Wooden Spoon: The Children’s Charity for Rugby

Projects must fall within Wooden Spoon's Vision Statement: "Our aim is to make a positive impact on the lives of children and young people through our commitment to quality charitable work."

If your project is a physical, tangible asset, of a permanent nature the following must apply:

• Must have a minimum predicted life-span of five years (preferably ten years), be non transferable and of a permanent nature. (Special consideration may be given to funding life-enhancing/medical treatment equipment if it can be shown that the useable life of such equipment is likely to be at least five years.)
• Grants will not be considered for salaries, administration costs, professional fees and on-going overheads related to a capital project.

If your project is educational or disability sports focused, there must be a rugby element. We typically fund educational programmes for a period of 3 years to help promote sustainability.

• There must be a key rugby element to engage children and young people.
• Must have a clearly defined project brief to include detail on: description of project need and objectives, stakeholders, description of participants (age, gender, geography), recruitment of participants, project activity and budget, legacy planning, monitoring and evaluation and finally reporting to Wooden Spoon.
• Grants will be considered for kit and equipment, salaries and administration costs.

The project must enhance and support the lives of children and young people (under 25) who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially and the beneficiaries must be located in UK. The project beneficiaries must be a group Wooden Spoon cannot make grants to individuals.

Please note:

• Wooden Spoon can only make grants to organisations with a legal status (e.g. schools, charities, private members clubs) benefitting a group of young people. It cannot make grants to individuals.
• Wooden Spoon does not recommend contractors or suppliers. Applicants are welcome to contact organisations that have benefitted from Wooden Spoon funding if they wish to discuss suitable potential contractors/suppliers.

Capital Projects

• Must have a minimum predicted life-span of five years, be non-transferrable and of a permanent nature.
• Grants will not be considered for salaries, administration costs, professional fees and on-going overheads related to a capital project.

Community Projects

• Education: This is a centrally driven programme delivered in partnership the professional rugby clubs and specialist education providers designed to support disenfranchised young people back into education, employment or training.

While there is neither a minimum nor maximum grant level, it is unlikely projects of a physical nature under £5,000 in value will have sufficient substance and scale to qualify under the "projected life span" criteria.