Bollyfit: Lottery Funding Application Support
THEMES
PROCESS
Health Equalities
Funding Application
BollyFit Active CIC supports women from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds who suffer from multiple disadvantages in and surrounding Manchester. The organisation brings women from different backgrounds and religions to engage in culturally appropriate and inclusive women-only fitness classes. These sessions have not only supported the physical health and mental wellbeing of numerous women, but enabled them to make vital social connections with the wider community.
BollyFit Active was born out of the experience of its director Shamime, who found mainstream fitness sessions woefully inadequate for Asian women and lacking in culturally-appropriate provisions (such as no women-only venues). Shamime identified the power of culturally-celebrated dance and music in women-only spaces as an effective model to improve health and social outcomes. Over a short period, BollyFit Active has ‘snowballed’ in size, offering a range of fitness classes and weekly drop in sessions, which are complemented by talks by local stakeholders aimed at signposting women to vital services and information.
CSC has worked with multiple organisations through our ‘Steps to Sustainability' programme on writing successful funding proposals, particular to the National Lottery Community Fund. We approach each bid in a relational and individualised way, working around each organisation’s resources and needs. Through this process, we are able to gain a holistic understanding of their goals, enabling us to hone in on their proposed project (including budget and timeframes). From these initial meetings, CSC draws on their extensive knowledge and experience on what funders are looking for to write a structured and persuasive proposal.
CSC has thoroughly enjoyed learning about the vital support Bollyfit is carrying out to support those commonly labelled ‘hard to reach’ women.
Community truly lies at the heart of BollyFit Active, and we are confident they will gain the funding needed to sustain their far-reaching provisions and keep up with demand.