Guide To Playground Funding

Charities, schools and community groups have the opportunity to apply for funding for local projects that require financial assistance to the ASDA Foundation. Grants of between £5,000 and £10,000 are available for good causes and community groups in your local area.

Aviva Community Fund offers support and project funding. The scheme supports projects related to health and wellbeing, activities for children, and young people and support for family life. If your project will have positive effects on your community, have a look at the guidelines on the Aviva site.

Part of the Big Lottery Fund, ‘Awards For All’ funds projects that allow communities to take part in art, sport, and community activities and also fund projects that promote education, the environment, and health within the local community. Applicants must be a voluntary, community, or statutory organisation and have a governing body.

Small, medium and large grants are available. The Bank of Scotland supports people and local communities across Scotland. Local, regional, and national charities passing the eligibility test for selected grants may apply. All three grant levels are open in four stages throughout the year.

Children in Need is the BBC’s UK corporate charity. They provide grants to projects which focus on children and young people who are disadvantaged. Grant programmes are open all year and are awarded three to four times a year.

Biffawardis is managed by the Royal Society of Wildlife trust. The programme supports as many projects across the UK as possible. It aims to enhance community spaces, cultural facilities, and places for outdoor recreation. Eligible projects must benefit local people of all ages and must be no more than 10 miles away from either a Biffa site or any landfill site.

The Big Lottery Fund aims to bring improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. Areas targeted include health, education, environment, and charitable purposes. Organisations in the public, private, and third party sectors can apply for funding.

Funding is available for initiatives such as building a school pond, developing a nature reserve, etc. For more information visit the website.

The Foundation has two distinct grant-making strands: the Main Grants Programme, and a Small Grants Programme which is currently under review. It is worth visiting their criteria as they have supported schools to a large degree in the past.

A Big Lottery Fund Scheme, the Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) encourages the economic development of UK coastal communities. The fund will support private businesses, social enterprises, new business start-ups, charities, and community projects. There are four rounds in a year.

Community Foundations manage and allocate funds donated by individuals, statutory bodies, and charitable trusts. Funds are targeted at projects that make a genuine difference to local communities. Only local community groups and voluntary organisations can apply.

Community Matters offers a funding support service that consists of a large amount of capacity building help sheets and access to both our monthly funding newsletter and also the funding database, which allows you to search for smaller local funds, as well as national funders.

Small, medium and large grants are available for different groups with different aims. Comic Relief aims to provide funding for groups looking to create and support social change in local areas across the UK and other parts of the world. Local, regional and national charities and community groups may apply.

Supports a number of trusts through the Landfill Communities Fund in the areas of the country where Cory Environmental provides waste management services. Playing field and play area projects should be eligible under the Community Improvement funding stream.

A forum for finding out information for lots of disability grants.

Many of the schemes it supports relate to the countryside and environmental and architectural conservation, and are all educational in emphasis. Grants range from £100 -£3,000 in the small grants category, and £3,000 -£10,000 in the main grants category.

Fields in Trust (FIT) is an independent UK-wide charity dedicated to protecting and improving outdoor sports and play spaces, and protecting playing fields. Their aim is to improve the quality of life and health of everyone throughout the UK, through protecting and developing high quality, well-used local facilities. Applications for funding and other support are welcome by any organisation that seeks to improve their local sports and play facilities.

The Foundation is the largest sports charity in the UK and provides grants of between £100 and £1 million to revitalise grassroots sport, investing in parks, schools and playing fields, harnessing the power of the game within local communities and promoting education and social inclusion.

Scotland is an independent charity established in 1996 and has distributed over £50m across Scotland, providing funding for good causes, supporting innovation and community across Scotland. Companies, registered charities, individuals and community groups working in Scotland can apply, subject to guidelines.

The Foyle Foundation is an independent grant making trust that funds UK charities whose core work is in the areas of arts and learning. The foundation prioritises applications that cater for those with special educational needs and learning difficulties. The foundation also aims to support projects that have a long term strategic impact. Registered UK charities are eligible to apply and organisations must meet strict criteria to prove their projects will provide a direct benefit or service to the public.

A central portal that provides visibility of a wide range of funding and grants.

The trustees focus their funding on: the arts, community, education, environment, health, religion, welfare and youth.

Greggs Foundation Local Community Projects Fund helps organisations based in local communities to deliver projects or provide equipment to people in need. The Greggs Foundation tend to favour smaller groups and organisations, and those who are disadvantaged. The local community projects fund is open in three stages throughout the year.

