Overall GiG Score: 29 ?
Finance Score: 8
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 12
  • Good reserves management: +3
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +12

SPORT 4 LIFE UK 

Overview

Sport 4 Life UK provides a hybrid online and in person sports-themed personal development programme targeted at secondary school pupils and young adults. The programme is intentionally focused on those people most at risk of failing and provides them with the tools to become self supporting members of society.

Impact results confirm the programme is effective, which has helped to secure the support of multiple respected grant makers and Founder, Tom Clarke-Forrest sees significant opportunity to scale the programme nationally in conjunction with local sports clubs. They have initiated a partnerships programme to broaden reach in the West Midlands and beyond, which is seeing success in early stages.

Source: Giving is Great

Mission:

Helping young people from disadvantaged backgrounds into sustained education and employment through sports-themed mentoring
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers, including a Community Foundation, recently
  • Reserves management has been consistently within official guidelines
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition
Established: 18 years

www.sport4life.org.uk

contact@sport4life.org.uk

01214561818

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramXYouTube
UN SDGs
?
How you can help

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
30/06/23£1,537£1,436£102£56£519£3963.32310
30/06/22£1,397£1,259£138£44£417£3763.6587
30/06/21£923£874£49£40£279£2783.83710
30/06/20£759£754£5£34£230£2243.62010
30/06/19£742£690£52£36£225£2253.91820
30/06/18£822£749£74£36£173£1732.8200
30/06/17£662£716£-54£51£99£991.7200
30/06/16£556£537£19£28£153£962.1190
30/06/15£448£406£42£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/14£296£291£4£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/13£233£242£-9£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/12£230£224£6£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/11£231£234£-3£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/10£191£188£3£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/09£232£175£57£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/08£149£138£10£0£0£0n/a00
30/06/07£67£43£25£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 3.7%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 3.9%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 5%
Highest pay band: £60,000-£70,000
Liabilities/Assets: 18%
Liabilities/Income: 8%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 76%
Reserves/Spending: 3.3 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 4 months
Quick Ratio: 3.6
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Amateur Sport
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • Education/Training
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Sport 4 Life UK (S4L) believes in a level playing field where every young person has the opportunity to create a better future for themselves. S4L is proud to provide the opportunity for young people aged 11-29 to prepare for, and move into, sustained education, employment or training, by improving their employability and key life skills - through its sports-themed mentoring and training services.
Who works here?
  • 23 employees
  • 10 volunteers
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
  • People With Disabilities
How it operates
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Birmingham City, Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall, Worcestershire,

