UK Sport have announced a new funding stream, the National Governing Body Development Fund (NDF). The Fund has been created to support the organisational health of UK Sport funded National Governing Bodies (NGBs), in line with our 2021-31 Strategic Plan.
One of the priorities in the Plan is to support and work collaboratively with our partners to be well-run, effective and sustainable organisations, operating within a connected and thriving sporting system.
To help us achieve this ambition, the NDF is an open call to spark organisational and system-wide improvements. Applications are particularly encouraged to drive strategic growth, for instance through better use of digital technologies and data to inform organisational strategy and delivery.
The lessons learned from these projects, as well as UK Sport’s work in this area, will help shape our long-term approach to supporting NGBs, working closely also with the Home Country Sports Councils.
The Fund is supported by a new Organisational Health Tool. The Tool allows NGBs to review their organisation against four areas (Strategy and Growth; People and Skills; Standards and Risk; Relevance and Impact) and work towards their continuous improvement. The Tool has been designed for sport and UK Sport looks forward to engaging with partners and the wider sector to refine it and ensure it is relevant and valuable.
Speaking about the fund, Rob Morini, Head of Sporting System at UK Sport, said: "NGBs are central to our mission of creating the greatest decade of extraordinary sporting moments. But the world of sport, just like the world around us, is changing fast and becoming increasingly complex and uncertain. NGBs are under significant pressure to meet competing demands from within their sport, the wider system and society. This new Fund, alongside our new Tool and dedicated support, is aimed at supporting our partners in strengthening their organisation and helping them grow, as part of a thriving and more connected sporting community. We believe this is integral to the long-term health of sport and to sustaining high-performance success".
Applications for the NGB Development Fund are now open and will close on 25 November 2022. For details of the full application process and criteria, funded partners should contact their Sport Advisor or robert.morini@uksport.gov.uk.