Growth & Participation Fund

Scottish Rugby has now launched a £1M funding package to stimulate Growth and Participation in the club and schools’ game. The funding stream has been established from the £6.5M Scottish Government funding announced in April 2021.

The Growth and Participation fund will see £5M injected directly into the domestic game over the next five years to support sustainable improvements in player numbers.

A £1M package will be available each year, and is split into two distinct strands; Major Capital Investment (£500K)* and Growing the Game (£500K).

The funding is linked directly to Scottish Rugby’s Strategy and will embrace our strategic priorities.

If your club is successful, you will receive a grant agreement, stating the purpose of the grant which will contain our terms and conditions, along with monitoring and evaluation requirements.

Your grant is intended specifically for what you’ve applied for, and any proposed changes should be discussed with us in advance, with any invoices/receipts kept as evidence of expenditure.

This fund is supported by Scottish Government, therefore all payments will be subject to Scottish Government review and monitoring processes including freedom of information requests.

*Please note the Major Capital Investment strand is now aligned to the Club Sustainability Fund.

Applications for the funds below are now open and will close on 31st January 2026.

Growing the Game

  • Introduction

    Aligning itself with Scottish Rugby’s strategic priorities, the Growing the Game strand forms three sub-categories of funding with the aim of supporting sustained growth and development of the community game, with a focus on inclusion and diversity.

    There are three distinct categories in the Growing the Game strand of this financial package: Women and Girls’ Community Coach, Youth Player Development and State School Rugby.

    Clubs and schools are able to apply for funding to run a project during the 2026/27 season aligned to one of the sub-categories.

  • Women and Girls’ Community Coach Fund

    This fund is £50k fund, allocated to support the development of the Women & Girls’ game, with up to £5k allocated towards Community Coaches investment.

    Applications have now opened to run a project during the 2026/27 season and will close on 31st January 2026.

    The Criteria and Guidance Notes for this fund can be found below:

    Growth & Participation: Women & Girls’ Community Coach Fund Criteria & Guidance Notes

  • Youth Player Development Fund

    This fund is a £150k fund allocated to support clubs to improve player development programmes for U16 & U18 players (male and female). The fund aims to support clubs to enhance their programmes (at U16 & U18 age groups specifically), with the goal of growing participation and nurturing future professional and international players.

    Applications have now opened to run a project during the 2026/27 season and will close on 31st January 2026.

    The fund is aligned to the Youth Player Development Framework (YPDF) which can be accessed here.

    The Criteria and Guidance Notes for this fund can be found below:

    Growth & Participation: Youth Player Development Fund Criteria & Guidance Notes

  • State School Rugby Fund

    This fund will help create more opportunities for boys and girls within state schools to participate in rugby by developing accessible models of support with targeted investment within our regions. Clubs and schools can apply in partnership for either £5,000, £7,500 or £10,000 for a project to increase opportunities for boys and girls within state schools.

    Applications have now opened to run a project during the 2026/27 season and will close on 31st January 2026.

    The Criteria and Guidance Notes for this fund can be found below:

    Growth & Participation: State School Rugby Fund Criteria & Guidance Notes

If you require any further support with your application, please contact your Regional Team or email [email protected]