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
National Lottery Community Fund£339,659
DCMS£205,000
Henry Smith Charity£201,000
The EQ Foundation£184,500
BBC Children in Need£60,000
Paul Hamlyn Foundation£40,000
Joseph Levy Foundation£30,000
Sport England£24,420
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life
£50,000 15/03/2024
Unrestricted to support expanding to additional centres
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life
£42,500 13/10/2023
Unrestricted to support expanding to additional centres
National Lottery Community Fund - MH – Hodge Hill Summer Camp
£10,000 28/07/2023
This funding will be used to deliver a 3-week sports and activities camp for disadvantaged young people (11-16) in Birmingham; during the summer holidays. This project aims to provide free-to-access ....more
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life
£47,000 15/04/2023
Unrestricted
Henry Smith Charity - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£99,300 25/08/2022
36
towards three years' continuation funding of the salary and on costs of an Employability Mentor for a project supporting young people not in education, employment or training in Birmingham, West ....more
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life
£15,000 15/04/2022
Unrestricted
National Lottery Community Fund - Youth Mentoring
£9,500 11/03/2022
The funding will be used to programme for new young people (aged 18-29) who are NEET and from Birmingham and Sandwell with a particular focus on females ethnically diverse communities and those who ....more
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£20,000 05/11/2021
Core Costs
National Lottery Community Fund - Get Fit 4 Employment
£300,659 02/11/2021
The funding will be used by the group to engage and support young people aged 11-18 to develop life and employment skills with specific focus on those who are pre-NEET. The group hopes to increase ....more
Joseph Levy Foundation - Core funding contribution
£30,000 20/09/2021
12
To support the organisation to help young people (aged 11 to 29) move into sustained education, training and work through sports-themed personal development
Sport England - COVID19 Return to Play
£6,500 22/06/2021
10
Funding under Sport England's Return to Play - Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled COVID19 Return to Play. This project lists its main activity as Multi Sports
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life
£15,000 10/03/2021
Unrestricted
Sport England - TGC CF - Project You
£7,920 15/12/2020
11
This project will engage up to 50 young women aged 16-29 in a programme of activity with a focus on fun and friendly provision.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - COVID19 Emergency Funding
£20,000 16/09/2020
3
Support to aid the organisation in dealing with the challenges posed by COVID19.
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£80,000 19/08/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£60,000 30/07/2020
Covid19 - This grant will fund a sports based employability programme for 150 young people who are experiencing socio-economic disadvantage due to Covid-19. This project aims to improve skills and ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Virtual Support for Young People
£9,500 22/05/2020
4
The funding will be used to run virtual mentoring and physical activity classes for disadvantaged inner city young people. The aim on the project is to adapt and expand on their services due to an ....more
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - COVID19 Emergency Funding
£20,000 07/05/2020
3
Support to aid the organisation in dealing with the challenges posed by COVID19.
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life
£15,000 10/03/2020
Unrestricted
DCMS - UK Youth Fund YAF
£10,000 28/02/2020
New sport and mentoring sessions
DCMS - UK Youth Fund YAF
£5,000 28/02/2020
New sport and mentoring sessions. The wider aim of the scheme is: To deliver onward grants to increase positive activities for young people by delivering extra sessions in youth clubs for the ....more
Heart Of England Community Foundation - Skills 4 Life
£10,000 16/12/2019
5
to deliver a mentoring and physical activity based initiative to support disadvantaged and unemployed young women (aged 16-25)
Sport England - Be Positive
£10,000 25/10/2019
11
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled Be Positive. This project is a Multi Sports project, with a focus on beneficiaries from a BAME background.
Henry Smith Charity - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£101,700 12/06/2019
36
towards three years' continuation funding of the salary of the Project Manager at a project providing mentoring and training support to disadvantaged and unemployed young people in Birmingham
National Lottery Community Fund - Mentoring Into Work
£10,000 11/04/2019
12
This funding will be used to deliver a mentoring programme to young females. The project aims to offer tailored one to one support sessions improving their chances for the future.
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£55,000 01/04/2019
.
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£55,000 01/04/2019
.
DCMS - Tampon Tax Community Fund
£10,000 01/01/2019
The aim of this project is to empower women, improve their skills and build their confidence and motivation to transition into the next stage of their careers or personal life. We aim to achieve the ....more
Heart Of England Community Foundation - Project You
£10,000 06/12/2018
11
To run female only versions of its Get Fit 4 Employment programme
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£20,000 26/11/2018
Core costs
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£25,000 25/07/2018
12
Birmingham based charity seeking to engaged an experienced external consultant to review the needs of their clients and develop a new theory of change as well as developing new internal systems to ....more
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Strengthening monitoring and evaluation to support programme and organisational development.
£40,000 09/07/2018
24
Funding will support Sport 4 Life to increase the capacity of its Research and Impact Manager, allowing the organisation to create a new impact strategy, improve its delivery model and diversify ....more
Heart Of England Community Foundation - Be Positive Programme
£4,606 04/07/2018
11
to run 12 projects across 3 areas in Birmingham.
National Lottery Community Fund - Project You!
£9,490 21/03/2018
12
This group will deliver a young-person centred employment and physical activity programme over six months, offering local young women with the platform and opportunity to improve their employability ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£15,000 13/11/2017
36
This project is a personal development programme working with teenagers in a deprived area of Birmingham. The project aims to improve life skills, build confidence and self esteem and provide access ....more
Dulverton Trust - Birmingham NEETS Project
£40,000 24/10/2017
Birmingham NEETS Project
National Lottery Community Fund - Futurewise Ladywood
£401,000 28/06/2017
48
This project will work with young people to support their personal development. It will include targeted programmes for those still in education, and those not in education, employment or training. ....more
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£55,000 01/05/2017
[Placeholder]
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£55,000 01/05/2017
The Youth Investment Fund aims to expand, create and strengthen the sustainability of open-access youth services in six disadvantaged regions in the country. It will also expand the evidence base of ....more
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£55,000 01/05/2017
The Youth Investment Fund aims to expand, create and strengthen the sustainability of open-access youth services in six disadvantaged regions in the country. It will also expand the evidence base of ....more
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£41,250 01/05/2017
The Youth Investment Fund aims to expand, create and strengthen the sustainability of open-access youth services in six disadvantaged regions in the country. It will also expand the evidence base of ....more
DCMS - Youth Investment Fund
£41,250 01/05/2017
The Youth Investment Fund aims to expand, create and strengthen the sustainability of open-access youth services in six disadvantaged regions in the country. It will also expand the evidence base of ....more
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£103,470 09/02/2017
36
This project will provide sporting and leadership activities for children who are not in education or training, in a deprived area of Birmingham. Outcomes include improved health and wellbeing, ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£60,000 17/10/2016
24
Towards the salary of the operations manager to expand sports based programmes addressing educational inequality.
Masonic Trust - Core funding
£5,000 20/07/2016
Uses sport to engage with disadvantaged young people and improve employment opportunities and life skills.
Dulverton Trust - Birmingham NEETS Project
£20,000 08/06/2016
Birmingham NEETS Project
Comic Relief - Sport 4 Life NEETs: Changing young lives through Sport
£99,999 16/03/2016
36
Birmingham has 9.1% youth unemployment. Sport 4 Life (S4L) works with NEET young people aged 16-25 in two of the most deprived wards in Birmingham (Ladywood and Washwood Heath), who are at risk of ....more
Henry Smith Charity - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£60,000 10/03/2016
36
towards three years' continuation funding of a project providing sports-based employability and personal development programmes to disadvantaged NEET young people in Birmingham
Sport England - Sport 4 Life TEENS - Washward Heath
£9,998 11/12/2014
Funding under Sport England's Small Grants funding programme for a Revenue project titled 'Sport 4 Life TEENS - Washward Heath'. This project is a Association Football project, with a focus on ....more
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£30,000 29/04/2014
A Birmingham charity that combines fun sports activities with formal training courses, educational workshops and volunteering opportunities for disadvantaged children and young people who are not in ....more
Henry Smith Charity - Grant to Sport 4 Life UK
£38,600 05/12/2012
36
towards three years' salary of an Education Co-ordinator to provide activities for young men in disadvantaged areas of Birmingham
National Lottery Community Fund - Be Positive
£289,768 19/01/2012
72
This new project will develop a sports orientated programme to engage young people from Ladywood in Birmingham in positive community activities, educational workshops and learning challenges. The aim ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How do they operate?

