that valuable time is not wasted in submitting lengthy applications that are unlikely to be successful.

Once you are ready to proceed, the first step is to find out whether your project meets our basic criteria. You can use our online enquiry form to do this.

For a full explanation about how to obtain Sport England funding please refer to the Three Steps to Funding leaflet (18KB) PDF

Load online enquiry form

We have prepared a number of guidance notes and templates to help you develop your project idea.

Go to guidance notes and templates index

If you have any questions about Sport England funding, please contact our helpline on 08458 508 508 (Monday-Friday, 8am-6pm)