Small and large capital grants starting at £5,000 are available to charitable organisations in the UK and Ireland for projects that benefit children and young people aged under 25 who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially.
Fleet, Hampshire-based The Wooden Spoon Society is known as the "Children’s Charity of Rugby Union". Since 1983, it has committed over £28 million to more than 1,000 projects and has supported over one million vulnerable children and young people.
The Society has the following Vision, Mission and Values:
- Vision: “our vision is that through the power of rugby every child and young person has access to the best life opportunities”.
- Mission: “to positively transform the lives of children and young people with disabilities or facing disadvantage through the power of the rugby network and connections”.
- Values: “the core values of passion, integrity, teamwork and fun are all inspired by our rugby heritage and drive the ethos and spirit in everything we do”.
The Society provides capital grants for projects that benefit children and young people aged under 25 who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially.
Grants are available for projects in the areas of:
- Education
- Health and wellbeing
- Playgrounds and outdoor activities
- Respite, medical and community care
- Sensory rooms and gardens
- Specialist equipment and facilities, and
- Sports activity areas
Please note that projects which are educational or disability sports-focused must:
Demonstrate a key rugby element to engage children and young people, and
Have a clearly-defined brief detailing the project’s need and objectives; stakeholders; description of participants (age, gender, geography); recruitment of participants; project activity and budget; legacy planning; monitoring and evaluation and mechanism for reporting to Wooden Spoon.
All projects should:
- Benefit those located in the UK and/or Ireland.
- Enhance and support the lives of children and young people (under the age of 25) who are disadvantaged physically, mentally or socially.
- Support a group, and
- Work directly with children and young people and have a positive influence on their lives as a result of the activities or service provided
This is a capital grant scheme with grants available for projects with a budget of over £5,000 (projects with a budget of £5,000 and under are considered by the Society as unlikely to have long-term sustainability). The Society will expect applicants to make a matched funding contribution to their project.
To apply, eligible organisations should initially complete the online “Expression of Wish” form.
Further details about the application process are available on the Society’s website.
Applications may be made at any time and are reviewed every 3 months.