New funding boost for LGBTIQ+ sport
9th September 2026
LGBT+ Fund: Get Active Fund opens
A new £400,000 fund supporting LGBTIQ+ sport and physical activity organisations and projects across the UK has opened for applications today.
The LGBT+ Fund: Get Active Fund is a new two-year funding programme from the LGBT+ Fund, powered by Consortium, in partnership with London Marathon Foundation. It has been developed to address the longstanding underinvestment experienced by grassroots LGBTIQ+ sport and physical activity groups, while helping more LGBTIQ+ people overcome barriers to becoming and staying physically active.
LEAP Sports has been pleased to support the development of the fund as part of its steering group, bringing our experience of LGBTIQ+ sport, physical activity and community development in Scotland.
What is the Get Active Fund?
The fund will distribute £400,000 to LGBTIQ+ organisations and groups delivering sport and physical activity across the UK. Applicants can apply for £5,000-£25,000 for one year, or £10,000-£50,000 across two years.
Importantly, the fund is particularly interested in helping LGBTIQ+ people who are currently inactive to become more physically active, with a focus on removing the barriers that prevent people from taking part. It also takes a deliberately broad view of what physical activity can look like. This isn’t just about traditional organised sport: a wide range of activities that get people moving and support their wellbeing can be eligible.
Funding can support both the direct costs of delivering activities and the infrastructure that makes them possible. This includes venue hire, equipment, volunteer expenses, reducing costs for participants, accessibility measures, coaching qualifications and training, as well as core and running costs such as salaries, rent, utilities and administration where these contribute to the fund's outcomes.
Who is it for?
The fund is open to UK-based, LGBTIQ+ led non-profit groups and organisations which already have experience of delivering sport or physical activity. This includes dedicated LGBTIQ+ sports and physical activity organisations, as well as wider LGBTIQ+ organisations with an existing sport or physical activity project. Organisations or projects must have been running for at least six months.
The fund particularly wants to reach groups in historically underfunded areas, including Scotland, as well as rural and remote communities and organisations working with people facing multiple barriers to participation.
Additional priority communities include D/deaf, disabled and neurodivergent LGBTIQ+ people; LGBTIQ+ women; LGBTIQ+ people of faith; LGBTIQ+ people of the global majority; older LGBTIQ+ people; and trans, non-binary and intersex people.
More People, More Active
At the heart of the fund is a simple aim: to increase participation in physical activity among LGBTIQ+ communities, particularly supporting people who are currently inactive or who experience barriers to taking part.
Alongside this, funding can help organisations become more inclusive and accessible, strengthen their sustainability, develop LGBTIQ+ coaches and leaders, better support people experiencing the greatest inequalities, and contribute to wider change across sport and physical activity.
For LEAP Sports, this recognition is particularly welcome. LGBTIQ+ sports clubs, groups and community-led physical activity initiatives do much more than provide somewhere to exercise. They can create routes into activity for people who have felt excluded elsewhere, build confidence and connection, develop community leadership, and provide environments where people can participate without having to leave part of themselves at the door.
Now open for applications
Applications are open here from 12 noon on Wednesday 9 September 2026 and close at 12 noon on Wednesday 4 November 2026. All eligible applications received during that period will be considered.
Applications can be made in writing or by video, and Consortium's Giving Team can provide support to people who find application processes challenging or require reasonable adjustments.
Applicants are encouraged to read the full guidance carefully before applying. The fund is expected to be highly competitive, with Consortium estimating that around one in five applications may be successful.
