We are delighted to communicate information on the launch of the new ECB County Grants Fund.
The County Grants Fund aims to support affiliated Cricket Clubs to deliver projects in the following three areas:
- Creating Welcoming Environments*
- Providing Enhanced Facilities and Playing Opportunities for Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and / or Disability Cricket
- Tackling Climate Change
You can read a lot more information about these three themes within the attached guidance notes:
Creating Welcoming Environments Guide
To assist clubs in assessing where they may need to improve their facilities to make them more welcoming and inclusive, the ECB has developed a couple of self-assessment documents.
ECB Facilities Review Checklist
HOW WILL THE COUNTY GRANTS FUND BE MANAGED IN SOMERSET?
The County Grants Fund will launch on 1st September 2021.
All clubs who wish to apply should complete our Expression of Interest Form which goes live on 18th August so we can understand your project in more depth and support you accordingly to be able to move to the next stage.
There are a few key points we would like to make to clubs at this stage:
- Prioritising – Only applications from Clubs that are actively engaged with ECB programmes: All Stars, Dynamos, Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and Disability Cricket will be considered.
- Local management – The County Grants Fund will be administered locally, with an Independent Review Panel for award decisions.
- Do not see as a replacement for Small Grant Scheme – The County Grants Fund is absolutely not a re-badge of the old Small Grants Scheme. The project themes are very different but also with potentially higher levels of investment.
- Scale of support – The County Grants Fund has been launched by the ECB as a priority for supporting the recreational game and the ambitions of its Inspiring Generations Strategy. Therefore, there are very positive levels of investment attributed to the fund. However, there are still finite levels of funding available to us in year one which is why we will work closely with cricket clubs to identify appropriate projects which delivery strong outcomes.
COUNTY GRANTS FUND WEBINAR
Somerset Cricket Foundation would like to invite you to a webinar outlining the new County Grants Scheme:
Wednesday 18th August
7pm – 8pm
Via Zoom – Registration required
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElcOitpzIrHdIghYWJEW5pEuu_Yd4f1Up3
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
To sign up to attend this evening, please register via the Zoom link above.
For more information on the ECB County Grants Fund, please contact Matt Counsell: matthew.counsell@somersetcricketfoundation.org or Nicky Clarke: Nicky.Clarke@Somersetcricketfoundation.org
