Cost-of-Living Support Grants

The Cost-of-living crisis is significantly affecting us all. The increasing costs of food, energy and other essentials are leaving us all out of pocket with less disposable money than before. Less disposable income leads to difficult choices of how we spend our leisure time which inevitably impacts recreational activities like paddling.

These pressures are particularly acute from anyone who is required to travel as part of their paddlesport activity. Perhaps their a paddler looking to represent Wales or Great Britain internationally or someone is struggling to keep up with the training commitments of their team.

Likewise, clubs – particularly those who use swimming pools or pumped courses– are finding the rising costs a real challenge. Many have had to find alternatives to their weekly pool sessions and are struggling to pay for professional coaches to run session for their membership.

Canoe Wales has teamed up with Sport Wales to launch two new funds which are designed to support our membership with these costs. The funds are designed to support clubs and individuals who are experiencing significantly high levels of hardship and are struggling to make ends meet through rising costs of other commitments they are having to provide for.

The first is the Athlete and Individual Paddler Hardship Fund. 

£15k will be allocated to athletes and individuals who have been significantly impacted by the COL crisis and are finding it exceptionally challenging to train, compete or represent Wales.

It is not restricted by discipline and open to all disciplines in which Canoe Wales governs. 

The fund is designed for those who meet the following requirements:

•       They represent or aspire to represent Wales internationally and/or nationally in a paddling discipline in which Canoe Wales governs.

•       They are a member of Canoe Wales (either On the Water, On the Bank or Club Associate)

•       They or their family is undergoing significant financial hardship or;

•       They are a university student that currently qualifies for maximum maintenance loan or grant support.

•       They are completely estranged from their parents or;

•       They are living in local authority care or;

•       They are currently caring, unpaid, for a friend or family member who due to illness, disability, a mental health problem could not cope without the athlete’s support.

Applications will be prioritised according to the following criteria:

•       Degree of financial hardship.

•       Location of the applicant.

•       The potential impact of the Grant.

•       The applicant’s personal circumstances.

•       The purpose of the application.

•       The current performance level of the applicant and assessed potential.

•       Any other bursaries or grant funding the applicant is currently in receipt of.

If you would like to apply for this grant, please complete this form.

For further information about the grant or to talk through your eligibility, please contact admin@canoewales.com and one of the team would be happy to talk you through it.

The closing date for applications is 9am Friday 28 July 2023.

The second is a Club Cost-of-Living Support Grant.

This fund is created to support clubs with the increased costs of running club activities such as the cost of pumped water/or the cost of use of local council or private swimming pool club activities.

Applicants will need to be CW affiliated clubs whose activity has been negatively impacted by the COL crisis.

Applications will be prioritised using the following criteria:

•       Degree to which the club has been negatively impacted by the COL crisis.

•       Quality of grant application (consideration, plan for the use of funding, risk awareness etc.)

•       Potential impact of the grant (longevity of impact or number of members impacted)

•       Size of club

•       Any other bursaries or grant funding the club is currently in receipt of.

If you would like to make an application on behalf of your club, please complete this form.

If you would like to discuss the grant and work out if your club is eligible, please contact Lydia Wilford, Canoe Wales Development Officer on Lydia.wilford@canoewales.com

The closing date for applications is 9am Friday 28 July 2023.

Timescales

We want to give the opportunity for as many paddlers or clubs to apply for the money as we can. We also appreciate that many individuals and clubs will be really finding things challenging and need some support as soon as possible.

We have put together the following timetable which provides an overview of the application process.

All applications will be assessed by a panel which includes Canoe Wales Board members and staff. All applications will be assessed on a case-by-case basis and panel members with an involvement in a particular club will be required to declare an interest and therefore not able to provide input on that particular application.

Funds open for applications - NOW

Closing date of applications - 9am Fri 28 July 2023

Panel meet to prioritise applications and select winners. - First two weeks of August

Beneficiaries will be contacted and funds distributed - September 2023

We hope that the two grant opportunities are of interest to those who have been significantly affected by the Cost-of-Living Crisis. Likewise, that Canoe Wales and Sport Wales are listening to our communities and understand some of the challenges you are experiencing.

If you have any further questions on the grant, please contact us via admin@canoewales.com and we will do our best to help.