We encourage you to see just how easy it is to apply for an Active Club Grant

Don’t worry if you have never applied for a grant before. 90% of previous applicants found the simplified application form easy to follow and complete.

Hundreds of clubs have already received an Active Club Grant and are doing fantastic things in their communities to get more people active.

Watch our short Youtube video to learn more.

Focus Area 1

VicHealth funding is available to support clubs to implement initiatives to engage more women and girls in sport.

Female participation

• Almost half as many women take part in organised sport compared to men, and women are most likely to stop playing sport as teenagers.
• There is more momentum in female sport than ever before, but we need to offer more opportunities for women and girls to get involved in sport at the community level.
• We encourage your club to think about how you can offer more opportunities for female participation, including
• new teams
• new competitions
• new programs

 

You can read more here: Helping Women and Girls Get Active Guide

 

Focus Area 2

VicHealth funding is available to support clubs to implement new social or modified sport programs that target less active Victorians.

Social sport           

• Social sport opportunities are more flexible or social and less structured than traditional sport activities.
• These programs have greater emphasis on fun, social interaction and enjoyment, and less emphasis on performance, results and competition.
• Social sports may have many elements of traditional sport but are primarily
  • for fun and friendship
  • to introduce someone to a sport
  • to bring people back to sport that have dropped out due to injury, time commitments or other circumstances.

Modified sport

Changes are made to existing sports activities to best suit the needs and abilities of inactive or somewhat active people and increase the accessibility of activities to a wider audience. This may include changes to rules, type of equipment, playing area, duration of games and/or scoring to suit skill level/ability.

Sport activities and programs can be modified based on factors, including age, disability, skill level, fitness level, facility availability, location or time.

 

Modified sport includes

• introductory junior programs
• sport-based fitness programs (e.g. Cardio Tennis, Fit Football).
• programs designed for people with a disability

You can read more here: Clearinghouse for Sport: Modified Sports and Clearinghouse for Sport: Social Sports

 

What can be funded in the focus areas?

Active Club Grants are about covering start-up costs to establish new participation opportunities with the intention that these activities can continue into future years. In your application, you will provide a list of items and costings relating to your participation initiative. To be successful, these requested items need to directly relate to your proposed initiative to increase participation. Refer to the Program Guidelines or the Guide to Ineligible Items for more information

There are two sports funding tiers available to apply for an Active Club Grant. You can also submit two separate applications – one for each tier – but your club can only be successful once.

Applications are to be submitted online. This can be done using the Apply section below.

Tier 1: Up to $3000

This tier is open to all eligible clubs across Victoria. This tier is where the majority of available funds will be allocated, allowing VicHealth to support a wide range of clubs across the state.

Tier 2: Between $3001 and up to $10,000 (limited to 12 successful grants per round)

Club applying for $10,000.00 need to demonstrate at least one of the following:

• A membership base of over 200; or
• The ability to reach a large number of Victorians through a program or multiple teams; or
• Implementing new initiatives due to significant demand resulting from population growth; or

The funding will help breaking a major cost barrier for running a participation initiative that will benefit a specific underrepresented population group who experience greater barriers to physical activity, e.g. Aboriginal Victorians, people with disability, culturally and linguistically diverse, LGBTIQ+, remote or isolated communities, etc.

If we really like your $10,000 application, but feel it’s more suitable for our $3,000 funding tier, we may transfer your application to Tier 1, and reduce or remove requested items to a maximum of $3000.00. You will have the opportunity to accept or decline this proposed funding.

VicHealth is also offering successful Active Club Grant Clubs funded in Round One, 2019-20 an opportunity to become a This Girl Can - Victoria Campaign Supporter.

As a supporter, we want you to showcase that women should be able to be active whenever, wherever and however they choose, without being judged for how they look, how good they are or how sweaty they get.

Through your involvement, you can make more people aware of the campaign in your local community, and encourage more women to participate in more social, fun, supportive and welcoming activities part of a state-wide movement to get more women active.

If approved by VicHealth, your club will receive an additional $2,000 (ex GST). The funds should be used to cover any staff or volunteer time (honorarium) or any material expenses such as printing of posters.

You can express your interest to be a Campaign Supporter in your application.

The option to be a Campaign Supporter is available across both funding focus areas and funding tiers.

To be eligible, your community sporting organisation needs to be:

• a community sport club, league or local association
• be based in, and conduct activities in Victoria
• conduct activities that align with a recognised State Sporting Association or a recognised Disability Sport and Recreation Organisations under the classification provided Sport and Recreation Victoria as of round opening
• be an incorporated association, or a company limited by guarantee
• have acquitted previous grants awarded to it by VicHealth (to the satisfaction of VicHealth)
• be able to purchase all requested items within six months of receiving funds (if successful under the $3,000.00 Tier) or 12 months of receiving funds (if successful under the $10,000.00 Tier)
• have not received an Active Club Grant in the past two financial years.

Please note:

• Aboriginal community controlled/led sport clubs are encouraged to apply
• VicHealth can only approve one application per Incorporation number and ABN (if applicable) .

 

Who can’t apply?

• Local government, Regional Sports Assemblies, State Sporting Associations, or National Sporting Organisations.
• Schools, churches, community support groups or health services.
• Professional sport bodies, elite sport teams, regional academies or representative teams.
• Organisations where the purpose of funding is to support activities where the head is a deliberate target or where activity involves striking or kicking another individual with intent to injure.
• Active recreation clubs/organisations. e.g. Parkrun, Gyms, Fitness Centre, walking groups

• Community sport clubs who have been awarded an Active Club Grant in the previous two financial years are unable to apply for Victorian sports funding.
• The below table indicates funding rounds and eligibility to apply in the current round:

 

If you were funded in these rounds…	…your club is…
2019-20 Round 1	Ineligible
2018-19 Round 1 & 2	Ineligible
2017-18 Round 1 & 2	Ineligible
2016-17 Round 1 & 2	Eligible
2015-16 Round 1 & 2	Eligible

Download: List of previously funded clubs

• VicHealth Partnership Grants Funding Guidelines
• Active Club Grants Information Sheet
• Terms and Conditions
• Application Game Plan
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Professional and Third-Party Grant Writers Agreement
• Guide to Ineligible Items
• Video Consent Form

Please read our Frequently Asked Questions for information about this grant round.

For any queries related to our application system, please see our IT Frequently Asked Questions. 

You can also email us at [email protected] or call (03) 9667 1308. We are available 9.00am-5.00pm Monday to Friday and aim to respond to all enquiries within 2 business days.

VicHealth invests in hundreds of sports clubs each year to provide more opportunities for Victorians to be active.

Below is just a sample of successful clubs implementing an Active Club Grant.

What could an Active Club Grant do for your club? 

Altona North Cricket Club            

Cobden Football Netball Club     

Cricket Southern Bayside

Dandenong Cricket Club

Fairfield Cricket Club

Footscray Rugby Union Juniors Club

Swell Mamas

Wyndham Track and Field

Click here to learn about auditing and compliance.