Football Foundation Grants
The Football Foundation is funded by the Premier League, the FA and government, and pays for grassroots sports facilities: pitches, changing rooms, floodlights and equipment. It expects partnership funding on larger projects and asks that facilities serve the wider community rather than one club. Projects usually need to fit the local football facility plan for the area.
Football Foundation has 8 open funds listed here, none of them with a fixed deadline.
Checked daily. Last updated 9 November 2026.
No published award history for Football Foundation. Some funders do not publish their grants data.
What Football Foundation funds
Counted across the 8 open funds on this page.
Read the guide: Grants for Sports Clubs UK: Where to Find Funding
Grants for sports clubs in the UK, from Sport England and the Football Foundation to small local funds. Who can apply, what gets funded and what is open now.
No deadline listed
Check the funder's current application window before you apply.
Football Foundation Goalposts Grant
Football Foundation
The Football Foundation Goalposts Grant helps grassroots football clubs and leagues buy new goalposts. Applications for 3v3 goalposts are open now. This strand suits clubs or leagues taking part in a Central Venue League or a Home & Away competition. For 3v3, the goalposts must be 4ft x 2.5ft. Other sizes, including 5ft x 3ft, are not eligible. Each application needs a minimum grant of £400, and the total project cost must be £533 per application. The page gives no closing date. You can only get Football Foundation funding for goalposts from the approved suppliers, including The Soccer Store, Samba, Live4Soccer, MH Goals, Mark Harrod Ltd, Harrod UK, Hy-Pro, Bazooka Goal, ITSA GOAL and Davies Sports. When you ask for quotes, say they are for a Football Foundation grant application. That lets the supplier include VAT and the other details the funder needs. All goalpost claims include VAT, whatever your own VAT status. You must get quotes yourself. Suppliers should not arrange or review a second quote for you, and you should never share one supplier's quote with another. One practical point to plan for: your supporting quote must be a formal written quote from a registered supplier. Website screenshots will not be accepted and cannot be approved. Goalposts that you have already bought or ordered cannot be funded, and goalposts must be bought in pairs. Official source: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grant/goalposts. Last checked by GrantMatch on 16 October 2026.
Football Foundation Portable Floodlights Grant
Football Foundation
Football Foundation gives grants of up to £25,000 towards portable floodlights for training areas in England. The money can buy new or used floodlights for natural or artificial turf. Funding covers at most 75% of eligible costs, so applicants need partnership funding for the rest. No closing date is published. Applicants must explain why they want the floodlights and show the training area can cope with extra use, for example by rotating usage so one area is not overused. Floodlights must be insured and stored securely at the site named in the application, with photographic evidence of the storage. Only trained people over 18 may use them. Used equipment must come from a reputable dealer with a minimum 12-month warranty. Grass pitches used for matchplay are excluded, and so are fixed floodlights. Partners on a Football Foundation 3G pitch must give extra evidence and written assurance.
Football Foundation Grass Pitch Drainage
Football Foundation
This Football Foundation grant helps you improve drainage on grass football pitches. It pays for capital works recommended in your PitchPower Assessment Report, where other options such as better maintenance have been exhausted. Fees for a qualified sports pitch consultant, or for a feasibility check on smaller projects, can be included in your request. It suits not-for-profit football clubs and voluntary groups, local authorities, County FAs, charities, community interest companies and other not-for-profit organisations, as long as grassroots football is an integral part of what you do. Clubs in the Premier League, Football League, National League System (Step 1 to 6) and similar top tiers cannot apply. The page does not give a closing date. You apply online. Before you do, you need a PitchPower inspection for every pitch that will be improved. You will also need two like-for-like quotations, evidence of partnership funding, photographs of the pitches and written landlord consent unless you own the facility. Piped drainage systems need a feasibility study and specification from a qualified agronomist or sports pitch consultant. If water will discharge into a ditch or watercourse, permission from the Environment Agency or your local authority may be needed, and it must be in place before you apply. The grant will not cover routine maintenance such as grass cutting or line marking. It will not pay for items already bought or projects already started. One practical point is secure tenure. For grants up to £25,000 you need freehold or uninterruptable leasehold for 5 years from the date of the grant offer. For £25,001 up to £100,000 it is 10 years. After the works, you are expected to keep pitches to the GMA 'Good' standard and submit pitch data through PitchPower each year. Assessment typically takes around two weeks. Official source: https://footballfoundation.org.uk/grant/grass-pitch-drainage. Last checked by GrantMatch on 16 October 2026.
Football Foundation 3G Pitch Maintenance Machinery and Equipment
Football Foundation
The Football Foundation funds machinery and equipment to maintain 3G football pitches in England, with grants of up to £25,000 covering at most 75% of eligible costs. It is open to organisations providing community or grassroots football, including not-for-profit clubs, voluntary groups, local authorities, County FAs, charities, social enterprises and educational establishments with community access. No closing date is published. Equipment must be recommended by the pitch manufacturer, installer or a specialist consultant. Applicants need a 3G Pitch Test Certificate, or agreement to add the pitch to The FA 3G Pitch Register. They also need two like-for-like quotations per item from different suppliers, evidence of partnership funding, and photos of the equipment being replaced and of where the new kit will be stored. Previously owned equipment needs 12 months warranty from a reputable dealer. Each application covers one site only. Apply through your Football Foundation account. Decisions normally arrive by email within ten working days.
Football Foundation Catering Units Grant
Football Foundation
The Football Foundation funds catering units for grassroots football sites in England, with grants of up to £50,000. Any unit that receives funding must meet the Foundation's installation specification, which the funder publishes on its page. The funder asks applicants to read its guidance on what to have in place before applying. It names three preferred suppliers: Muswell Conversions, InBox Projects and National Civil Utilities. The Foundation says they can meet its specification, provide extended warranties and offer competitive rates for new and retrofitted systems. Each has a contact link on the funder's website. The supplier list is reviewed every 12 months, and other companies are only considered for addition within that review window. No deadline is published. The funder's website does not list example projects or costs, so check the specification to confirm which type of unit you need before you approach a supplier.
Football Foundation Small-Sided Facility Improvements
Football Foundation
The standard route offers up to £25,000 and up to 75% of costs to improve an existing small-sided artificial pitch, up to 37m by 27m. Discuss the work with a Football Foundation Technical Project Manager before applying. Larger proposals need a separate discussion. No deadline is published.
More grants
Where this funding goes
Frequently asked questions about Football Foundation funding
How many Football Foundation grants are open right now?+
8 grants from Football Foundation are open on GrantMatch today, none of them with a fixed deadline. The list is checked daily.
How do I apply for Football Foundation funding?+
Each grant on this page links to the Football Foundation application page for that fund. Read the funder's own eligibility criteria before you start, since terms differ between funds.