Funding & Grants Opportunities
Explore the current funding and grant opportunities that can support your setting with sport, physical activity, movement and play.
Spotlight on…
Local School Nature Grants
Overall details: Open to schools and early years settings in England, Scotland and Wales, this outdoor learning grant fund has two elements - £500 of outdoor equipment chosen from a catalogue of over 100 items, and an outdoor learning training course for your staff.
Who can apply: Schools and Early Years Settings
Types of projects that could receive funding: Outdoor learning
How much funding per project: £500
Link for Application
National Lottery Awards for All Wales
Overall details: National Lottery funding can help you make a difference in your community. We offer funding from £300 - £10,000 to support what matters to people and communities.
Who can apply: Voluntary or Community Organisations, registered charity, Schools
Types of projects that could receive funding: Bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities. Improve places and spaces that matter to communities. Help more people reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest stage. Support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost of living.
How much funding per project: £300 - £20,000
Tesco – Stronger Starts
Overall details: The grants will help schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and equipment for healthy activities.
Who can apply: Schools and Children’s groups.
Types of projects that could receive funding: Breakfast clubs, holiday clubs, play areas, food banks, equipment, or non-statutory services for children.
How much funding per project: £1500
National Lottery: Sustainable Steps Wales - Egin Grants
Overall details: We want to help community groups in Wales who are starting to take action on climate change and want to live in a more sustainable way. Our grants will help groups who are receiving support from Sustainable Steps Wales - Egin Mentoring Service, to kick start their ideas. You can ask to be mentored.
Who can apply:
Registered charity
Voluntary or community organisation
Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
Unregistered voluntary or community organisation
Town and community councils (providing there is strong support from the community for the idea to be developed).
School (as long as your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
Themes/aims of the fund:
The main focus of your project should be about engaging with climate change and living in a more sustainable way. But they would also like to know about the other benefits of your project. These could include things like improving people’s wellbeing, improving relationships between people and organisations, or improving biodiversity.
They want to fund projects that have thought about the impact their activities will have on nature and, where possible, limit anything that is damaging.
They want to fund projects that will share what they’ve learnt with others. They will fund organisations that want to learn, and plan to share what they learn with similar groups.
How much funding per project: up to £15,000
Closing dates: N/A can apply when you’re ready! (once you are signed up to be mentored by Egin).
Grants that are currently closed - but will re-open
Welsh Water Community Fund - Re-opens 1st May 2026
Overall details: In 2017 Welsh Water launched The Welsh Water Community Fund. Since the launch of the fund, they have donated over £500,000 supporting hundreds of local community initiatives.
Who can apply: Schools, Charitable Trusts, Housing associations and Friendly Societies.
Types of projects that could receive funding: Improvements to the environment or local community initiatives promoting health, wellbeing, and environmental objectives. Activities undertaken by registered community groups – specifically with health, wellbeing, cost of living support and environmental objectives. Improving and supporting local education activity for example water efficiency, environmental, innovation benefits.
How much funding per project: £5,000
Deadlines:
1st January 2026 - 28th February 2026
1st May 2026 - 30th June 2026
1st September 2026 - 31st October 2026
Hints, tips & tricks when applying for funding
Research the grant:
Read the eligibility criteria closely to check that you and the grant are a good match.
Take their eligibility quiz/check if they have one.
If possible, read examples of projects they have funded before.
Check their funding exclusions (what they will not fund).
Make a note of the deadline/closing date to ensure you submit on time.
Completing the application:
Use your pupil voice – a contribution from your young ambassadors and/or leaders could really strengthen your application.
Write in plain English – avoid acronyms and jargon, remember that a lot of the grants aren’t specific to schools so the funders may not be familiar with educational language.
Be specific about what you plan to do - keep it simple and make sure that the panel will understand exactly what you are going to do.
Focus your application on the funder’s priorities – most grants will have key outcomes or areas, so you want to ensure that your project addresses at least one of these.
Try to provide evidence that your project is needed – use pupil voice or local research/statistics to convince the funders that the project is required.
Don’t apply for more than you need – apply for your project costs, and don’t add extras just to get more money! Make sure all project costs are specific and don’t label anything as ‘miscellaneous’.
Need individual support with any applications? Feel free to reach out to our School Sport Officer for support