THE RACING FOUNDATION
Small Grants for under £30,000 and Open Grants for over £30,000 are available to UK registered charities and charitable organisations for activities that advance, for public benefit, the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry or equine welfare.
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o Application deadline: Two rounds remaining in 2025 – April and June deadlines for Stage 1 applications. See text below for detail.
o Funder: The Racing Foundation (also known as the Horseracing Foundation (founded 2011. Charity number 1145297. Total amount of all grants and loans awarded during the year ended 31 December 2023: £9,233,067).
o Who can apply: UK registered charities and non-charitable bodies providing grants are used for charitable purposes.
o Key words: Sport, Horseracing, Thoroughbred Breeding, Equine Welfare, Welfare, Research, Improving Community Engagement, Increasing Awareness of Environmental Issues relating to Horseracing,
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The Racing Foundation was founded by its Members, the British Horseracing Authority, the Racecourse Association and the Thoroughbred Group in December 2011 so that the racing industry had an appropriate vehicle to accept and distribute funds arising from the government’s sale of the Horserace Totalisator Board (‘Tote’). To comply with State Aid rules, it was required to be established as a registered charity with objects to provide funding to charities working in UK Racing. The Racing Foundation amended its Articles of Association in 2019 to allow it to make grants for the furtherance of its purposes to non-charitable bodies providing they are for charitable purposes. Previously it was restricted to giving solely to charities.
The objects of the charity are the advancement for the public benefit of any charitable purpose associated with the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry or with equine welfare, in each case by making grants for such charitable purpose or purposes. The Foundation’s purpose is defined in the 2021-23 strategy as:
o To make a difference in racing by acting as a catalyst and a funder of improvement.
The Foundation’s ambitions are to:
o Drive an industry people strategy to attract, develop and retain more staff.
o Support the industry’s equine agenda on welfare and research.
o Support the sport to deliver an enhanced programme of community engagement, and
o Increase awareness of environmental and other emerging issues.
The Racing Foundation offers three funding rounds a year and accepts applications from organisations whose charitable projects directly benefit the horseracing and Thoroughbred breeding industry.
Three types of grants are offered:
1 and 2. Small Grants (up to £30,000) and Open Grants (over £30,000)
Through its Open Grants Programme (including small grants of less than £30,000), the Foundation considers applications from organisations whose charitable activities are associated with the UK Thoroughbred horseracing and breeding industries for projects and activities that fit within the criteria of its current strategy. The strategy focuses on 4 key areas:
1. People (including social welfare and training & education).
2. Equine welfare.
3. Community engagement, and
4. Environment and emerging issues.
3. Equine Science Research Grants – the Racing Foundation will consider equine science research grant applications for applied research in the field of equine science, as long as the research has demonstrable practical benefits to Thoroughbred horseracing and only where the useful results of any such research will be published and publicised. The use of the phrase ‘equine science’ is intended to allow flexibility to applicants across a broad range of equine related disciplines, including veterinary, biological science, non-biological science and technical interests, with the focus on the application of relevant equine related scientific and technical knowledge to benefit Thoroughbred horseracing.
The Racing Foundation, via the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), operates one annual funding round for Equine Science Research Grant applications. The 2025 funding round will open in April. After the deadline has passed, applications will be subject to a lengthy review and assessment process before final approval in mid-November. This means projects will not commence until the following year after initial submission.
During the year ended 31st December 2023, the Foundation received 39 grant applications and awarded 28 grants and one 5-year loan. The total amount awarded was £9,233,067. However, this included a £7.5m loan to the Horseracing Betting Levy Board (HBLB) for its Weighing Room Loan Scheme.
Grants awarded by area of focus were:
o People 51%.
o Community Engagement 22%.
o Environment and Emerging Issues 16%, and
o Equine Welfare 11%.
The Foundation has a 3-stage application process for its Small Grants and Open Grants programmes, as follows:
1. Stage 1: the first stage of the application process to be completed online via a short, standard form that requests basic applicant information and most recent audited accounts. It will also require a brief, project overview to be uploaded. This should be attached as a Word document and be no more than 2 pages long.
2. Stage 2: if successful at first stage, applicants will be required to re-register with a new request and complete a more detailed online second stage form. This will include specific questions to be answered; a detailed budget breakdown of costs and the uploading of supporting documents. A link to the second stage online form will be emailed to eligible applicants for completion by a set date.
For small grant applications (less than £30,000) applicants will be contacted by the Racing Foundation’s Grants Manager to discuss the project further and identify additional information that might be required. Applicants will then be able to submit a revised version of their initial proposal instead of completing all sections of the form.
For requests over £30,000 applicants will be contacted by the Racing Foundation’s Grants Manager to arrange a meeting or conference call to discuss the project further, assist with completion of the form and provide guidance on what the Racing Foundation’s Trustees are likely to consider when discussing grant awards.
3. Stage 3: the Small Grants Committee meets to discuss small grant applications and agree awards, three times a year.
All applicants will be contacted within 2 weeks of the meeting to be advised of the outcome.
The application rounds for 2025 are:
o Round 2, 2025: deadline for Stage 1 submissions: Friday 25th April. Stage 2 deadline: Friday 6th June. Applications considered on Thursday 31st July.
o Round 3, 2025: deadline for Stage 1 submissions: Friday 22nd April. Stage 2 deadline: Friday 3rd October. Applications considered on Wednesday 3rd December.
Further information, guidance and details about how to apply can be found on the Foundation’s website.
Contact details for the Foundation are:
Stanley Wong
Grants Manager
The Racing Foundation
Holborn Gate,
26 Southampton Buildings
London
WC2A 1AN