Community organisations in the West Midlands are to benefit from an extra £600,000 we’re making available as part of our investment into the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The National Lottery funding will be distributed to organisations across six Active Partnerships, who are working to support individuals – particularly inactive people from under-represented groups – to find ways to be active.
This funding comes as part of more than £35 million of investment by Sport England into Birmingham 2022, and will see eligible organisations able to apply for grants of between £100 and £2,500 for their project or event.
The six Active Partnerships distributing the funding cover the areas of Birmingham, the Black Country, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry, Solihull and Warwickshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, and Herefordshire and Worcestershire.
And with the funding aimed at tackling inequalities by supporting diversity and inclusion, our executive director of partnerships, Phil Smith, is keen to see a lasting impact from the Games.
“We want to use Birmingham 2022 as a catalyst to help more people in the Midlands be active,” he said.
“We are investing around £35 million in doing that, and today’s new funds are for local groups to use to make sport and physical activity more accessible to more people.
“We are delivering the funding through our local Active Partnerships, to leave a legacy of more active and more connected communities after the Games.”
Applicants for the funding will be required to show how their project or event will support those who need it most, or are from under-represented groups, while aligning with the missions of the Commonwealth Games.
These are:
- Bringing people together: celebrating sport and physical activity, connecting to the cultural vibrancy of the Commonwealth and supporting cultural diversity and inclusion.
- Improving health and wellbeing: focus on participation in physical activity, including targeting those who are inactive, and supporting access to kit and equipment.
- Helping the region to grow and succeed: focus on supporting volunteers and workforce development.
Applications are now open in all Active Partnership areas, and applicants are encouraged to check with their local partnership on the closing date.
Each Active Partnership area has local priority audiences they’re looking to support, with details available through their website.
