What is it?
The Active Kent & Medway Coach and Official Bursary provides funding for coach/official development. It seeks to increase the quantity and quality of coaches and officials in Kent, and therefore assist the development of sport and physical activity in the county.
Active Kent & Medway will prioritise applications that can demonstrate a commitment to tackling inactivity and inequalities in sport and activity participation. Our focus will be for those up to level 2 or equivalent and we are no longer able to prioritise applications that focus on talent development and high-performance coaching/officiating.
Who is eligible?
Applications are welcomed from clubs, organisations, and National Governing Body (NGB) representatives to nominate individual coaches or officials. Applications should demonstrate how supporting the individual will contribute to the overall development of sport and physical activity within Kent and Medway and/or enable individuals from specific target groups to access more sport and physical activity opportunities.
Applicants should live or coach/officiate within the Kent County Council & Medway Council boundaries (London Boroughs are not included).
What will bursaries be awarded for?
Bursaries will be made towards the cost of development opportunities for qualified or unqualified coaches or officials. This could include:
- NGB qualifications or awards
- VRQ / NVQ or other qualifications
- Tutor training
- Mentor training
- Conferences
- Workshops
- Courses
- Distance learning
Bursaries will not be awarded for:
- Any training undertaken prior to the deadline date of applications
- Travel and accommodation costs associated with the development opportunity
- Professional Development opportunities undertaken by employed staff
How much can you apply for and how often can you apply?
Awards are generally up to 50% towards the cost of the development opportunity so other contributions should be considered.
Applications are limited to 3 individual or 1 group per club/organisation or 1 group during a 12 month period.
How will the bursary applications be prioritised?
Active Kent & Medway will prioritise applications that can demonstrate a commitment to tackling inactivity and inequalities in sport and activity participation. Our focus will be for those up to level 2 or equivalent and we are no longer able to prioritise applications that focus on talent development and high-performance coaching/officiating.
We would welcome and encourage applications that engage coaches/officials and/or participants from the following target groups/populations:
- Culturally Diverse Communities
- Disability & Long Term Health conditions
- Females
- Low socio-economic backgrounds
How can I apply?
Applications can be made online.
Click here to access the online application form or cut and paste the following link into your browser:
https://www.kentsport.org/make-sport-happen/funding-insight/getfunding/kcc-coach-official-bursary/
Please note you cannot save your progress on the online application form. You are advised to put all the information into a word document and then transfer it across when you are ready to complete the form.
If you have any issues completing the online application please email louise.milne@kent.gov.uk
What are the deadlines?
Applications must be received by 29 February 2024.
How are applications assessed?
Nominations will be considered by a panel and applicants will be notified of the decision within two weeks of the monthly submission deadline. Applications will be judged on a set criteria relating to each section of the application form.
Please read the section ‘Completing the Application’ below carefully.
Applications that are unsuccessful can request feedback and are not prevented from reapplying at a later date.
When will you receive payment?
Bursaries will be paid by BACS transfer to the club/organisation or nominee when:
- The training has been successfully completed and a certificate or other satisfactory evidence has been received.
- The bursary conditions and monitoring requirements have been met.
Please note that payments through the KCC finance system can take up to 30 days from when the BACS details have been processed.
What are the conditions of funding?
Funding awards are non-transferable. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that the bursary is used for the purposes outlined in the application.
Individuals have 18 months to complete the development opportunity from the start date of the training. Should the circumstances change please contact Active Kent & Medway as soon as possible. If we do not hear from you, we reserve the right to withdraw our offer of funding.
Successful applicants will be required to complete three short online surveys at specific intervals to support the monitoring of the bursary scheme.
Some candidates will also be asked to contribute to a case study that will be produced by Active Kent & Medway to demonstrate the impact of the bursary scheme.
The information provided on the application will be used to contact both the nominator and nominee about the outcome of the panel decision. It is the responsibility of individual completing the application to ensure they have got permission to share the contact information of all parties.
Information will be retained for a maximum of two years following the completion date of the development opportunity. No personal information will be retained from unsuccessful applications.
For further information on the Coach and Official Bursary privacy policy please visit www.activekent.org/funding or contact us by email at activekent@kent.gov.uk
Completing the Application
All sections of the form must be completed for the application to be considered by the panel. Please make sure there are contact details (ideally email addresses) for both the nominator and the nominee.
The Development Opportunity
This is where you provide details of the opportunity. You should list the name of the coaching or officiating qualification, the conference or other training opportunity and the dates of when the opportunity is taking place.
Demonstrating Impact
This is the most important section of the application, in order to justify funding awards Active Kent & Medway must be able to demonstrate the impact bursaries can make to sport and physical activity across the county.
Please provide as much information as you can for each heading.
Coach/Official
What is the individual benefit to the person undertaking the course? Consider wider implications for their physical and mental wellbeing as well as skill development and individual achievement.
The participants
What difference will it make to the participant experience as well as their physical, emotional and skill development within the club/organisation?
The club/organisation and local community
Can you increase your offer to participants, either increasing numbers or hours of activity? Consider how this contributes to your future club development and wider links to the local community.
The sport/activity
How will this bursary contribute the development of the sport or activity the individual is accessing training in? Is there a way to share the learning across your sport with other clubs/organisations?
If your application focuses on any of the specified target groups be clear to highlight this in the demonstrating impact section.
Financial Details
Provide details of all the financial information relating to the development opportunity.
The total bursary requested is what you are asking from the Coach and Officials Bursary (this is usually up to 50%).
The additional contribution box should show how you are planning to make up the difference as the bursary does not cover the full cost of the development opportunity. It may be the individual/club or other sources contributing towards the cost.
Declaration
This should be signed by the nominator (club/organisation) who confirms that they have permission to share the contact details of all those listed on the application.
Supporting Statement
Where possible this statement should be from a National Governing Body (NGB) or local sports association representative. The statement should endorse the application with reference to local, regional and/or national plans.
Click here to access the list of local/regional NGB officers.
If you are unsure or do not have a named contact relevant to your application please contact Louise Milne via email louise.milne@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 414734.