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 create welcoming environments, provide enhanced facilities and playing opportunities, and to develop environmentally sustainable clubs.

 

THE COUNTY GRANTS FUND

County Grant Fund – full ECB guidance notes.

Attached above are the full guidance notes for the County Grants Fund, including processes, levels of funding available and eligibility criteria.

The fund has three themes:

  • Creating Welcoming Environments
  • Providing Enhanced Facilities and Playing Opportunities for Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and / or Disability Cricket
  • Tackling Climate Change

Clubs can apply for between £1,000 and £10,000. 

 

HOW WILL THE COUNTY GRANTS FUND BE MANAGED IN DEVON?

There are a few key points we would like to make to clubs at this stage:

  1. Eligibility and Prioritising – Each theme has clear eligibility criteria, as laid out in the guidance notes.Priority will be given to applications from Clubs that are actively engaged with ECB programmes (All Stars, Dynamos, Women’s and Girls’ Cricket and / or Disability Cricket). 
    The key aim of the fund is to help make clubs more welcoming environments for the whole family and community. Through delivering the ECB national programmes clubs are demonstrating a commitment towards diversifying their club offers. It is a priority that these clubs facilities support and complement their on field offers. 
    Projects that have been thoroughly thought out, with wider club consultation, partnership funding and use of the ECB Creating Welcoming Environments resource, will be looked on more favourably.
     
  2. Local management – The County Grants Fund has been set up to be administered locally with autonomy for County Cricket Boards to work with clubs and make decisions on projects that warrant investment. This is something that we welcome as it will give us an opportunity to work closely with clubs regarding their projects and club development. 
     
  3. Do not see as a replacement for Small Grant Scheme – The County Grants Fund is not a re-badge of the old Small Grants Scheme. The project themes are very different with potentially higher levels of investment. The County Grants Fund will involve more dialogue between club and Board, and robust planning to ensure that the investment fits with the wider aspirations of both club and the Devon Cricket Board. 
     
  4. 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 and confidence that this will continue beyond 2023. 
    In year 1 we have been allocated £111,000 of funding and we will work closely with cricket clubs to identify appropriate projects. 
    Projects that have been thoroughly thought out will be looked on more favourably than projects that have been rushed through and it is likely that some applications will be deferred to the next funding window. 

 

APPLICATIONS AND DEADLINE 

Applications are now open via the ECB IMS system and the process is explained in the ECB guidance notes. 

The first deadline for applications in Devon is Tuesday 30th November. Further windows for applications in 2022 will be published in due course. 

  1. All applications will be initially assessed within 30 days and clubs will be notified if the project is ineligible or the application is missing key information. 
  2. All applications will then be reviewed by an internal peer review group. 
  3. Applications will be assessed against a developed criteria looking for alignment to the County Strategy.
  4. The amount of grant offered may differ from that requested by the club. With a pre-determined budget, the amount of funding may vary. Applications will be referred to clubs if this is the case.
  5. There will be an appeals process for clubs should they want to contest the panels decision. 

If a club has a project that needs to be completed before the end of November, and can evidence this, then they can contact us to discuss the potential of funds being released early. 

 

NEXT STEPS 

  1. Familiarise yourself with the guidance notes 
  2. Utilise the ‘Creating Welcoming Environments’ resource, survey and checklist to help develop your project plan.  
  3. Identify who from your club will lead on your project – remember you will need two contacts
  4. When you feel you have a project, please contact Devon Cricket to discuss 

 

CREATING WELCOMING ENVIRONMENTS

To support the launch of the County Grants Fund, the ECB have released a new Creating Welcoming Environments Guide.

The Creating Welcoming Environments document is intended to provide guidance for cricket clubs to help make cricket facilities more inclusive and welcoming to all, by creating better environments for everyone using them and to encourage a more diverse range of people to join cricket clubs and get involved in the game at a recreational level. Club facilities are an important factor in ensuring that everyone, regardless of age, sex, sexual orientation, race, faith or disability, feels comfortable within the club environment.  

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 survey

ECB Facilities review checklist 

 

CONTACT

To discuss any of the above further please contact:

Nick Goodliffe - nick.goodliffe@devoncricket.co.uk - 07801 178329

 

Developing Womens and Girls Cricket – Ann-Marie Presswell – ann-marie.presswell@devoncricket.co.uk

Developing Disability Cricket – Lewis Fountain – lewis.fountain@devoncricket.co.uk

All Stars and Dynamos Cricket - alex.jopling@devoncricket.co.uk