Grants of up to £25,000 are available to ‘grassroots’ UK charitable organisations providing recreational and sporting activities for people who are blind or visually impaired. The Charity prefers to fund running costs or the purchase of equipment.
It is the major supporter of the thriving network of VI cricket clubs in the UK. However, while its origins and heart are in cricket, the Club also supports a wide range of other VI sports including baseball, futsal, goalball, golf, scuba diving, showdown, skiing, swimming, tandem cycling and Braille chess.
Grants tend to average around £4,000 but they have recently distributed some larger grants to organisations able to demonstrate a level of innovation or collaboration in their proposals.
For 2024-25, following a new substantial legacy from the late Ethel Murray, the Trustees are again keen to encourage applications for more substantial funding for relevant new projects
Grants of up to £25,000 are available from a total grants budget of £100,000. Please note that grant awards are likely to be lower than the maximum award available. Applications for under £10,000 are advised to apply using the Charity’s separate grant process as denoted on its website.
Project proposals must meet the following criteria:
- All projects must relate clearly to the sporting and/or recreational needs of the blind and partially sighted.
- The Trustees generally prefer to support ‘grass roots’ and ‘start up’ activities rather than, for example, international teams of visually impaired sportsmen and women.
- The Trustees generally prefer to fund the whole of the cost of a project, even where this is spread across two or more years, rather than to be one of a number of contributors.
- The Trustees generally prefer to support running costs or the purchase of equipment, as distinct from items which will significantly increase the recipient’s long-term asset base.
Additionally, for the Murray Fund, the trustees are keen to support projects that are either innovative (in the sense of enabling support to be provided in new ways, or to a wider community) and/or collaborative (for example enabling schools and other organisations to deliver support together which they could not achieve alone).
Applications should be made using the application form available on the Primary Club’s website.
Applications should include:
- A detailed statement of how the project will meet the Trustees’ criteria.
- The number of blind and VI people expected to benefit from the project.
- A detailed budget and cash flow forecast showing what additional finance, if any, will be required; how it will be obtained; and how the project will be sustainable in future years.
- In the case of collaborative applications, the names of the lead partner and any additional participants, and
- Proposed project ‘milestones’, with dates, to enable the Trustees to monitor progress.
The last date for applications to the Murray Fund is Friday 15 November 2024 and applicants will be informed of the Trustees’ decision by Wednesday 15 January 2025.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Charity’s website.