Groundwork is a UK environmental regeneration charity. It supports communities in need, working with partners to help improve the quality of people’s lives, their prospects, and the places where they live, work and play. Their aims are to build safer and stronger communities, promote health and wellbeing, provide young people with something to do, and promote environmental sustainability.

Run by the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery fund supports a wide range of projects which aim to make a lasting difference for heritage, people, and communities in the UK. Organisations in the public, private, and third sectors can apply for lottery funding. Applications applicable to play and parks have two deadlines.

This innovative tax credit scheme enables operators of landfill sites to contribute money to enrolled Environmental objects contained in the Landfill Tax Regulations. The Government viewed the LCF as a way for Landfill Operators and Environmental Bodies to work in partnership to create significant environmental benefits and jobs, and to undertake projects which improve the lives of communities living near landfill sites.

Current small grant priorities include Young People and the Arts, Local People, and Local Places. For more information visit the website.

Learning Through Landscapes is the national school grounds charity. They believe school grounds play a vital role in every child’s learning and development. The charity aims to help schools and early years settings make the most of their outdoor spaces for play and learning.

The London Marathon Charitable Trust primarily provides capital funding for building or facilities projects that inspire increased participation in physical activity, sport or play. The trustees make decisions four times throughout the year.

The Lord’s Taverners provides grants to SEN schools to enable them to purchase a range of outdoor playground and gym equipment which caters for their needs. Applications will only be accepted from schools that cater for young people under the age of 25, who have a physical/sensory/learning disability.

The Morrisons Foundation is funded by a number of revenue streams and is the chief recipient of the money generated through the sale of carrier bags in Morrisons stores in England. Their aims are to make a positive difference to people living in England, Scotland, and Wales through community groups, charities and other bodies committed to creating a positive difference for people in their community.

The National Lottery funds projects in the arts, sports heritage, charity, voluntary, health, education, and environmental sectors. Each project makes a real difference to lives and communities across the UK.

The One Family Foundation helps fund community projects that matter to their customers. It also lends a financial helping hand to customers or their loved ones in times of need, up to £25K! School projects that have been successfully funded through the ‘Community Awards’ programme have included outdoor play spaces.

Play England campaigns for all children and young people to have freedom and space to play throughout childhood. They work with national partners, corporates, and other organisations with shared aims to raise awareness about the importance of play.

Active Communities is a funding programme for community groups and not-for-profit organisations, with an income of less than £350,000 a year, or an average of £350,000 over two years.

Funding for good causes in England, Scotland, and Wales, including those that advance public participation in sport.

This includes support for capital developments at education establishments, particularly where community use is encouraged, projects for young people with special needs, and informal community-based education activities, including youth training and projects, which encourage links between the family and school. For more information visit the website.

Sport England is committed to helping people and communities across the country create sporting habits for life. Various funding is available:

Community Asset Fund: Sports clubs and community organisations will be able to apply for investment from their Community Asset Fund – a capital fund dedicated to enhancing the spaces in your local community that give people the opportunity to be active.

Inspired Facilities is a £110 million programme that funds the renovation and modernisation of local sports facilities.

Small Grants uses Lottery funding to make awards of be1ween £300 and £10,000 to not-for-profit organisations to help more people play sports.

The Trust is particularly interested in supporting innovative projects and pilot schemes that have the potential to benefit large numbers, and in the new research. In addition, the Trust sponsors 4 Specialist Schools per year. For more information visit the website.

The money raised from the 5p bag charge in Tesco stores in England, Wales, and Scotland is being used to pay for a large number of local projects to improve green spaces in communities. Projects that will get the green light as a result of the funding will include building new pocket parks, sports facilities, woodland walks, and community gardens.

A medium-sized grant-making foundation giving grants to small, well-established organisations in the UK that address local issues in areas of extreme urban deprivation, or in remote and fragile rural communities.

UK Business Grants provides access to over 600 government business grants in the UK.

Funds community projects across the UK, including restoring green spaces, im­proving community halls, and creating new play areas and skate parks. Projects must be within proximi1y to a site owned by Veolia Trust.

Wooden Spoon is a charitable grant-giving organisation that funds projects across the UK and Ireland to support disadvantaged and disabled children.

Awards grants to community projects that are eligible under the Landfill Communities Fund. WREN received the majority of its funding from landfill tax. Community projects are eligible within a 10-mile radius of landfill sites in the WREN operating area. Single sports projects will not be applicable, nor will the fabric of a building such as a pavilion. However, WREN will fund the internals of a pavilion or open community facilities, such as a MUGA or play area.