The Primary Club has set aside a budget of £75,000 (named The James Fund) 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 it appears likely that a grant at this level will only be considered for  exceptional projects. Most grant awards will be for significantly lower amounts (in 2022, the Primary Club’s average award was around £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.

In 2022/23, the Primary Club made grants to 43 clubs and organisations. The average grant was just under £4,000. However, following a significant legacy in 2023, the Charity is keen to encourage applications for more substantial funding for relevant new projects. 

Further information, guidance and an application form is available on the Primary Club website. Completed application forms should be returned to treasurer(at)primaryclub.org

The deadline for applications is Tuesday 31st October 2023, with applicants expected to be notified by Monday 1st January 2024.