Small Grants Fund

We will prioritise applications that reach inactive people from the following communities to enable them to lead active lives: 

• Ethnically diverse communities  
• People experiencing mental health conditions  
• People from lower socio-economic groups  
• People living with disabilities  
• People living with long-term health condition  

Please include the following in your application meet the following to be considered: 

Criteria 1: Project & Activity 

Criteria 2: Priority Groups 

Criteria 3: Inclusivity 

Criteria 3: Funding 

Criteria 5: Safeguarding 

Criteria 6: Organisation check  

Projects need to be able to kick off in the next 6 weeks (include the time needed to process the funding) and run for a minimum of 6 weeks in total. Projects should look to continue after the funding period ceases. 

You can apply if you are a: 

• Formally constituted club, association, or trust 

• Registered Charity 

• Local Authority 

• Social Enterprise, 

• Registered CASC 

• Community Interest Company, 

• Non-for-profit company limited by guarantee, without share capital and without persons of significant control. 

We cannot accept applications from: 

• Individuals 

• Sole Traders 

• Organisations that are aimed at generating profits primarily for private distribution. 

We cover various expenses such as instructors, facilities, equipment, marketing, and promotions.

Please complete application form. We welcome any supporting media such as videos, images and blogs to accompany your application but this is not essential. Delivery partners must comply to our Standard Operating Conditions and you will be asked to upload your safeguarding policy.  

To ensure we are working with safe, inclusive and reputable organisations and activities, Active Essex requires funding recipients to adhere to our Standard Operating Conditions outlined in this short video here. 

Any organisations applying for delivery to under 5s must be registered with the ECC Early Years Charter. 

Please relate your application to our funding priority audience and let us know who your project will support and how many inactive people you plan to engage. Please tell us how much money you need and what it will be spent on. If you have any questions before you apply, please contact the relevant Active Essex Relationship Manager for your area. 

We have produced an online paper copy and prompt sheet for you to access ahead of proceeding with your application, should you wish to plan this ahead of submission. This can be accessed here. 

We will acknowledge receipt of your application and let you know the outcome as soon as possible. This will usually take up to two weeks. We will contact you should we need any further information about your application. 

If you are successful, you’ll receive a simple award agreement clarifying the purpose of the award, the amount, and the conditions of the award. Once the agreement has been signed and processed, you will receive your funding within 30 days. 

What do you mean by people who are physically inactive?

Anyone who is currently undertaking less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week.

Can I apply as an individual or a friendship group?

We can only give grants to constituted organisations with a bank account.

How much funding can I request?

We hope to receive applications that range between £500 and £3000.

When does my project need to start and what is the minimum length of time it needs to run for? 

Applications need to start within 6 weeks of funding being received and must finish by September 2026, running for a minimum of six weeks total. Projects should look to continue after the funding period ceases.

What costs are eligible for funding?

Supporting residents to lead active lives through the cost of living crisis is important to both Active Essex and The London Marathon Foundation. Therefore, we are willing to be very flexible and fund a broad range of costs associated with getting people active. We also understand that inflation is affecting the cost of delivering projects and items you need to buy and pay for may be more expensive now. 

In your application form please provide details on what additional support you may need to deliver your project, how it will help get people active and what it will cost.