Whilst this is a very competitive funding programme, the eligibility criteria and application process, puts it within reach of many more local sports clubs, parish & community councils, and other voluntary organisations than may have been the case with previous funding streams of this kind. Indeed, almost £300,000 was awarded to Hertfordshire based sports clubs and organisations from the first funding round – including 2 in Dacorum.
A similar level of funding is anticipated from Round 2 of the programme which closed at the beginning of April, and a number of local organisations have started to prepare their bids for Round 3 which runs from 23rd July – 17th September 2012.
Herts Sports Partnership are committed to helping ensure that they maximise funding for Hertfordshire and to this end they will be holding a series of FREE workshops to increase awareness of this programme, and to assist prospective applicants to better understand the application process.
The next of these workshops is being held at the University of Hertfordshire on Wednesday 4th July from 6.30-8.30pm. Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis. To reserve your place please contact Cally Cardines c.cardines@herts.ac.uk

About Inspired Facilities
Sport England has launched a £50million programme to refurbish and improve up to 1000 community sports clubs.
The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country.
Investment will be available to breathe new life into tired facilities that can be unattractive to sports participants, expensive to run and difficult to maintain, putting these clubs right back at the heart of their local communities. There will also be money available to convert existing buildings into venues that are suitable for grassroots sport.
Typical investments might be:
• A sprung floor that converts an unused hall into a local multi-sport facility
• New changing rooms, so away teams no longer need to change in the car park
• New floodlights that mean a facility can be used for many more hours of the day.
At least £35 million of the funding will go to community and voluntary organisations(including local sports clubs and parish/ community councils) through grants of between £20,000 and £50,000. There is NO match funding requirement for these programmes
The remaining money will be open to a wider group of organisations, including councils and schools, with grants of up to £150,000 available. This has to be matched, pound for pound.

Last edited by Chris Allen on May 3, 2012