Rowing Foundation

The Rowing Foundation (RF) is a registered charity set up in 1981 to generate and administer funds for the aid and support of young people (those under 18 or still in full time education) and the disabled of all ages through their participation in sport and games, particularly water sports.

Who benefits?

The Foundation is anxious to help organisations and clubs whose requirements may be too small or who may be otherwise ineligible for an approach to the National Lottery or other similar sources of funds.

Who is behind the RF?

The current Trustees and Officers are David Parry (Chairman), John Buchan, David Chick, Simon Goodey, Phil Phillips, Iain Reid, Roger Smith, Anne Gregory-Jones (Treasurer) and Pauline Churcher (Secretary).

Overview

The RF is mainly dependent on donations from the rowing fraternity, enabling it to make grants between £500-£2000 to pump prime projects. In the past, several clubs were able to obtain tax advantages through covenanted donations to the RF by their members but, now that covenanted giving has been abolished, individuals can still enable the charity to reclaim tax via the Gift Aid Scheme.

To comply with their charity status, the Trustees must retain their absolute discretion when considering grant applications to ensure the objects are charitable (non-elitist for the benefit of young people, those in full time education or disabled) but where the donor of a legacy or under 'Gift Aid' has expressed a wish to help if possible a particular fund raising scheme, the Trustees will always take this into account when exercising their discretion providing they are satisfied it complies with the Charity criteria. For example, when Maidenhead Rowing Club set up a scheme to build a new Clubhouse, some members gave Deeds of Covenant (now replaced by Gift Aid) in favour of the Rowing Foundation and when the building progressed, partly funded by the Lottery, monies thereby accumulated, together with the tax recovered and interest, were released by the Trustees to help pay for the disabled facilities which was a condition of the Lottery funding. The Trustees will be happy to discuss with potential donors any scheme in which the donor is interested.

The RF also wishes to acknowledge the generous support received over the last few years from the Henley Stewards Charitable Trust on behalf of junior rowing.

In 2006, the Foundation made grants to Derby RC, Derby University RC, Herne Bay RC, Junior Sculling HOR, Leeds University, Peterborough City RC, Southampton ARC, South Devon College, Stowe School, Tees RC, Weybridge RC and Worcester RC.

In aiming to 'put young people on the water', the RF does not confine its assistance to rowing. Grants have been made towards the purchase of buoyancy aids, splash suits, canoes and the promotion of taster rowing courses for youth clubs, sailing and other water sports clubs.

Arising from a generous bequest in 2002, the Rowing Foundation also funds the Stanley and Margaret Hill Bursaries to enable the winners of the J14 girls and boys single sculls event at Peterborough Junior Regatta to attend the J16 sculling camp in the following year and in 2006 inaugurated the prize of pairs of sculls for the two winners of the J16 single sculls at the National Schools Regatta.

It should be noted that the Rowing Foundation does not give grants to individuals, only to clubs and organisations, and for a specific purpose, not as a contribution to general funds.

Applications

Applications may be made using this Rowing Foundation Grant Aid application form (pdf.

Further enquiries to the Rowing Foundation should be addressed to the Secretary:
Pauline Churcher
2 Roehampton Close
London SW15 5LU
Tel: (020) 8878 3723 Fax: (020) 8878 6298 E-mail: Pauline Churcher