Together Fund Questions

Who can be funded?

Can we receive funding if we already receipt other Sport England funding?

Yes, so long as the purpose for the Together Fund does not duplicate the purpose of the other Sport England funding. This should be separate from or complimentary to any other funding previously secured from Sport England. Please highlight other Sport England funding as part of your proposal.

If you have received Tackling Inequalities funding previously, we will continue to invest in repeat applicants up to the cap Sport England have put in place if you are seeking investment for:

• A new project and you can show past TIF projects and the audiences reached are continuing to engage with activity
• An existing project that seeks to develop deeper connections to the audience, building a sustainable habit of regular activity

Can projects be funded if delivered directly by local authorities or health partners?

Sport England have said that broadly speaking, we would expect activity to be provided by community sector organisations. Some centres may be owned by a public body and it will likely be acceptable to fund such projects. In any event it will be important to demonstrate the approach is meeting a gap/providing additionality, meaning the activity we are supporting is distinct from any statutory funding. Projects involving NHS partners should not be for the continuation of existing or set up of service delivery that should be the domain of integrated care systems / public health / NHS commissioning (e.g. where physical activity is included within clinical guidance for care pathways). We are interested in projects that support people to move from rehab services to community sport. Mental health first aider training and similar approaches could also be included to support community organisations strengthen the quality of the experience that participants receive.

Can schools be involved with projects?

Yes, but activity should not be delivered during curricular time. All activity should be delivered before or after school, during lunchtime or holiday periods.

Can religious groups be involved with projects?

All faith groups can make a valuable contribution, particularly given the role that many can play in connecting with priority audiences. You should be confident they can deliver and be aware that any funded activity should not be used to promote the religious beliefs of the organisations.

Can projects support activities for under 5s?

We cannot support projects that focus on under 5s as the main audience. However, where a project includes a small number of this age group as part of a wider audience e.g. part of a family engagement project, this can be supported. Applicants should set out the intended audience and balance of the focus clearly in their submission to avoid confusion and delays in the approval process.

What activity can be funded?

Can the funding be used to offset membership fees at a club?

Providing lower or no cost activities is acceptable. It is preferable to support the actual costs which membership relates to e.g., coaching / session costs. The funding should not be used to distribute funds to individuals.

Can we fund on-costs, admin, co-ordination and management fees?

We will only support funding for direct project costs and for an appropriate and proportionate share of an organisation’s overheads in delivering the project.

Can we fund research and evaluation?

Research costs can’t be included but as part of co-ordinating activity there might a small amount connected to administering surveys or similar for evidencing impact and learning.

What costs are eligible?

The following are eligible costs:

• Staff costs, volunteer, instructor or coach costs
• Training costs
• Rent / facility hire
• Utility costs
• IT costs
• Insurance

What costs are ineligible?

There are certain items that are not eligible for lottery funding as follows:

• Activities or costs which are already covered by other government funding including rates
• Capital works
• Activities promoting religious or political beliefs
• Where there is personal benefit to an individual
• Any private business or profit-making organisations unless they are a Social Enterprise or Community Interest Company
• Partnerships and freelancers
• Loss of Sponsorship or loan repayments.
• Replacement of general equipment for reasons unrelated to the Together Fund (its broken, tired, torn etc).
• Contingency costs and VAT organisations are seeking to recover.

This list is not exhaustive, if you are unsure please do get in touch.

Can the fund support capital?

The fund should not be used to support projects involving construction or refurbishment of property, putting up temporary buildings or land improvement. We can’t fund fixed items of equipment that cannot be easily moved, or fixed equipment that may require planning permission or may impact on any lease.

Can we fund activities that an organisation will also charge participants for?

Yes, if the costs are proportionate to the audience and they do not present a barrier to participation.

Can we fund one off events?

Generally, the fund will not support one-off events or sessions unless they have a clear purpose to engage or re-engage with an audience and can demonstrate that they are either at the beginning or end of a wider piece of activity for those involved.

Many holiday activity projects are proposed and we are keen to support children and young people’s activity during the holidays – even if it is just for a short period. We would encourage holiday activity projects to be linked to a longer-term activity or a suitable exit route.

Can the funding be used to provide vouchers for participants?

This cost is appropriate if reflected in the following scenarios:

• The vouchers are low in value and will be used as a tool for engagement.
• The vouchers have no monetary value at all and if the user does not use the voucher, they would not be entitled to receive the value of the service in cash.
• The vouchers would be redeemed for activity within a not-for-profit community organisation only. They should not be distributed for commercial organisations such as gyms where the longer-term involvement of the participant could result in a profit to the organisation.
• The person eligible for the voucher would be selected because they are one of Sport England’s key demographics.
• The value of any unused vouchers should be returned to the recipient organisation and where they cannot repurpose the amount in line with guidelines, should return to the RYA.

Can we include spend on incentives / prizes for projects to encourage people to take part?

Sport England discourage using Together Fund monies to pay for incentives to encourage individuals to take part in sport. There is limited evidence to show that this type of approach can be successful in the long term. Additionally, lottery funding should not be used to provide direct benefit to an individual where there could potentially be a cash value to what is being given e.g. amazon or iTunes voucher. Where projects feel that they wish to use incentives that provide a personal gain to an individual that is not essential to their participation in the activity we advise that they seek other ways of supporting these locally e.g. through donations, alternative sources of funding or sponsorship.

We can support reasonable costs which were linked to the activity to encourage participation e.g. water bottle, T shirt.

Can we include the cost of childcare within projects where this is a barrier to participation?

Where childcare is found to be a real barrier and will align to the delivery of the activity then we are happy to support this i.e. the childcare is at the same site for the time covering the activity period. Off-site childcare provision would not be eligible.

Can training costs for individuals be supported?

We can support reasonable individual training costs where it is essential to the delivery of the activity or the sustainability of the organisation being funded. The training would need to support delivering activity to TF priority audiences.

What equipment can be purchased through the fund?

Can projects use the funding to purchase equipment?

Yes, relevant equipment that would support communities to be more active in this current period can be purchased through the fund. This fund is not about longer-term equipment replacement however as there are other funding programmes that offer that function. Do think about how any equipment groups request will remain in circulation/use beyond the short term immediate response.