How to apply

Details of our currently available programmes are listed below.

London Borough of Brent Grants Programme

Our LB Brent grants programmes are now closed to new applications.

Requests submitted to the Trust in the Winter 2023 round are currently being assessed by the grants team.

Our trustees will be meeting in mid-March to make decisions on all applications received and notifications of awards will be sent out as soon as possible thereafter.

If the grants team need any additional information on your application, they will be in touch.

FAQ

Brent

We will accept applications from:

• Registered charities
• Community amateur sports clubs (registered with HMRC)
• Community interest companies
• Social enterprises and other forms of not-for-profit organisation
• Community sports clubs and groups, constituted as not-for-profit

To be eligible, an organisation must have:

  • A written constitution or set of rules that are clearly not-for-profit
  • A bank account in the organisation’s name
  • A management or organising committee of at least three unrelated people

Priority will be given to organisations based in LB Brent.

Schools and public authorities are not eligible for consideration in this round of funding. But we will accept applications from community-based organisations to deliver non-curricular sports activities in mainstream schools.

We will be prioritising applications from providers of sports and physical recreation activities based within LB Brent and delivering services for its residents.

We are keen to see how organisations are looking to make themselves more financially and organisationally sustainable in the long run and how our funding might contribute towards this.

Applications from organisations based outside LB Brent are eligible but will be of a lower priority and subject to the availability of funds for distribution.  We will though consider requests from organisations providing specialist sports services where there is not an appropriate local provider.

Yes, however if you are not a Registered Charity, a Community Amateur Sports Club (registered with HMRC) or a CIC, nor registered with your sport’s governing body, you will need to provide details of someone who can give a reference for your work. They must be independent of your organisation (ie. not a club member, service user or relative) and be able to talk to us about what you do. This might be a local councillor, local authority officer, sports official or someone from a recognised body such as the local CVS. The person you name must have given their permission.

Sorry no, we do not fund individuals. We can only give grants to organisations.

Sorry no, we do not fund individuals. We can only give grants to organisations.

We are offering two levels of grant (see Q7 below). Grants awarded can be used for any purpose related to the provision of sports and physical activities for residents of LB Brent.
Sports clubs and groups can use the funds to cover any almost costs within your organisation This can be for any revenue expenditure (coaching, venue hire, training, volunteer costs etc), making purchases of kit and equipment, or modest building alterations.  We want to know how the funding will help make your organisation more sustainable in the longer run.
Note, we cannot cover those you incur as part of your core requirements eg insurance, membership and registration fees.
Generalist providers running a sports activity must be able to relate all expenditure directly to their sports provision.

There are two programmes available in this round:
Community awards – of up to £3,000, ideal for small community organisations or more modest equipment purchases
Strategic awards – of up to £25,000, for larger programmes of work or significant capital works / acquisitions
Grants in both programmes can be used towards either capital or revenue expenditure.
Note that larger grants are unlikely to be awarded to small organisations.  You should contact the Trust’s office for confirmation of suitability before applying for a strategic award.

No. But our funds are always limited and we are always interested to see what other resources an applicant organisation might have available to help strengthen its work.

You must complete our on-line application form – see how to apply. Be sure to attach or send us everything we require to process your application.

The deadline for the submission of applications to the Winter 2023 grants round has now passed.

No, we can only accept one application from any club/organisation in any grants round.

Yes, but we prioritise applications from organisations that are locally-based in LB Brent and which ideally have some track record of delivery.  We do though recognise that sometimes a specialist service (eg an impairment-specific activity for disabled people) is best delivered by a regional or national provider, where there is not a local equivalent.

Yes, but only for wider community-based work delivering sports programmes. We cannot fund work which aims to promote religion.

No. Each application is assessed on its own merits and awards made accordingly.

If you are applying for funds towards the purchase of kit, equipment or capital works, please provide us with a written quotation, copy of a catalogue/brochure, website reference or something similar to confirm the cost.
However, please remember that some suppliers may be offering deals or discounts that are only available for a limited period. We cannot guarantee to cover any changes in price.

