Sport England is to make up to £1million available to get more female and BAME coaches into the sport and physical activity sector.
Launched during Coaching Week, the ‘Workforce Diversity Great Ideas Fund’ is open until July 3 and is aimed at any project which can successfully engage women and/or BAME communities in volunteering or coaching opportunities.
The National Lottery funding has been allocated to address the fragmented workforce – partly comprised of coaches and volunteers – that is currently lacking diversity.
Stuart Armstrong, Sport England’s head of coaching, said: “We regularly hear fantastic stories of women and people from BAME communities getting involved and making a difference to people around them.
“But we know that there are barriers facing them in getting started, so we're keen to find ways that we can support more people from these backgrounds into the sport and physical activity workforce, and to help ensure they have a really positive experience once they are engaged.”
Applications can be submitted until July 3, with selected projects being invited to develop a full application in August and September, and final decisions on funding made in October and November.
