Wooden Spoon

Overview

Wooden Spoon’s Vision Statement: “Through the power of rugby, every child and young person has access to the best life opportunities.” Projects must fall within these aims.

Organisational eligibility

Wooden Spoon can only make grants to organisations with a legal status. For example; schools, charities, and clubs. 

They can fund applications from groups working in partnership, but one organisation must take the lead for the application and be the primary beneficiary and point of contact.

Beneficiaries: 

• The project must enhance and support the lives of children and young people with a cognitive age under 25 that are disadvantaged physically, mentally, or socially.
• The project must work directly with children and young people and have a positive influence on their lives from the activities or service provided.
• The beneficiaries must be in UK or Ireland.
• The project beneficiaries must be a group. Wooden Spoon cannot make grants to individuals.

The Project 

Capital Project

 If a 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.
• Grants will not be considered for salaries, administration costs, professional fees and on-going overheads related to a capital project.
• Should the project location be a Leasehold property the unexpired term of the lease must exceed 5 years from completion.
• Wooden Spoon will request information from you at a minimum after 1, 2 and 5 years so they can measure the impact of their donation. Further information maybe requested at other times not just as above. 

Revenue Project

If a project is educational, health and wellbeing or disability sports focused the following must apply: 

• There must be a key educational, sporting or physical activity element preferably rugby 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
• The project must have a defined timescale/timetable which should be for a period of at least 12 weeks
• Grants will be considered for kit and equipment, salaries and administration costs
• Wooden Spoon will request information from you at the end of the project so we can measure the impact of our donation. Further information maybe requested at other times not just as above

Grant Amount 

• There is neither a minimum nor a maximum grant level. However, it is unlikely that a project of a physical nature that is under £2,000 will have sufficient substance and scale to qualify under the ‘projected lifespan’ rule.
• Wooden Spoon’s contribution may be up to 100% of the cost, though beneficiary organisations will be encouraged, where practicable, to raise a 20% of the project costs.
• If the grant is £50,000 a legal charge on an asset of the applicant will be required during the 5 year period from completion of the project. The process to obtain the charge will start on the issue of the grant letter.
• The grant must be spent within a 12 month period from the issue of the grant letter. If this is not the case the grant could be revoked. If a project is delayed due to outside factors Wooden Spoon will work with the applicant to overcome the time issues. An applicant could apply at an additional time if they wish.
• Wooden Spoon will aim not to grant an amount that would include an element of VAT. The applicant should confirm that VAT will be recovered.

Grants from Wooden Spoon are for the sole purpose of the project and must not be retained or used for any other purpose without the prior agreement of Wooden Spoon.