No, we cannot fund the costs of any work you have undertaken, any equipment already purchased or courses attended before the formal award of any funds (and not when you submit the application).  If you make any financial commitment before you hear back from us with a decision on your application, you do so at your own risk.
Please remember that there will always be a gap between the time you apply and when we advise you of our decision. There is usually about a month between the closing date for applications and notifications of decisions going our from us.  Please get in touch if things are more time critical.

Unfortunately not. The funds we have available for distribution are limited and we expect every grant round to be over-subscribed. However, we will help as many groups as we can. But some requests may be eligible for consideration but not funded.

You can apply again in any subsequent grants round. Future grants rounds will depend on Wembley Stadium continuing to generate income for the Trust through staging ticketed sporting and music events.  Please get in touch if you would like feedback on any rejected application.

If you received a grant from us in 2022, you will need to have both completed the spend of those funds AND submitted the monitoring and evaluation form we sent you to report back to us on that grant.  Failure to do so will make your organisation ineligible this time round.

In line with WNST’s commitment as a flexible and responsible funder, we will not expect long or complex reports. But we will need to know that the grant has been spent properly and to hear how our award has helped your organisation. We will ask you:
• how you spent the funds and whether it has all been spent
• how many people have benefitted from the grant
• what difference the grant has made and how you have helped people recover from the pandemic
We also undertake a programme of visits to funded organisations, both to see the work we are funding in action and help expand our own learning.  It is always instructive to talk to coaches, participants, parents, staff and volunteers.

We are unlikely to want to visit organisations as part of the assessment process during this grants round.  However, we might need to clarify issues on your application with you by phone or email.
We will often want to come and visit grant-holders to see the work we are funding in action, as part of our monitoring of the grant. We also welcome invitations to events and celebrations (although please understand we may not always be able to attend).
We do though reserve the right to call by on any applicant or grant holder at any reasonable time. Ordinarily, we would arrange a mutually convenient time for a visit, but in some, very limited circumstances (eg where we suspect fraud, the deliberate misrepresentation of the truth or the misapplication of funds) this might not be appropriate.

Schools themselves are not eligible for support in this round of funding but might be so again in the future.
We will though consider applications from local community organisations wishing to deliver extra-curricular sports activities in Brent mainstream schools outside of core school hours.

Public authorities are not eligible for consideration in this round but might be so again in the future. At this time, we want to focus our funding on grassroots delivery.

No, trips abroad are ineligible for consideration.

No, we are unlikely to consider the purchase of vehicles to be a priority in this round.

No, we can only fund the costs of direct sports provision.

We also often receive requests for gifts and contributions towards fundraising raffles, auctions etc.  In partnership with The FA, we will help where we can but the demand always far outstrips supply, so please understand when we have to say “No, sorry”.

The WNST trustees meet to consider all applications received about a month after the closing date.

Following the meeting, you will receive an email from us with the decision.  If you application is successful that message will include any conditions attached to the award and the process for drawing down the funds.  If you are unsuccessful, you are free to contact the Trust for further information regarding the rejection.

We do not automatically pay grants out when awards are agreed.

If your application is successful, you will receive an email telling you so.  That message will have attached a Payment Request Form that we require you to complete and return to us, when you are ready to start spending the funds.  At that time, you should also send us a copy of a bank statement, cheque or paying-in slip, so as to confirm your bank details.  All payments are made by BACS transfer.

  • Community awards will be paid in full in one instalment.
  • Strategic awards for revenue projects will usually be paid quarterly in advance (you only need make one request at the start of the project, we will set up each payment to reach you automatically. Please talk to us if this is not appropriate for your project.
  • Strategic awards for capital projects will paid however is most appropriate eg in one instalment for purchases or in staged payments for building works.  We are happy to discuss such arrangements.

You will receive an email confirmation of each payment made, which we will ask you to acknowledge receipt of.