WITH City’s bid to return home subject to two main funding streams, we take a look at some of the basics involved with Football Foundation and Football Stadia Improvement Fund grants.

Through the foundation, the Premier League and FA Facilities Fund offers grants for building or refurbishing grassroots facilities for organisations with a focus on community engagement.

It is available to football clubs, schools, councils and sports associations to improve facilities for football and other sport in local communities, sustain or increase participation regardless of background, age or ability as well as helping to develop physical, mental, social and moral capacities through participation in sport.

A 25-year security of tenure is required and the maximum available is £500,000 for applicants that must “demonstrate a financial need” and “provide evidence that all available options for match funding have been exhausted”.

Applicants are “expected to contribute their own funds towards the project and secure financial contributions from other funding organisations” including “as much match funding as possible”.

The Football Stadia Improvement Fund criteria is more clear cut with £100,000 available for clubs at City’s level up to 50 per cent of elements of a project.

That would increase to £150,000 should City get promoted but would still be limited to half of the cost of whatever aspects it financed.

Clubs can access more with promotions but the amount available for future works would have any grant awarded in the past five years deducted from it.