UK: Racing Foundation’s Small and Open Grants Programme

Deadline: 13-Jan-23

The Racing Foundation is accepting applications from organisations whose charitable projects directly benefit the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry.

Focus Area

Their current strategy focuses on 4 key areas:

• People
  • They will support work on the people agenda that directly supports the stated aims of the industry’s strategy and in the following areas:
    • The improvement in the health or the rehabilitation from injury of current or former members of the horseracing industry.
    • The prevention or relief of poverty among current or former members of the horseracing industry and their dependents.
    • Community development work in areas particularly connected with the horseracing industry (provided it is clear how such grants will benefit current or former members of the horseracing industry).
    • The promotion of education and training connected with the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry and the provision of wider opportunities for staff to develop their learning and capability.
    • Development of the racing industry’s diversity and inclusion agenda.
• Equine Welfare
  • They will support work on the equine agenda that directly supports the stated aims of the industry’s strategy for the improvement of the welfare of current or former Thoroughbred racehorses.
  • 2022-2025
    • All of the Racing Foundation’s available funds for horse welfare (excluding equine science) to 2025 have been fully committed via the Horse Welfare Board and the delivery of the industry’s horse welfare strategy. The acceptance of further applications for horse welfare projects will be limited to innovation projects that will enable significant improvements or due to unforeseen emergency situations. 
    • They will support veterinary research into the Thoroughbred horse that will benefit both the breed and the sport.
    • This support is provided in partnership with the Horserace Betting Levy Board and they will consider grant applications for applied research in the field of equine science, as long as the research has demonstrable practical benefits to Thoroughbred horseracing and only where the useful results of any such research will be published and publicised.
• Community Engagement
  • They will support community engagement projects that align with the creation of an overarching industry strategy, including the following areas:
    • Engaging with new and diverse audiences in all aspects of the racing industry.
    • Promoting diversity and inclusion.
    • Racing-related activities that provide positive impact to local communities within which the sport operates.
• Environment & Emerging Issues
  • They will support projects focusing on environmental awareness and sustainability to increase understanding and cultivate an industry response.
  • They will consider funding activities and projects that respond to emerging issues being faced by the racing and breeding industries.
  • Their grants programme will focus on supporting capability and capacity building (such as developing knowledge and thinking; producing transferable templates and funding generic resources) rather than the implementation of individual organisation’s sustainability action plans.
  • They will fund activities that bring people together to understand the issues and encourage the relevant parties to work together on a solution.

Types of Grant

• Small grants
• Open grants

Funding Information

• Small grants: Up to £20,000
• Open grants: £20,000 upwards

Eligible Projects

• They prefer to support projects that:
  • Will involve, or lead to, collaboration with other industry stakeholders
  • Are aligned with industry strategies (where appropriate)
  • Will help build understanding
  • Have the potential to achieve a substantial impact
• They will also:
  • Support work on the development and strengthening of those charities and organisations working to deliver charitable activities across the industry
  • Fund research to better understand risks and issues faced by the industry
  • Support the development of organisations’ capacity and capability to better support the industry
  • Support the development of stronger organisational governance

Eligibility Criteria

• The Racing Foundation makes grants to organisations whose charitable activities are associated with the UK horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry, supporting work that fits within the objectives of their 2021-23 strategy and only where outcomes are deemed to be charitable by nature. Their current strategy focuses on 4 key areas.

Other Considerations

• They accept applications from charities – i.e. an institution established for exclusively charitable purposes. As well as charities registered with the Charity Commission, the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, this may include unregistered charities with an annual income of less than £5,000 or charities regulated by another body including universities and higher education corporations, registered Industrial and Provident Societies and registered Friendly Societies.
• They also accept applications from non-charitable organisations as long as proposed projects have a defined charitable purpose associated with the Thoroughbred horseracing and breeding industries.
• They expect to make the majority of their grants to organisations with objects that are directly associated with the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industries. However, they may fund organisations that do not work exclusively within the industry when the work is of exceptional quality and can be shown to directly impact industry participants.
• When assessing applications, they will consider the ability of an applicant to self-fund (including a consideration of its reserves position) or to fund from alternative sources.

For more information, visit Racing Foundation.