RYA Funding guidance
RYA Contact
Funding Finder
Disability Funding
Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC)
Plus a lot more...
Please refer to the Committee's Google Drive / CMYC Vault / Finance Funding and Grants.
This includes an extract from the Commodore's July Committee Report covering the RYA webinar on the subject from 23 June 2025.
RYA recommends visiting their web page for advice and guidance on funding HERE, along with reading the article HERE that introduces their new team of funding support officers who you will be able to speak to. RYA Funding Support Offices are a free resource to RYA Affiliated Clubs and will be able to talk through the options.
The above links are:
Steve Mitchell
Regional Manager - London & South East
Royal Yachting Association
M: 07748 804802 | E: steve.mitchell@rya.org.uk
Also Howard Nelson and Tom Davenport (contracted on part time basis with RYA) provide support with Preparing a project, Finding the right funds, Writing/filming applications.
Any questions, ask funding.support@rya.org.uk
Valid Oct 2024
Search 'RYA Funding Finder' (possibly once logged in to RYA website), Create a personal login, Search + filter results, Save funds and Download results.
Sunsail Funding the Future
Richard made an application July 2024 for money towards a CMYC designed Dredging solution (pump), without success.
Gatwick Airport Community Trust (GACT) - deadline 31 March
We are proud to support schemes that are targeted towards the development of young people, the arts, sporting facilities, environmental improvement and conservation, improvements to community facilities, volunteering, the elderly and the disabled. The normal level of grants is from £1,000 to £5,000. https://gact.org.uk/
Richard applied to GACT for £5000 towards a path extension on 26 March 2025.
Request to participate in the Tesco blue token scheme (pre-Open Day to also advertise)
might only be applicable to Schools (as of Nov 24)
Add Click-through services on the Club's Website. easyfundraising.org.uk has been suggested as it is used with a local Guide group.
Get local business sponsorship.
https://www.rya.org.uk/about-us/charities-foundations/rya-foundation/fund
Grant applications can be made to help with:
Purchases of boats, rigs, and other boating-related equipment and clothing
Payment for courses such as instructor or coaching qualifications
Funds for travel expenses, entry fees, accommodation, squad membership, fees/costs and other expenses.
"Our focus is to support projects that match our goal of getting more people active, reducing the number of inactive people and tackling inequalities."
If your project aligns with our priorities, we can fund a wide range of costs and items up to £15,000. Priorities are projects providing opportunities for groups facing barriers to activity are of particular interest, such as:
people living on low incomes
disabled people or those with long-term health conditions
older people
people from culturally diverse communities
pregnant women and parents with very young children
girls aged 5-16
LGBTQ+ people
people who are in foster care
people who provide care without pay."
Taken from sportengland.org
Resources and support from Sport England, www.buddle.co
2024 is the year of the Paralympics and it is suggested by a friend of a member that extra funding will be available this year. They suggested good sources included:
Everybody moves
Scope
Sport England
They added that we should not aim to help everyone as that is impossible but we could do more!
Changes to the scheme regarding membership participation meant that CMYC was unable to comply and therefore the Committee agreed the withdrawal at the meeting of 2/11/2015.
In "Full accounts 2011", it states: With effect from 30th January 2008 the club is registered with HM Revenue & Customs as a Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) and as all profits come from the members themselves and are used for the members benefit, corporation tax is not payable.
In Treasurers-Interim-Report-2018 it states: Now that the Club no longer has CASC status we have become liable for Corporation Tax on income of a commercial nature that does not arise from members.
There is also a historic update on this topic. MT writes: We signed up in December 2008 and opted out in 2016. The reason for joining was that it gave us Rate Relief and exemption from Corporation Tax. The background to leaving is given in the attached document. It was fortunate that we managed to secure Rate Relief in 2016 as Tandridge had changed its policy.
At the RYA Connected Conference there was mention of CASC. They believe that there is still a participation requirement. One way to overcome the participation rule is to split the club into ‘Sailing’ members and ‘Supporters’. Roger Belton said that Felpham SC had done this and it had led to some feeling of division within the club, he wasn’t sure that it was worthwhile.
For CMYC this would go against the One Club ambition. It would also be likely to cause further issues with Duties.
Notes from Jeff, added by RW
From the funding session at the Nov 24 RYA Connected Conference, with the corresponding presentation and guide located in the Committee's Google Drive: CMYC Vault / Finance and Funding / 2411 RYA Conference - Finding Funding.pdf:
Your local Active Partnership may have their own grant schemes that you could access or may be able to help signpost you to other funders. Find your local Active Partnership here - https://activepartnerships.org/the-network/
It is worth connecting with the community foundation for your area as they will be able to signpost you to and may even manage funds on behalf of charities. https://www.ukcommunityfoundations.org/our-network
You can request access to the RYA Funding Finder here - https://www.cognitoforms.com/RYA2/AccessRequestForm. This can also be accessed through the RYA Affiliation Portal.
