Go! London x NFL Foundation UK Grant Fund

We’re excited to launch a new grant fund in partnership with NFL Foundation UK and delivered by Beyond Sport.

Go! London and the NFL Foundation UK have partnered to launch a new grant fund that supports community organisations to introduce or expand flag football (non-contact 5v5 American Football) as part of their work with young people. The fund is designed to help organisations use non‑contact 5v5 flag football alongside wraparound support to engage underserved young Londoners in safe, inclusive, and energising environments that improve wellbeing; create positive, measurable outcomes; and strengthen communities.

Overview

You are invited to apply for a grant of up to £55,000 starting in May 2026 and running through to April 2028. We encourage you to apply for the relevant funding amount to cover your proposed project delivery for 24 months, which may be less than £55,000, depending on the size of your organisation.

This grant will support you in building on your existing sports programming by either introducing flag football as a tool to engage young people further or, if already implementing flag football, expanding its reach. The support from this programme will allow organisations to harness the uniqueness of the sport to bring people together in a positive and supportive environment, strengthen their communities, and improve the physical and mental health of young people facing inequality.

Funded projects must combine flag football with wraparound support to deepen their impact. This support should be tailored to the needs of your community but may include mentoring programmes, counselling, educational workshops, or support to develop employability skills.

You don’t need to have prior experience with the sport to apply for funding. We will work with you to understand any additional training and equipment needs you may have to support the delivery of flag football as part of this programme. You can learn more about flag football here.

Are you eligible?

To be eligible for a grant, applicants must:

  • Be a registered charity or Community Interest Company (CIC), with at least three directors or trustees (or two at the point of application, but will add a third as a condition of the grant)
  • Have access to an indoor or outdoor space, such as a park or sports hall. The space must be suitable for flag football (minimum dimensions equivalent to a 5-a-side football pitch) and be available for the duration of the project
  • Have been in operation for at least 2 years
  • Deliver activities at a location(s) within Greater London
  • Be experienced in delivering sport initiatives with young people that contribute to social change for communities facing inequality
  • Have access to groups of young people aged 11-24
  • Be able to deliver flag football (non-contact 5v5 American football project) on a regular basis, at least fortnightly
  • Have a robust Safeguarding Policy in place
  • Be operational across the period of a 24-month grant
  • Provide a budget overview detailing how funds will be used
  • Funds granted must not exceed 50% of the organisation’s total annual revenue
  • Have a maximum annual income of £1,000,000
  • If previously funded by the Greater London Authority, Sport England or London Marathon Foundation, the organisation must have less than £50,000 of those funds remaining by April 2026. This includes Go! London funding.

Find out more and apply

The fund priorities are set out in the funding guidance document. Before you begin your application, please read through the guidance document.

Funding Guidance
Application Form

The application window will close on Friday 13th February at 11:59pm GMT. Successful applicants are expected to begin delivery from Summer 2026.

We will be hosting an online Applicant Information Session on Tuesday 3 February from 3–4pm. You can sign up here.

If you have any issues with the application system or have any questions, please contact the Beyond Sport Programs team at programs@beyondsport.org.