THE PRIMARY CLUB (THE JAMES FUND)
Grants of up to £25,000 (but generally averaging under £4,000) are available for UK clubs and organisations to provide sporting and/or recreational activities for people who are blind or visually impaired/partially sighted.
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o Application deadline: SUNDAY 30th NOVEMBER 2025.
o Funder: The Primary Club (founded 1955. Charity Commission registration: 1982. Charity number 285285. Total value of all grants awarded during the year ended 31 March 2024: £326,094 (2023: £172,170; 2022: £141,350; 2021: £36,697)).
o Who can apply: UK organisations and sports clubs, particularly for grassroots sports and start-up activities
o Key Words: Blindness, Partially Sighted, Visual Impairment, Sport, Innovative and Collaborative Projects, United Kingdom.
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The Primary Club awards grants for projects across the United Kingdom that provide sporting and/or recreational activities for people who are blind or visually impaired/partially sighted. The maximum grant available is £25,000, although grant at or around this level will only be considered for exceptional projects. Most grant awards are generally for under £4,000.
The Primary Club is the major supporter of the thriving network of Visually Impaired cricket clubs (VICCs) in the UK. However, while its origins and heart are in cricket, the Club also supports other sports enjoyed by people with a visual impairment, including:
o Futsal.
o Goalball.
o Golf.
o Skiing.
o Swimming.
o Tandem cycling, and
o Braille chess.
Grants can support a wide variety of projects relating to the sporting and/or recreational needs of the blind and partially sighted. The Primary Club is keen to support innovative and/or collaborative projects, such as (please note that this is not an exclusive list):
o Enabling support to be provided in new ways.
o Enabling support to be provided to a wider community, or
o Enabling organisations to work together to deliver support which they could not achieve alone.
Grants can be used to purchase equipment and to cover organisational running costs.
During the year ended 31st March 2024, the Primary Club awarded 55 grants totalling £326,094.
Details of all awards made during the year can be viewed on pages 12 and 13 of the Primary Club’s annual accounts.
Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Primary Club website. Completed application forms should be returned to honsec@primaryclub.org.
The deadline for applications is Sunday 30th November 2025, with applicants expected to be notified in February 2026.
Contact details for the Primary Club are:
Nicole Pollock
Honorary Secretary
The Primary Club
PO Box 12121
Saffron Walden
Essex
CB10 2ZF
Email: honsec@primaryclub.org