How to secure grassroots funding for your club 

It often starts with a message in the committee WhatsApp group.

“There’s a grant that could be perfect for us.”

Everyone agrees it’s worth applying. Then the questions begin.

Who has the latest copy of the constitution?

Didn’t we apply for something similar a couple of years ago?

How many active members do we actually have now?

Can someone pull together a few examples of the impact we’ve had in the community?

The funding opportunity is real. The deadline is approaching. Suddenly the club is spending more time finding information than writing the application itself.

That situation is familiar to plenty of grassroots clubs. The good news is that securing funding isn’t only about finding the right grant. It’s about making sure your club is ready when the opportunity arrives.

Funding starts long before the application

Many clubs assume the hardest part is finding funding.

In reality, that’s often the easy bit.

The biggest challenge is pulling together everything needed to show why your club deserves investment.

The strongest applications rarely feel rushed. They clearly explain what the club wants to achieve, who will benefit and how the funding will make a difference. That information doesn’t appear overnight. It’s built up over time.

Know what you’re asking for

“We need funding” isn’t something that funders will offer funding for. They want a funding project that has been clearly laid out for them. They want to understand what the investment will achieve.

Perhaps you want to:

• Expand opportunities for young people
• Improve facilities or equipment
• Support more inclusive sessions
• Train more volunteers
• Grow participation in an underrepresented group

The clearer your objective, the easier it becomes to explain why support is needed.

It also helps your committee make better decisions. Instead of applying for every grant you come across, you can focus on the opportunities that genuinely fit your club plans.

Capture your impact as you go

Grassroots clubs make a difference every day, but those moments are easy to forget by the time a funding application comes around.

A parent thanks a coach because their child finally looks forward to coming each week. A volunteer tells you they only meant to help for one session but never really left. A participant who stopped taking part comes back because they know they'll be welcomed. Another family recommends the club to friends because of the experience they've had.

Those moments matter just as much as participation numbers because they show the difference your club is making in people's lives.

Rather than trying to remember them later, capture them as you go. A short quote, a photograph (with permission) or a simple note can become valuable evidence when you're applying for funding.

If you're not sure where to begin, Showing your community impact is a 15-minute ThriveHub course with practical guidance and resources to help you collect and share your club's impact more effectively.

Make information easy to find

Every club has experienced it. When a volunteer steps down and suddenly nobody knows where important documents are.

The safeguarding policy is on one laptop, bank statements are with the treasurer, the constitution is in someone’s email and nobody is completely sure which version is the latest.

None of this prevents a successful funding application, but it all adds unnecessary pressure when deadlines are tight.

Creating one place for key documents, policies and club information saves time every time you need it, whether you’re applying for funding, recruiting volunteers or responding to a new opportunity.

Be ready before the opportunity appears

Finding the right grant is only part of the challenge. The clubs that tend to write the strongest applications aren't usually starting from scratch when a funding opportunity appears. They've already thought about what they want to achieve, gathered the information they'll need and have a clear picture of how funding will help move the club forward.

Spending a little time preparing in advance can make every application feel less daunting and give you more confidence that you're applying for opportunities that genuinely fit your club.

If the idea of pulling together a funding application still feels overwhelming, Power your funding strategy breaks the process down into manageable steps. In around 15 minutes, you'll learn how to prepare for funding opportunities before they appear, with practical planning templates and budgeting tools you can start using straight away.

Use the right tools to save time

Searching dozens of funding websites can quickly become another job on the committee’s to-do list.

That’s why we’ve created Fund Finder, a free tool helping grassroots clubs identify funding opportunities that match their location and priorities without minutes of searching.

Once you’ve found a suitable opportunity, the templates and practical resources in ThriveHub can help you prepare a stronger application without starting from a blank page.

Sometimes the biggest time saver isn’t finding more hours in the week. It’s having the right tools ready when you need them.

Think beyond the next grant

Funding can unlock fantastic opportunities, but it’s rarely the whole answer.

The strongest clubs usually build financial resilience through a combination of funding, sponsorship, membership income, fundraising and careful planning.

Looking at funding as one part of a wider strategy creates more stability and reduces the pressure of relying on a single application being successful.

Ready to take the next step?

If you’re preparing to apply for funding, there’s no need to tackle everything at once.

You might start by using Fund Finder to identify opportunities that suit your club.

If you’d like practical guidance first, ThriveHub includes short 15-minute courses, templates and resources covering topics such as Power your funding strategy, Does your structure support your club plans? and Showing your community impact, giving you practical actions you can start using straight away.

And if funding is one of your club’s biggest priorities this year, our Funding Focus helps you build a structured plan around securing investment, strengthening applications and creating a more sustainable approach to funding over the long term.