Volvic Grassroots Grant Competition – Terms and Conditions
What is the Volvic Grassroots Grant Competition?
The Volvic Grassroots Grant Competition is funded by Danone. The aim of the competition is to support initiatives which can increase the participation of woman and girls in grassroots rugby.
Danone will consider a variety of projects, including but not limited to new equipment and kit, facilities and ground maintenance, community and youth engagement and events and fundraising.
There will be 8 grants awarded in total. Each grant is worth up to £5,000. Representatives of clubs must clearly explain how the grant will be used to support their local rugby club or community-based rugby initiative for woman and girls in the UK.
Successful applications will be selected based on a combination of public votes (20%) and evaluation of each application by a judging panel (80 %).
The club with the highest scoring application (based on the combination of public votes and panel evaluation) will receive an additional prize of rugby merchandise and a visit from England rugby star Natasha Hunt.
Who is eligible to apply?
The Volvic Grassroots Grant Competition is open to representatives of local girls and women’s rugby clubs in the UK. Representatives must be aged 18+.
The rugby club must be a not-for-profit organisation, have a legal entity, be registered under the Rugby Football Union, and have a mixed female and male/female section of the club in the UK.
All applicants are deemed to have read, understood, and agreed to the conditions below:
The application:
Applications will open at 9:00am (UK GMT) on the 20th of June 2025 and close at 9pm (UK BST) on the 27th of September 2025. Entries received after this date and time will not be considered.
Smartphone and internet access required.
Entries are open to representatives of local woman’s rugby clubs in the UK who must:
be aged 18+ (this could include a club owner, leader, or player); and
confirm that their verified rugby club will conduct their project in the UK.
Only entries submitted by a representative from a verified club will count. A verified club must meet the following criteria:
be registered with the Rugby Football Union (the governing body for Rugby in the UK);
operate as a not-for-profit organisation; and
have a legal entity.
A verified club can only submit a maximum of 1 application.
Entries should be submitted by representatives of the verified club using the application form. All sections of the form must be completed (unless sections otherwise indicate). This shall include:
Contact details of the representative of the club including name, email, phone number
Contact details of the club including address
A written application (no more than 500 words) which explains how the club will use the grant
An optional video application (no more than 15 minutes) may be included which:
Provides an introduction of the club
How the Club will use the grant
How the club’s use of the grant will encourage greater participation in woman’s rugby
Optional photos may also be included to support the application.
The Promoter will consider a variety of projects, included but not limited to the new equipment and kit, facilities and ground maintenance, community and youth engagement and events and fundraising.
By applying for the grant, the representative of the verified club must confirm that they have received all necessary approvals from their rugby club.
By applying for the grant, the representative of the verified club declares that no conflict of interest exists, real or perceived, between the rugby club they represent and Danone or any of their brands including Volvic. If at any time the Promoter assess that there is a conflict of interest, the Promoter reserve the rights at any time to disqualify an entry and select an alternative rugby club for the grant.
Applications will be shared with an expert selection panel who will shortlist all entries and recommend winners.
Applications will be judged against a criteria by an expert panel (weighting 80% of the total score) and a consumer vote (weighting 20% of the total score).
Criteria by an Expert Panel (weighting 80% of the total score).
Applications will be judged against the following criteria:
Approach and Rationale - Clear rationale and plan for use of grant, targeted at women/girls' rugby
Impact
Increased participation - Measurable increase in participation in women's rugby
Skills development - consideration to skills development included
Creativity - creative solutions to overcome barriers & promote women's rugby
Inclusivity & wider community impact
Consumer Voting (weighting 20% of the total score)
Consumer Voting - Applications will be judged based on consumer votes through engagement mechanic (weighting 20% of final score). Applications ranked based on how many votes the verified club received. Maximum of 1 vote per person, per email, throughout the total club application period.
The club with the highest scoring application (based on the combination of public votes and independent panel evaluation) will receive an additional prize of rugby merchandise and a visit from England rugby star Natasha Hunt.
The organisers reserve the right to reject an application if in their opinion it fails to comply with the entry terms and conditions.
Grant winners will be announced no later than the 31st of October 2025.
If any emails to the successful fund recipient are returned as undeliverable or the fund recipient refuses the grant, the organisers reserves the right to select an alternative applicant.
The grant:
There will be 8 grants awarded in total. The Promoter reserve the right to award all or some of the grants, based on the quality of the applications (which shall be at the final discretion of the Promoter).
The grant may be for total costs or contribution towards costs but will not exceed £5,000 per award. This will be measured against the monetary expenditure perceived to be required by the Promoter. The Promoter will not be responsible for any monies spent by the recipient in excess of the grant awarded.
All successful grant recipients will be expected to:
Pass third party vetting due diligence checks as required by the Promoter
Enter into a grant agreement with the Promoter which will provide detailed written confirmation on how the grant will be used
Provide any other reasonable information as requested by the Promoter, prior to any funds being released
All applicants for the grant must hold valid personal liability insurance and public liability insurance at the time of application. Proof of such insurance, in the form of a certificate of insurance, must be submitted along with the grant application. The required insurance must be maintained for the duration of the grant period and any subsequent period during which the grant receipt is required to fulfil obligations under the grant. Failure to provide proof of insurance or maintain the required insurance may result in disqualification from the grant process or revocation of the grant.
The verified club which is the recipient of the grant is solely responsible for any tax that may be applicable as a result of the grant.
Following the announcement of the successful grant recipients, the grant will be paid in three stages:
50% upon commencement of the project; and
50% at the specified mid-way point.
The funded project will need to start within 6 weeks of receiving the first payment for the grant.
Successful grant recipients will be expected to provide evidence (e.g. case study/photos/documents/videos) that the funding has supported the increased participation of woman in rugby.
All successful grant recipients may be asked if they would be willing to speak to the media about their experience related to this grant, but this is not a requirement of receipt of the grant.
General:
The organisers reserve the right to modify, cancel, terminate, or suspend the Volvic Grassroots Grant Competition in whole or in part, at its sole discretion.
Promoter shall not be responsible for any condition, circumstances, losses, failures or delays caused by events beyond its or their control.
Promoter shall not be liable for any injuries that might occur in the provision of the grant.
Entrants' names and other personal details from their entry will be collected and stored by the Promoter, and its affiliates (including those outside the European Economic Area) and held in accordance with the following privacy policy: https://www.volvic.co.uk/privacy-policy.
These terms and conditions are governed by English law. The courts of England shall have exclusive jurisdiction to hear any dispute or claim arising in association with these terms and conditions.
Promoter: Nutricia Limited t/a Danone UK, Newmarket Avenue, Whitehorse Business Park, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 0XQ.