Club Improvement Fund Application

Purpose

Our purpose at England Athletics is to inspire more athletes and runners of all abilities and backgrounds to fulfil their potential and to have a lifelong love for the sport.

This means supporting our member clubs to:

1. Recruit new members

2. Retain existing members

3. Be an integral part of the local community, engaging a diverse membership in to the club

4. Have a pathway that allows members to fulfil their potential

We know that every day, clubs are facing barriers that limit progress in these areas.

About the fund

The Club Improvement Fund will provide grants of up to £500 to support clubs with projects that aim to reduce some of the barriers they are facing. We want to fund projects that will help clubs to provide a safe, sustainable and welcoming environment for their athletes and runners.  

We are particularly interested in funding projects that cover one or more of the following areas:

• Recruitment and training of new volunteers to add capacity or enhance member experience. 
• Supporting members to reach their potential through the development of existing volunteers or provision of new club experiences.
• Increasing retention of junior athletes through the modernisation of the club experience.
• Enhancing how clubs recruit and engage with new members.
• Supporting clubs with the transition to the new age group categories.

Criteria

The Club Improvement Fund is open to all England Athletics affiliated clubs, with priority given to clubs who have not received funding in the past 12 months.  

Additional criteria: 

• Clubs who received Club Improvement Funding for coach education last year will not be eligible to apply for coach education grants this time but can apply for other projects. 
• Clubs must meet all aspects of Club Standard 6 at the point of application. 
• Clubs must have a minimum of 6/7 for Club Standards with the aim of having 7/7 by the point of grant approval. Please note, we will prioritise funding to clubs with 7/7 for Club Standards. 
• Clubs who received Club Improvement Funding in June-August 2025 will not be eligible to apply for further funding this year.

If you would like to speak to someone about Club Standards prior to putting in your application, please contact the Club Support Manager for your region. 

Applications for the Club Improvement Fund open on 15 September 2025. Please note that applications may close without prior notice once the allocated funding has been granted.