Sports Capital Programme

The most recent round of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme closed for applications at 5pm on Friday 8th September 2023. The allocations for sports equipment were made in May 2024 and the allocations to capital projects will be made later in the year.

Please consult the published 2023 Guide to Making an Application, below. If you require further assistance, please contact SportsCapitalProgrammes@tcagsm.gov.ie

The Sports Capital Programme is the primary vehicle for government support for the development of sports and physical recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Its objectives are to:

• assist voluntary and community organisations, national governing bodies (NGBs) of sport, local authorities and Education and Training Boards and schools to develop high quality, accessible, safe, well-designed, sustainable facilities in appropriate locations and to provide appropriate equipment to help maximise participation in sport and physical recreation
• prioritise the needs of disadvantaged areas and groups (such as people with disabilities) in the provision of sports facilities
• encourage the sharing of sports facilities by clubs, community organisations and national governing bodies of sport

The Sports Capital Programme is a Project Ireland 2040 initiative.

The online OSCAR Website is the only way to apply for grants under the Sports Capital Programme. OSCAR also allows groups to view previous grants and payments, change contact details, seek payment of a grant and otherwise communicate with the department online.

Before applying for a grant all organisations must first register on OSCAR. See the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme – Guide to registration

If you are unsure if your organisation has previously registered a list of all registered organisations is available here.

All registered organisations are automatically notified when a new round of the programme is open for applications.

The 2023 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme is now open for applications.

• Read the guide to the 2023 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme below.

• Watch the video guide to the application form
• Sports Capital Programme 2023: Your Questions Answered here.
• Download a blank Sports Capital and Equipment Programme 2023 sample application form

After each round of the SCP a review is undertaken with the aim of further improving the process. The Review of the 2020 round is available.

For information on how applications were assessed in the 2020 round, read the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme 2020 assessment guide.

For information on how applications were assessed in the 2023 round, read the SCEP 2023 - Scoring System and Assessment Procedures

• Email SportsCapitalProgrammes@tcagsm.gov.ie

The department has written a series of guides to assist grantees with getting formal approval and payment of their grants:

• how to apply for formal approval
• how to apply for payment on an existing grant
• how to change contact details on Oscar
• how to download documents on Oscar

You can see all the applications submitted under the 2023 Sports Capital and Equipment Programme in PDF here or in Comma Separated Values, see below.

You can see all SCEP Equipment Only Provisional Allocations to date here .

Details of Sports Capital Programmes Payments

It is a requirement of the Sports Capital Programme that equipment and facilities funded by the Programme are accessible to people with disabilities. All capital projects must conform to the 7 principles of universal design.

The department has prepared a guide on accessible gym equipment.

For more information, Cara - Sport Inclusion Ireland have created resource factsheets on how to make your sports facilities, equipment and activities more accessible to people with disabilities.

If your sports club or organisation is acquiring land or a building, developing facilities or purchasing fixed, non-personal equipment for sports activities, or repaying a loan for any of these purposes, a provision in the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for tax relief on donations made by individuals or companies to the sports body towards the cost of the project . This is a Revenue Commissioners scheme with the Sports Capital Division approving projects.

The attached document sets out the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s General Block Exemption Regulations - Capital grants scheme for large sports and recreational facilities projects for the period 2017 – 2021.