Amateur and Grassroots Sporting Organisations Improvement Funding

Introduction

We are seeking Expressions of Interest (EOI) from local grassroots sports clubs and sporting organisations to access the Amateur and Grassroots Sporting Organisations Improvement Fund.

As outlined in our Corporate Plan, we are committed to supporting opportunities that enhance the physical, mental, and emotional health of its citizens.

This grants fund aims to support the development of sporting facilities to increase access, boost participation, and elevate standards of sporting excellence.

The submitted Expressions of Interest will be reviewed, and clubs and organisations that meet the eligible criteria will be invited to submit a full application.

These applications will be assessed by a panel of our officers.

The grant program offers 50% match funding, with a maximum funding level of £50,000.

Organisations must have match funding in place at the time of submitting their full application.

Projects must have a total minimum value of £10,000, with no upper limit on project value, provided the organisation can secure all necessary additional funding beyond the amount allocated by us.

All applicants  must be formally constituted as a Sporting Organisation/Group in good standing with the Charity Commission of NI and be based in the Mid and East Antrim borough.

Project Type

The funding from the Amateur and Grassroots Sporting Organisations Improvement Grant will be allocated to enhance and extend the value and lifespan of the organisation’s facilities, with the aim of increasing participation, improving user experience, and supporting performance development.

The grant will not support the development of social spaces, such as club bars or restaurants, which are not directly linked to sporting activities.

Additionally, the funding will not cover the purchase of vehicles, general repairs, or routine maintenance.

It is anticipated that the demand for grant support may exceed the available funding.

As a result, the assessment process will be conducted in two stages and will be competitive.

Application Type

The following types of projects will be eligible

• Capital works to buildings including internal and external upgrades, extensions and development of existing spaces.
• Significant repairs to buildings to vacant/derelict bringing space back into use.
• Investment to reduce energy use and to support a sustainable environment.
• A clearly defined phase of a larger capital project.
• Environmental works to support enhanced use of a venue, e.g. external lighting pathways and fencing.
• Significant items of capital equipment whose purchase supports the objectives of the fund.

Eligibility Criteria

The project described in the Expression of Interest must meet the following eligibility criteria

• The organisation must own or rent the sports facility directly linked to the investment
• The minimum value of the project must be £10,000.
• The project must demonstrate that it can be completed by 31 March 2028.
• The application must provide detailed plans and costs of what it seeks to achieve.
• Match funding must be in place at the time of full application.
• The organisation must demonstrate that the project will have a significant sporting impact.

Expenditure items

The call for Expressions of Interest follows the successful delivery and review of an earlier grants programme.

Eligible items include

• Building work - new build, phased development, extensions, reconfiguring room layouts to facilitate development
• Groundworks - paths, seating, fencing
• Equipment which can be defined as Capital on a financial balance sheet
• 10% of the grant can be claimed to support administration costs such as architectural fees and tender advertising.

What work is not eligible

• Vehicles including minibuses and vans.
• Minor repairs to buildings.
• Building work to non-sports related areas such as bars and restaurants.
• Small capital items such as gym equipment.
• Proposals from organisations who have significant cash reserves already in place.

The need to demonstrate an impact

In the Expression of Interest, the applicant will need to provide information that highlights the impact the capital investment will have on those who use the facility.

This will be scored and only Expressions of Interest that meet the eligibility criteria and demonstrate a significant impact will be invited to complete a full application.

Preference will be given to projects that enable new programmes, attract more participants and support additional activities, e.g. development of women’s sport, youth teams, and adapted/disability sports.

Past projects the grants scheme has supported

The following are examples of previous projects which have been supported by the grants programme.

• The upgrading of lighting and heating to be more environmentally friendly and reduce costs
• The creation of family changing facilities to attract new groups
• The erection of an external canopy to host additional events
• The conversion of a disused overgrown area into a mini soccer space
• The building of a gym (excluding equipment costs) to be used by the wider community
• The draining of a sports pitch so it can be used throughout the year.

Equality of opportunity

While administering the Grant Scheme, we will ensure the promotion of equality of opportunity between:

• Persons of different religious belief, political opinion, racial group, age, marital status or sexual orientation.
• Men and women generally.
• Persons with a disability and persons without; and
• Persons with dependants and persons without.

In addition, due regard will be given to the promotion of good relations between people of different religious beliefs, political opinion or racial group.

Procurement of Goods and Services

The following procurement procedures must be adhered to when purchasing any individual good or service relating to the project.

Organisations will be required, if they are offered a grant to obtain the necessary written quotations as outlined below.