Sport 4 Life UK Personal Developmental Programme

Objectives: To provide young people with support that will progress them into sustained education, employment, or training

Beneficiaries: Young people aged 11-29

Description: Young people sign up to Sport 4 Life’s service through a range of recruitment pathways including partner referrals, sport engagement sessions, community outreach, and digital. Each young person is assigned a qualified employability mentor who will be with the young person throughout their journey for up to 12 months. Their mentor will provide tailored one to one employability support and personal development training that improves their prospects and develops their key life skills. The young person will either progress into education, employment, or training if they entered the NEET service (aged 16 to 29) or progress within education, employment, or training if they entered the EET service (aged 11 to 18). S4L continues to support participants for up

....more
How effective are they?
Outputs
Outcomes
Y/EYoung people meaningfully engagedSupported into employmentSupported into education or training
30/06/20231,3937968
30/06/20221,4929164
30/06/20211,0157638
Notes: A ‘traffic light’ needs assessment process is used to focus on those young people furthest away from the job market in an attempt to combat issues impacting those at the core of disadvantage. Development of their delivery model has focused on the quality of evidence and success criteria of an individual young person’s outcomes. Increasing success thresholds of outcomes and measuring life skills through their ‘Outcome STAR’ framework has refined their benchmarking when claiming transformational change of an individual but has meant varying outcomes across years

See what you could achieve with a donation of: £
How do we calculate this?

Who works here?