More information about the RYA Foundation can be found here - https://www.rya.org.uk/about-us/charities-foundations/rya-foundation
Sport England continue to be a useful source of funding - https://www.sportengland.org/funding-and-campaigns/our-funding
RYA Funding Support Officers Howard and Tom can be contacted at - funding.support@rya.org.uk
I mentioned that many funders like you to have explored other sources of funding. This could mean using some of your own funds, applying for other grants or perhaps using crowd funding or similar. Sport England have some useful resources around other sources of funding which are worth exploring - https://buddle.co/learning-and-support-resources/money-matters
From:
Gareth Brookes
Head of Regions
Royal Yachting Association
M: 07876 330 136
E: gareth.brookes@rya.org.uk
Details of all the latest funding news and funds with short deadlines can be found here: https://click.pstmrk.it/3s/vaac.aidecrm.co.uk%2Fdownload%2FBYhzu6zXFmembZDzfUaEGvqADceM63cXoHWWQcZ7/3hBa/gre6AQ/AQ/3af420f8-3419-48b4-a424-716ca83ef140/17/5fcWsV5bnB
In case you missed it, read the latest edition of VAAC's Funding Focus: https://click.pstmrk.it/3s/vaac.aidecrm.co.uk%2Fdownload%2F0Dy67fSBfj3a0VM7AnqOvoiv4I4nDdDgaU1u1p1T/3hBa/gre6AQ/AQ/3af420f8-3419-48b4-a424-716ca83ef140/18/48DxH16RMe
Community Resilience Fund 2023/24 Budget Allocation and Prioritisation: https://click.pstmrk.it/3s/vaac.aidecrm.co.uk%2Fdownload%2Fl5CoVwjY9Ek9iMs3zf8v0olKcd6JNri42sdaP45O/3hBa/gre6AQ/AQ/3af420f8-3419-48b4-a424-716ca83ef140/19/ulTyoYIl8D
West Sussex County Council Waste Community Grant now open for applications - webinar Tuesday 21st January 6pm applications close Sunday 2nd March 11.59pm: https://click.pstmrk.it/3s/vaac.aidecrm.co.uk%2Fdownload%2FBhdet09xHMnhEefXkO0yydKbRgy7JKXWs6NK3Zyl/3hBa/gre6AQ/AQ/3af420f8-3419-48b4-a424-716ca83ef140/20/k6H-a4P3R3
South Downs National Park Health and Wellbeing Travel Grants: https://www.southdowns.gov.uk/health-wellbeing/health-and-wellbeing-travel-grants/
Sunsail and RYA relaunched their grant scheme in 2024 and CMYC made an application for money towards the pump required to dredge as designed by the Tuesday Volunteer Group.
A second application was made in 2025 for an electric outboard (currently in draft).
GACT - Offer grants to local groups. In April 2025 CMYC made an application for the construction of a path linking the Blue Badge car park space to the Clubhouse's front veranda past the disability toilet.
More news here on funding available for community groups around the Gatwick area. Well worth looking at.
Here is a BBC News article about this: Community groups benefit from Gatwick funding https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c626k6k1qp4o
And the relevant website:
https://sussexcommunityfoundation.org/grants/
Regards, Roger Belton, West Sussex Area Rep for RYA London & South East Region, roger.f.belton@gmail.com, 07866 907075
A member (Gill G.,) offered the following from the sussexexpress.co.uk The David Hunt Charitable Trust (David is now sadly in a wheelchair but helps at the trust). Apply for an application form by email thedavidhunttrust@gmail.com or by letter c/o Jules Chatterton of Brennann and Chatterton, 113 Sea Road, East Preston, BN16 1NX.
Land and Water (potential dredging contractors) offered; A potential funding stream for which one of our clients (Bromley Council) has used is the Water Restoration Fund - details can be found here: Water Restoration Fund: guidance for applicants - GOV.UK i.e., (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-restoration-fund-guidance-for-applicants#full-publication-update-history)
SES Water’s Better Future programme is inviting local community projects to apply for funding to help support people across the region and unlock opportunities to bring positive change across the region.
Better Futures is open to projects within SES Water’s service area from schools, colleges or academies, registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations, constituted groups or clubs, Community Better Futures is open to projects within SES Water’s service area from schools, colleges or academies, registered charities and other not-for-profit organisations, constituted groups or clubs, Community Interest Companies (CICs), and local community groups.
To apply for a share of the community funding, your project needs to involve one or more of the following:
Nature and the environment - projects and organisations that directly impact and protect nature for the benefit of community health and wellbeing.
Education - providing new opportunities to help people of all ages grow and develop.
Community - groups that bring people together to create a sense of purpose within communities.
Vulnerability - organisations providing care and support to people who need extra help.
The funding can be used for buying and hiring equipment, supporting skills and training, employee salaries for time dedicated to working directly on the project and for professional fees such as hiring builders, groundworkers or an interpretation design agency.
The relevant website address is: https://seswater.co.uk/news/better-futures-programme-invites-new-applications-to-support-local-communities?campaignkw=community