Basketball England Development Grant Information
A page with information on the Basketball England Development Grant, it's criteria and purpose.
Basketball England supports regional basketball activities which help grow the game and support BE's strategic objectives via the Regional Development Grant.
Through a membership rebate scheme, Basketball England is investing in affiliated associations, clubs and leagues to assist their basketball development plans.
Whether a well-established and thriving organisation or at an early stage of development, the Development Grant can provide valuable financial support to help progress organisatios' ambitions. Typical grant awards range from £250 to £1,500.
Development Grant funding is allocated to each of BE's 10 Regional Management Committees (RMCs), who are responsible for managing the application process and distributing funds to eligible member organisations. All applications are reviewed in collaboration with Basketball England to ensure alignment with national and regional priorities.
Funding is provided to each of BE's regions on a seasonal basis and, while applications can be made to regions at any point in the season, member organisations are encouraged to apply as soon as possible as funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. See Funding Cycle information below.
Basketball England encourages all eligible membership organisations to apply for this fund to support the delivery of outstanding basketball experiences for their members and to contribute to the continued growth and development of the sport.
Basketball England’s Strategic Priorities
Priority 1: Membership Growth - increase membership, improve services, expand leagues and clubs and grow programme participation
Priority 2: Game Development - increase the number and quality of coaches and officials, and strengthen regional delivery through supported volunteers and club networks to drive membership growth
Priority 3: Revenue - diversify and increase commercial revenue via BE shop (merchandise/ equipment/tickets), sponsorship and partnership
Priority 4: Talent - strengthen the England Talent Pathway by increasing player and coach participation, enhancing coaching quality, expanding 3x3 opportunities, and achieving medal success
Priority 5: EDI - implement the Diversity and Inclusion Plan (DIAP), reduce gender participation disparity, improve demographic insight, and drive impact through equality-led campaigns
Areas of Support and Project Examples
We are ready to help clubs and associations grow and retain participation programmes, enhance workforce or improve operations in the following areas:
Increasing participation and membership: Projects that attract new members, retain existing ones that participate in basketball regularly increasing membership numbers. Eg:
- Delivery of basketball within school (primary and secondary) with a view to convert into club members
Creating playing opportunities: Initiatives that provide regular opportunities for people to play basketball of all ages and gender in organised leagues and competitions where there is otherwise no competition for them to compete. Eg:
- The creation and development of junior local leagues and competitions.
- Slam Jam programme delivery within your club pathway.
Tackle Inequalities: Provide opportunities and access to basketball for low social and economic groups and making basketball more accessible and affordable. Projects that promote basketball in underrepresented communities, foster inclusive environments, and celebrate diversity. Eg:
- Subsidised competition entry fees for a junior league within a low social economical area.
Women and Girls in Basketball: Projects that promote and increase women's and girls' participation, develop female talent and create opportunities for women in coaching officiating and other leadership roles. Eg:
- Support female competition with its delivery and promotion.
- Support the delivery of a female only workforce training and development programme.
Workforce Development: Initiatives that recruit, train, and retain the basketball workforce, improving standards and the diversity. Eg:
- Development of volunteer workforce within clubs and leagues such as training and resources.
- Development of Infrastructure – increasing the number and quality of coaches, referees and table officials through a recruitment campaign and a programme of continued professional development at all levels.
Diversity and Inclusion: Projects that promote basketball in underrepresented communities, foster inclusive environments, and celebrate diversity. Eg:
- Under-represented groups (female, ethnically diverse groups, disabled) involved in coaching, refereeing, table officiating within basketball.
Club and League Operational Support: Subsidising new or current club or league activities to help support the delivery of programmes with the plan of making them self-sustainable. Eg:
- Subsidising the cost of local league entry fees and league running costs to ensure that the per head cost of playing basketball locally remains affordable and accessible to all.
- Subsidising events such as festivals, leagues finals and costs associated to these events.
Talent Pathway Support: Provide the necessary resource entry level programmes at the being of the talent pathway. Eg:
- Entry level participation activity for talent identification.
- Payment towards a referee development programme or coach development programme at the aspire event.
Junior participation - You maybe an organisation that are supporting the youth of today providing an outlet and getting them involved in Basketball. Eg:
- Facility hire support for a first experience ‘come and try’ basketball session.
