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Board development fund

THE APPLICATION WINDOW FOR 2024 WILL BE OPENING SOON

The SGA Board Development Fund enables organisations operating in the sport and physical activity sector in the United Kingdom to access - free of charge - development training for their board members which can be customised, if required, and delivered in-house (either in-person or online). It allows organisations successful in the application process to identify areas of need or areas of particular focus for them which are not catered for by existing training provision.

The fund provides the flexibility to meet the needs of organisations with different requirements for their board's development and to provide training support in specific areas of governance.

The fund is limited and applications will be assessed against specified criteria, which include the specific need answered, the benefit to the organisation and the organisation’s access to paid-for training. Priority will be given to organisations that would otherwise be unable to obtain the requested training due to financial constraints.

Available courses

  • Building an inclusive environment
  • Creating your values and defining culture
  • Board effectiveness
  • Strategy and the decision-making process
  • Boardroom dynamics
  • Succession planning
  • In-house delivery of Essential Sports Governance
  • Conflicts of interest
  • Preparing for a board evaluation
  • Risk management
  • Finance for non-finance managers

Within these areas, we will work with the organisations who apply successfully to understand their specific requirements and tailor the course content to their needs.

 

The application process

Applications are invited from organisations in the SGA community during the application window. Applications must be submitted by 5 July 2024. All training applied for in the 2023 cycle must be completed by 30 November 2024.

Decisions on requests for training are made on the basis of responses to the questions contained in the online application form. Applications are scored according to the following criteria which have been agreed with our partner Sports Councils:

Application criteria

  • Organisations must operate in the sport and physical activity sector in the United Kingdom.
Application question How scored? Scoring criteria to be applied to applicant responses
Benefit of training to the board and organisation How will the specified training benefit the board and the organisation? What areas of governance capability will it impact and how? 0-10
  • 10 – The knowledge/skills gained will have a significant impact or benefit to the board and the wider organisation.
  • 5 – The knowledge/skills gained will have a moderate impact or benefit to the board and the wider organisation.
  • 0 – The knowledge/skills gained will have no impact or benefit to the board and wider organisation.
Specific training needs addressed by the training What specific need will this training address? 0-10
  • 10 – The organisation has identified specific areas of development for the board and these are met by the training requested.
  • 5 – Consideration has been given to specific needs of the board but these are only partly addressed by the training requested.
  • 0 – Little or no consideration has been given to specific needs of the board or how these will be addressed by the training requested.
Other board development activity How would this training complement or fit into your organisation’s existing board development planning? 0-10
  • 10 – The organisation has created a well-thought out board development plan, factoring in a skills analysis and the organisation’s strategic direction, and has provided a clear indication of where the requested training sits in that plan. It is clear that the training will make a positive contribution to it.
  • 5 – An attempt has been made to create a board development plan, but this is incomplete and/or it is not clear where the requested training will fit in.
  • 0 – There is no identifiable board development plan and/or it is not clear where the requested training will fit in.
Measuring impact How will the impact of the training be measured? 0-10
  • 10 – Consideration has been given to how the impact will be measured, with clear metrics identified which relate to anticipated outcomes.
  • 5 – Some consideration has been given to how the impact will be measured, but either the metrics identified lack clarity or do not relate to the anticipated outcomes.
  • 0 – Little or no consideration has been given to how impact will be measured, appropriate metrics have not been identified.
Financial need/limited funding Are other sources of funding available to the organisation to access this training? If so, please provide brief details. Evidence/explanation given in application
  • Access to funds is prioritised for those organisations who would otherwise be unable to obtain training/development due to financial need or limited funding opportunity.
  • No – the organisation could not fund this training if unsuccessful in its application.
  • Yes – the organisation could access other forms of funding for this training.

 

Scoring against these criteria will be made on a sliding scale. Key points on this scale are identified in the table above.

Decisions on applications are final.

Date Milestone
13 May 2024 Application window opens
5 July 2024 Application window closes
31 July 2024 Final decisions and applicants notified
30 November 2024 Deadline for completion of training

 

Successful organisations will be contacted by the SGA Team to further discuss their needs and to make arrangements for the delivery of the training.

Please check back on 13 May when the application form is live. We will contact all applicants in accordance with the timetable above.

In return for training being delivered to them, successful organisations are required to:

  • acknowledge the provision of training through the Board development fund through their website, social media channels or other communications
  • contribute to SGA output in a form agreed with the SGA Team. This may include but is not limited to blog posts, testimonials and/or case studies, etc.

Terms and conditions apply.