  • TOM CLARKE-FORREST
    Founder and CEO
    Appointed: July 2006
Tom has led the organisation through significant change and growth in the last 14 years and was named ‘Future Face of Charity and Social Enterprise’ at the 2019 Future Faces Awards. He is also a Business Mentor for ‘Unltd’, a leading provider of support for social entrepreneurs in the UK
  • MATT FORSYTH
    Director of Operations
    Appointed: October 2010
Matthew has a background in local authority and project management. Since joining the charity, he has managed a number of key projects and now oversees all operational delivery. He leads on Sport 4 Life UK contracts and commissioned work, and is the organisation’s designated safeguarding lead
  • ROB WELLS
    Director of People & Strategy
    Appointed: October 2019
Rob is the newest member of the Leadership Team and has over 20 years’ experience working in the public sector, higher education and one of the biggest national governing bodies of sport. An experienced leader and coach with a passion for growth and making a difference to people’s lives, he is responsible for business development, including income generation, marketing and partnerships
  • NICK CHEESE
    Education & Skills Manager
    Appointed: February 2023
Nick joined as NCS Programme Manager after working on the delivery side of NCS for 8 years at a different organisation back in October 2019.
  • ALEX JEAVONS
    Bid Manager
    Appointed: May 2022
  • NICOLA MCCAVANA
    National Partnerships Manager
    Appointed: August 2023
Nicola has close to a decade in the education sector and is passionate about young people. She began working with the NCS programme back in 2015, and when Sport 4 Life joined as a delivery partner she was able to witness their incredible dedication and transformative work up close before joining in 2023
  • MATT DANDY
    Mentoring Services Manager
    Appointed: October 2023
Matt has worked in Sports Development for close to 10 years, predominantly in Football. After starting as a coach, he worked locally at a County Football Association alongside National roles with Further Education, Higher Education and most recently The Football Association
  • SARABJOYT MINHAS
    Business Development Manager
    Appointed: October 2023
Sabs worked in the Charity Sector for four years before stepping out into the corporate world, and has returned to the sector at Sport 4 Life UK. She previously worked to support young people into employment, education and training in another charitable organisation for two years so recognised the vital work Sport 4 Life UK does to support and develop young people as they really are our future.
  • RAUKIN LAVARESQUE
    Finance Manager
    Appointed: November 2023
Raukin previously worked in the education sector managing finances for academy trusts, and volunteered and worked for various charities before

How is it governed?

Trustees (8)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 34-57
Alexandra is a solicitor specialising in general commercial contracts work, grant funding agreements, brand protection issues, intellectual property matters, data protection and privacy. She has experience working with a wide range of clients from smaller charities working in local communities through to much larger organisations working both....more
  • MICHAEL GAHIR (Chair) Appointed: 2023 Occupation: Managing Director
Mundeep is the Head of Financial Reporting at Secure Trust Bank Plc, where she has responsibility for regulatory reporting, tax and external reporting. She began her career at PricewaterhouseCoopers, after which she moved into financial services, working at Santander and Coventry Building Society.
Thomas is the General Counsel at Coventry Building Society, where has responsibility for legal, procurement, data protection and corporate governance matters. He began his career at Theodore Goddard, before moving on to roles in private practice and the financial services sector.
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 11/07/2006, number: 1115222
  • Registered at Companies House on 03/01/2006, number: 05664605
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
17 returns made; all on time
Main office

Unit 121-122 Scott House
The Custard Factory
Gibb Street
BIRMINGHAM
B9 4AA

Objectives

1. The Objects of the charity are for the public benefit: 1.1 To act as a resource for (in particular but not limited to) young people up to the age of 30 by providing advice and assistance and organising programmes of physical, educational and other activities as a means of: (a) advancing in life and helping young people by developing their skills, capacities and capabilities to enable them to participate in society as independent, mature and responsible individuals;(b) advancing education;(c) relieving unemployment;(d) providing recreational and leisure time activity in the interests of social welfare for people who have need by reason of their youth, age, infirmity or disability, poverty or social and economic circumstances with a view to improving the conditions of life of such persons. 1.2 The promotion of community participation in healthy recreation in particular by the provision of facilities for the playing of sports. 1.3 To advance such other charitable purposes (according to the law of England and Wales) as the trustees see fit from time to time.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NATIONAL AND OVERSEAS

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase

Tips for Selecting Charities

Which areas of philanthropy are most effective?
The text of this post is taken from an article on the Effective Altruism forum. It suggests that you can achieve the most impact by supporting causes that fight extreme poverty, improving animal welfare....more
Our Top Tips for Philanthropy
Here are some ideas to help you gain more satisfaction from your philanthropy and confidence that the causes you have selected are impactful. Engage your brain, as well as your heart You....more
How to become a Philanthropist
In this Blog we outline a strategy to help people who are new to philanthropy and for those who feel dissatisfied with the impact they are having. Effective philanthropy is immensely rewarding for donors,....more

Giving is Great