- Setting up a weekly junior central venue competition.
Participation programmes - General participation may be an objective, setting basketball programmes for new or returning people into the game. Eg:
- Set up costs for q weekly informal session for former players who want to play for fun.
Facilities - Do you have access to a facility that require an upgrade for your programmes to be successful? Eg:
- Want to invest in a set of shot clocks to enhance a junior local league competition with the ability to develop table officials.
- Investment into adjustable baskets to help with U11 basketball training sessions.
We are excited to support and grow the programmes within your association, league or club for you to achieve your strategic goals.
Funding cycle
October: Development Grant Fund / Application open to the membership
October to April:
- Applications received and reviewed by Regional Management Committees and Basketball England.
- Applications approved or rejected.
- Feedback on rejected application provided.
- Service Level Agreement completed for approved applications.
- Project fund paid to the organisation.
- Final project review against planned objectives.
Project End and Monitoring and Evaluation
The monitoring and evaluation process aims to assess the effectiveness and impact of the project and justify the success and continuation of its implementation. This process will help Basketball England understand what works, identify areas for improvement, mitigate any of the risks for future projects and provide insight for future funding decisions.
Once the project has finished a final report will be required to demonstrates is success and the return in investment. Organisations receiving funding will be required to submit an impact statement based on the objectives and set out in their application and service level agreement. This will be required when the project has been completed.
This will include:
- End of project review/report
- Final financial report
- Number of participants engaged
- Increase in membership or participation
- Success stories and case studies
- Impact Assessment - Basketball England will conduct an end-of-project evaluation to assess the project's impact, sustainability, and legacy
Basketball England may conduct surveys or gather feedback from project participants, stakeholders, and grant recipients to assess the project's effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Membership growth: Increase in membership numbers
- Participation rates: Increase in participation rates among target groups
- Project sustainability: Project's ability to continue beyond funding period
- Diversity and inclusion: Increase in diversity and inclusion within project activities
- Financial management: Effective use of funds and financial management
Example Projects
Below are some example projects as a guide of what application submissions we would receive and accept.
|
Projects |
Considerations |
Reject Part Fund Fully Fund |
|
A club applies for funding to support an U15 regional team's trip abroad to play in a tournament in Spain. |
May wish to part-fund. Does this support development of the sport in the region? Need to fully justify value to for money. |
|
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A club applies for funding to run a coaching course that is open to all clubs within the region. |
Approve - a priority area is to recruit and increase the number of coaches. |
|
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Local based private coaching company wants a subsidy to run a coaching CPD workshop around ‘Leadership’ for their coaches who deliver within schools.
|
Reject - an unaffiliated private company as opposed to an affiliated regional activity. |
|
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A club applies to cover the cost of mentoring course for its officials. |
Approve – improving quality is a priority area for coaches and some club members (volunteers). Could this be open to more than the club's members? Does it help develop wider than club activities? |
|
|
A Local League applies for funds to contribute to the costs of their finals event. |
May wish to part-fund – is the local league contributing to the costs (affects more than a single club/organisation)? Is there a plan for them to be self-sustainable? |
|
|
Creating a new regular (weekly/monthly) participation programme for Women & Girls. |
Approve – a priority is to get more women and girls playing basketball and convert them into active participants and BE members. |
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Pay honorarium for individuals that are going to spend a set number of hours completing a project with high-value outcome against KPIs. |
Approve |
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Next Steps
Read the guidance instructions to apply for the fund:
- Read in full and understand the information detailed on the Development Grant Information and Criteria.
- Check your organisation meets the criteria before applying.
- Are you an affiliated organisation; are your participants BE members?
- Check in with your Regional Chair that you and your project are eligible to apply for the fund
Once you are happy with these checks continue with the guidance below:
- Complete and submit the Development Grant Application Form
- Complete the Development Grant Fund - Budget Breakdown
Your Regional Chair and Basketball England staff will vet your document submissions. We may be in contact with questions about your application.
You will receive a notification as to whether your application was successful.
If successful - you will be asked to complete a funding agreement which will include monitoring and evaluation requirements.
Budget Template
Application Form
If you wish to contact us to ask any questions about the Development Grant process, or when the process might reopen, please use the button below.