Quotations:

	Procurement Limit (ex VAT unless stated)	Procurement process Required (exclusive of VAT)
1.	Under £1,000	Evidence of a minimum of 1 emailed quotation sought and retained.
2.	£1,000 to £4,999.99	Evidence of 2 emailed quotations being sought and retained
3.	£5,000 to £9,999.99	Evidence of 3 written quotations being sought where and retained
4.	£10,000 to £49,999.99	Evidence of 4 written quotations sought and retained
5.	£50,000+	Publicly advertised tender. Process managed by a qualified professional .

Payment of Grant

Payment of grant will be made after the project has been completed and upon submission of a claim form with evidence of the work, invoices paid and bank statements. Interim payments may be made following agreement between us and the applicant.

N.B. We, at our discretion, may contact suppliers directly to verify expenditure has taken place in accordance with the funding awarded.

Cases of suspected fraud involving council funds will be reported to the police.

Marketing

Successful applicants will be required to acknowledge the contribution made by us in proportion to the level of funding awarded.

Guidance will be provided in the Letter of Offer.

Match Funding

Match funding must be in place at the time of full application and can include evidence of bank loans, other funding bids and letters confirming intended support for the project from donors e.g. businesses or individual donors.

Match funding cannot include operating revenue in the organisations bank account.

EOI Deadline

The EOI must be completed before 5pm, 20 April 2026 and emailed to: regenerationgrants@midandeastantrim.gov.uk

The EOI is the first stage of a 2-stage process and there is no guarantee of a grant offer.

Application and Approvals Process

Stage
1	Expression of Interest
2	Review of Expressions of Interest
3	Some organisations asked to complete Full Applications
4	Assessment of Applications
5	Recommendations sent to Elected Members for approval

The proposal will progress through several stages.

The submission of an Expression of Interest form is MANDATORY to be considered under the grant programme.

It DOES NOT indicate that your submission will be selected to complete a full application or receive funding.

Stage 1. Submission of the Expression of Interest.

This will include detailed information about the sporting organisation applying for the funding and the proposed project.

In the Expression of Interest, the organisation will be required to provide the information required to confirm that it meets the eligibility criteria for the Grant.

Stage 2. Review of Expressions of Interest.

Each of the Expressions of Interest will be reviewed by our officers.

Only organisations who have completed an Expression of Interest that meets the eligible criteria will be invited to complete a full application.

Reasons for the proposal not moving to full application include

• It is a significant capital build and cannot be completed by 31 March 2028.
• That no drawings or clear specifications for the project are available.
• There is a lack of clarity regarding the impact of the project.
• Planning permission is required and hasn’t been applied for.
• There is a lack of clear financial information provided in the Expression of Interest.
• There are no clear benefits or impact defined in the Expression of Interest.
• That the organisation has significant financial reserves in place and the project could take place without support from us.

Stage 3. Completion of Full Application.

If an organisation has not completed an Expression of Interest, it cannot be considered for grant support.

The full application will seek additional information to support the delivery of the project.

This will include

• Details regard the capacity of the organisation to deliver the project.
• A copy of planning permission, lease agreements and building control approvals.
• Evidence of match funding being in place including letters of support from banks, supporters etc.
• A review of the organisation’s accounts.
• Evidence that the project can be delivered to practical completion stage by the 31 March 2028.

Stage 4. Assessment of the full application.

Council officers from several departments will assess and score the application only based on the information that has been provided.

The scoring matrix for the application will be as follows:

Theme	Comment	Score	Min mark
Clear information about the proposal	That there is a clear definition of what the project is. This may include drawings, designs, and planning approval. Specification of equipment, pictures of proposals, intended suppliers.	20%	Each Application must pass all five elements, the pass mark being 40%
Evidence of Need	There is clear information provided to support the need for the development.	30%
Capacity to deliver	Evidence that care has been taken to set in place the people with the skills to manage the delivery of the project	20%
Benefits and Impact	What the investment will achieve and the impact on the organisation, number of new events, activities and number of people impacted.	20%
Finances	Clear and realistic information regards costs of the project.	10%

Stage 5. Recommendation to Council.

Contact Details

The Amateur and Grassroots Sporting Organisations Improvement Funding 2026-28 is administered by the Regeneration team.

Regeneration Manager - Eamon McMullan              

Regeneration Officer - Keith Hamilton

If you have a query email: regenerationgrants@midandeastantrim.gov.uk and an officer will be in contact.

Specific conditions

• All projects awarded funding within the 2026/28 financial year must be completed by 31 March 2028 and have final claims submitted by 31 March 2028.
• Any sports clubs or activity to be eligible to apply for a grant they must fall into one of the categories defined by Sport NI as a sport.
  Sports activities by any group must also fall into one of the categories defined by Sport NI as a sport.
  A list of recognised sports for the purposes of this policy is available on the Sport NI website.