Background

HIOWT’s core purpose is to provide public benefit by promoting community participation in healthy recreation, through the development, promotion and support of tennis and padel in Hampshire and Isle of Wight (HIOW). HIOWT also supports the LTA’s mission of ‘Tennis Opened Up’, providing local opportunities to grow tennis by making it relevant, accessible, welcoming and enjoyable. 

HIOWT is funded by both the LTA and a number of local sponsors to deliver its core purpose, however, it requires delivery partners such as venues and coaches to do this effectively. Therefore, HIOWT is prepared to provide grants, to LTA-Registered Venues and / or LTA Accredited Coaches within Hampshire & IOW, who have projects which share the same charitable philosophy. Necessarily, the funds available at any particular time will depend not only on demand, but also on income generated / reserves held by HIOWT.

HIOWT will also consider grant applications from third-party organisations, such as local authorities, leisure centres and schools, assuming that the project shares the organisation’s charitable objective. Should the project in question involve a tennis venue or coaches, these must be LTA-registered / LTA-accredited. 

For the avoidance of doubt, these funds are separate to any grants or loans which may be provided by the LTA.

Public benefit

Applicants should consider whether their projects have a charitable purpose, if they are available to the wider community and if they provide a public benefit. Proposals that do not fulfil any of these criteria are unlikely to succeed.

In broad terms, HIOWT would consider any project which offers a public benefit, and also:

• increases the number of people playing tennis or padel, and/or;
• increases the inclusive and accessible tennis opportunities available for the local community, and/or;
• keeps people active who might otherwise lapse, and/or;
• increases the number of times that people are regularly active.

Grant applications should be for no more than £5,000 per project, whilst there is no lower limit.

Applications are assessed by the Trustees of HIOWT throughout the year.

Loans

Loans are only available for capital projects, for instance, facility construction or improvement.

Due to regulatory compliance with the Financial Conduct Authority, HIOWT can only provide loans to incorporated bodies (e.g. a limited company or a charitable incorporated organisation), or to partnerships of 4 or more people.

HIOWT will not generally support requests which an organisation could reasonably be expected to resource as part of its normal operation and budget, such as tennis court maintenance and replacement.

In all cases, the greater the demonstrable public benefit, and the closer the project aligns with HIOWT’s charitable objectives and strategy, the more likely there is to be a higher proportion of grant awarded.

Any loan offered would be interest-free, whilst the loan repayment period is typically three years.

Completing an application

There is an online application form available. The information provided should be appropriate to the type and size of project, the amount of financial support requested, and the relative risk to HIOWT. In other words, a request for £200 will require substantively less detail than one for £5,000.

Supporting documentation should be provided by email within 7 days of form submission to: info@hampshireiow.tennis.

Review and decision

• applications will be reviewed by the Trustees of HIOWT within four weeks of receipt
• the applicant may be asked additional questions during the review phase
• the applicant will be informed of the Trustees’ decision by email
• rejected applications may be re-submissible with suggested amendments
• there may be conditions attached to any funding offer

Final tips

• consideration will be given to the proportion of the total project cost being requested. Projects that have partnership funding, either financial or in-kind, may be viewed more favourably
• if other funding organisations have been approached, even unsuccessfully, please tell us
• try to view your project through the lens of HIOWT’s charitable purpose and providing a public / community benefit
• remember that “promoting community participation” can relate to both increasing the number of people playing tennis, and retaining existing players who may otherwise lapse
• Padel and Pickleball are both within scope for this funding, so long as they occur in relation to an LTA-registered venue / LTA-accredited coach within Hampshire & IOW