Public grants are one of the key sources of funding for sports clubs and an important tool in supporting their development. Yet many organisations make the same mistake: they start writing the application before they even have a well-thought-out project.
In practice, the terms “project” and “application” are very often confused, even though they refer to two completely different parts of the fundraising process. Failing to tell them apart is one of the main reasons applications fail.
So what exactly is a project, and why is it not the same as an application?
What is a project?
In our context, a project can most simply be defined as a structured way of solving a specific problem.
Every well-designed project rests on a few basic elements. The starting point is always a problem – a real need the club is facing, such as a lack of equipment, a shortage of coaches or low levels of physical activity among children and young people. From this, you formulate an objective, which answers the question of what exactly you want to change. The next step is the activities, meaning how you intend to achieve that objective. The whole thing should lead to a defined result: a measurable change that happens because the project was delivered.
It is also worth remembering that a project has certain characteristic features. It is limited in time – it has a beginning and an end and does not go on forever. It also carries a degree of uncertainty, because it aims to achieve a specific effect under particular conditions and with the resources available. Just as importantly, every project is unique – even if it concerns a similar area, it always responds to the specific situation of a given club.
To illustrate: “we want to buy equipment” is not a project. “We want to increase the number of children training by equipping our training groups and launching new sessions” is. In the second case, the problem, objective, activities and expected result are all clearly visible.
What is an application?
An application is essentially a tool for describing a project. It is not the project itself, but a way of presenting it in a set format, in line with the requirements of a particular funding call.
You could compare it to the relationship between a film and its screenplay. The project is the film – the actual activities that are meant to take place and bring about a specific change. The application plays the role of the screenplay – it describes what is going to happen, in what order and with what effect.
This distinction is crucial. Even the best-written application cannot make up for a poorly thought-out project. If there is no coherent idea for solving a specific problem behind the document, it will be very hard to convince the assessors that the planned activities make sense and will genuinely deliver the intended results.
What kinds of projects do sports clubs most often run?
Most clubs work around a handful of recurring project types. It is worth naming and organising them, because this makes it easier to match them later to funding calls and other sources of funding.
The main areas are:
- training and equipment projects – player development, organising training, coaches’ pay, buying equipment and improving training conditions
- infrastructure projects – renovation, modernisation and construction of sports facilities
- social projects – getting children and young people active, inclusion activities, education and health
- organisational projects – improving the quality of management, building a club strategy
Most funding calls aimed at sports clubs allow exactly these kinds of activities to be funded. The key, however, is to sort out your own needs first and turn them into well-prepared projects.
How to do it properly
In practice, an effective approach to securing funding comes down to three simple steps:
- Define the problem – state clearly what challenge the club is facing and what needs to change.
- Build the project – on that basis, set the objective, plan the activities and define the expected results.
- Only then choose the funding call and write the application – pick the source of funding that best fits your project and describe it according to its requirements.
In reality, many organisations do it the other way round. Funding calls open at different times, often without prior notice, which creates a natural temptation to react quickly and “come up with a project on the spot”. I understand this approach – especially in clubs that operate under time pressure and with limited resources. In the long run, though, working this way can be exhausting. It leads to projects designed “for the call” rather than for real needs, which lowers their quality and effectiveness.
That is why a far better solution is a more structured, long-term approach based on building your own project portfolio. This means the club deliberately analyses its needs, considers which areas it wants to develop over the next few years and which projects could help it do so.
The result of this work is a kind of “project bank” that you can keep coming back to and flexibly adapt to different sources of funding. Projects can be modified, developed or scaled depending on the opportunities available. This approach lets you move from acting at random to acting strategically, with the club setting the direction rather than the funding calls.
Not every funding call is for you
A very common approach follows a simple pattern: a funding call opens, so we immediately start writing an application. At first glance this seems logical, but in practice it very often leads to problems.
In this situation, the project gets forced to fit the requirements of the call. It loses its coherence, no longer reflects the club’s real needs, and its quality drops significantly. As a result, the risk of rejection increases, despite all the time and work put in.
Worse still, repeated failures lead to discouragement. After two or three rejections, many clubs conclude that “grants aren’t for us”. Yet the problem rarely lies in the organisation’s lack of potential. Most often, it comes down to a mismatch between the project and the funding call.
It is much more effective to reverse this approach. Instead of looking for a project to fit a call, first have a well-thought-out idea for what you want to do, and only then check where it could be funded. With a well-prepared project, you can analyse the opportunities available and adapt the application to them, rather than starting from scratch every time.
Is every need worth funding with a grant?
Many clubs instinctively think: we need money, so let’s look for a grant. It is worth remembering, however, that this is only one possible source of funding, and not always the best one.
There are situations in which applying for public money is simply inefficient. The process can be time-consuming and uncertain, and for smaller needs or urgent expenses it may not be worth it. This is especially true when equipment needs to be bought quickly, the amount is relatively small, the project is hard to fit into the objectives of the call, or the formal requirements are out of proportion to the potential benefits.
At moments like these, it is worth asking yourself a basic question: is a grant really the best route here?
In practice, clubs also have other options, such as working with sponsors and local partners, raising membership fees, commercial activities, using their own funds or combining several sources of funding in a single model.
Summary
Effective fundraising does not start with an application but with a well-thought-out project. It is the foundation for everything that follows and determines whether applying for funding has a real chance of success. Understanding the difference between a project and an application, sorting out your own needs and taking a more strategic approach to funding not only increases your success rate but also helps build stable development for the club in the long term.
If you want to get your project idea in order, start by asking yourself: what problem are you really solving?
And if you need direct support from me, you are warmly invited to book an online consultation (in Polish)!
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a project and an application?
A project is a structured way of solving a specific problem, while an application is a tool for describing it in line with the requirements of a funding call. The author compares it to a film and its screenplay: the project is the film, the application is the screenplay.
What does a well-designed project consist of?
A problem (a real need of the club), an objective (what we want to change), activities (how we will do it) and a result (a measurable change). “We want to buy equipment” is not a project; “we want to increase the number of children training by equipping our groups and launching new sessions” is.
What kinds of projects do sports clubs most often run?
Four types: training and equipment, infrastructure, social and organisational. Naming them makes it easier to match them to funding calls later.
Is every need worth funding with a grant?
No. When the amount is small, the expense is urgent and the formal requirements are out of proportion to the benefits, it is better to consider other sources: working with sponsors, membership fees, commercial activities, your own funds or a combination of several sources.
Where should you start with fundraising?
With three steps in this order: define the problem, build the project, and only then choose the funding call and write the application. Doing it the other way round leads to projects written “for the call”, which lose coherence and are rejected more often.
