1. Purpose This policy outlines how The Judo Life CIO awards grants to support children and young people who face financial barriers to participating in martial arts. The aim is to ensure all funding decisions are fair, transparent, and aligned with the charity’s objects.

2. Grant-Making Approach The Judo Life CIO does not operate an open application process. Instead, eligible grant recipients are identified through referrals from trusted partner organisations, such as:

  • Local authority children’s services
  • Schools and colleges
  • Youth and community groups
  • Other charities and safeguarding professionals

3. Eligibility Criteria To be eligible for a grant, referred individuals must:

  • Be under 18 years old at the time of the referral;
  • Demonstrate financial hardship through indicators such as:
    • Receiving free school meals;
    • Having a parent or guardian in receipt of means-tested benefits;
    • Being identified by a referring organisation as at-risk or disadvantaged.

Grants may cover costs such as:

  • Martial arts membership or class fees
  • Equipment or uniforms (e.g. gis, belts, protective gear)
  • Travel or event participation costs where appropriate

Once an applicant has been approved, The Judo Life CIO will make payments directly to the martial arts club the child chooses to attend, rather than providing funds to the recipient or their family. This ensures transparency and appropriate use of funds.

4. Referral and Assessment

  • Referrals must be made using the CIO’s standard referral form and include basic details of the child’s circumstances.
  • The trustees will assess referrals at scheduled meetings (or electronically, if urgent) based on the eligibility criteria and available funds.
  • A minimum of two trustees must approve each award.
  • Applications will be assessed and grants awarded on an annual cycle.
  • The charity will commit to a full year of funding with each grant.
  • Provided that funds are raised and the child continues training, grant recipients will not need to reapply each year; instead, they will be notified if their funding is being extended.
  • If a child chooses to stop training before the end of the funded year, and more than six months remain until the next grant cycle, the charity may identify a new eligible recipient to take over the remainder of the support.

5. Conflicts of Interest The CIO’s Conflict of Interest Policy applies. No more than 25% of total funds will be awarded to individuals attending gyms financially linked to a trustee. This 25% cap applies to all future funding decisions. However, the initial cohort of grant recipients — who were identified and approved at the founding stage of the charity — exceed this percentage due to the limited initial pool and early operational constraints. This exception is temporary and will not apply to subsequent rounds of funding.

Any trustee with a connection to a referred individual or gym must declare it and withdraw from decision-making.

6. Monitoring and Follow-up

  • While grants are not repayable and no ongoing reporting is required from recipients themselves, the CIO may request informal updates or feedback through the referring organization.
  • As most martial arts clubs operate on a weekly or monthly payment model, the CIO will seek to confirm that grant recipients are actively attending classes from the clubs themselves. If a recipient attends fewer than two sessions per month for two consecutive months, they will receive a warning that funding will be withdrawn after a third month of low attendance. Mitigating circumstances will always be taken into consideration.
  • Trustees will review grant outcomes annually to assess impact and inform future funding priorities.

7. Review This policy will be reviewed annually by the board of trustees to ensure it remains effective, fair, and legally compliant.

Approved by The Judo Life CIO Trustees – 01/09/25