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"This 'Making a Difference' report is intended to deliver practical changes in the short to medium term with respect to the processes and procedures related to specific government funding for school and community sport. It also includes changes for non-funding issues related to school and community sport. These changes (described as outcomes) are those suggested by front line staff to free up their time to manage, develop and deliver school and community sport. The outcomes described in this report also support the Government's policy on public health set out in, Choosing Health: Making healthy choices easier (DH, November 2004).
The report describes the complex 'funding journey' faced by schools and small sporting organisations – from finding out what sources are available, to applying and securing funds, and the subsequent audit trail. It also sets out a number of relevant non-funding issues that generate disproportionate bureaucratic burdens.
For the purposes of this report 'funders' are defined as any Government Department, public body or lottery distributor that funds sport specific projects and schemes. All funding streams referred to in this report are public funds. This project does not include funding from private organisations.
The project team talked to over 100 front line staff across England, who are working to deliver sport for all ages. The issues identified by staff centre on what they see as a complex funding landscape. Staff complained of spending too much time applying for funds and meeting inflexible and burdensome monitoring and evaluation rules. The case studies included illustrate views widely held amongst front line providers."
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