The Association has decided to continue the TRA grant scheme in 2021.  The overall annual budget for the scheme is currently £20,000, which is on a rolling 12-month basis.  The limit on individual grants has been maintained at £750.  These limits will apply to trail running events with approved TRA permits taking place up to 12 months after permit approval.

 

The TRA grants initiative started in 2013 and sums in excess of £50,000 have been paid out to support trail events since then. Uptake was initially slow, but has increased markedly from 2018.
 

Race Organisers who are awarded grants are invited to write articles for publication in Trailrunner, which should be submitted to Kathy Tytler, Trailrunner’s Editor (editor@tra-uk.org).  Reports on events benefitting from the grant would be welcome.  The TRA is entitled to publish information about grants awarded.  The point of this is both to attract more entries to the events and to publicize the availability of grants. 
 

Grants will normally be for the purchase of equipment that will enable the promoter to hold the event in successive years.  Such equipment should be a single item, e.g. a gazebo, or a single set of related items, such as a set of race signage.  However, the TRA Grants Committee is not restricted to grants of that nature.  Grant applications for a list of several distinct items are not encouraged, and are likely to be rejected.  The grants would always be for a specific item of expenditure, agreed when the grant is approved, rather than for general expenditure.  They would normally be paid to the club or other organisation promoting the event rather than to any individual. 

 

Grants are not available for items such as cameras, tablets and laptops because although they can be used for race management they may also be used for much wider purposes. With effect from 2021, grants are now available for part-purchase of equipment - the invoiced total may now exceed the individual grant  limit, though the maximum grant payable would be £750.

 

No organisation will be awarded more than one TRA Grant in any one calendar year.

The grants are subject to two conditions; these are that the event should have received a permit from the TRA and that it should take place no later than 12 months after the grant application is made.  It is not a condition that the Race Organiser should be a member of the TRA, although that might be a factor taken into account by the TRA Committee when considering whether or not to award a grant. 
 

The decision of the TRA on any grant application will be final.  The TRA will not be obliged to enter into any correspondence or discussion about the reasons for its decisions on grant applications.
 

When a permit application is approved, an email is sent to the applicant which includes an invitation to apply for a TRA Grant. and a link to an online form. Applications should identify the promoting organisation, the event (including the name and date), the TRA permit number and supply the cost and description of the item to be purchased.  Where possible please also supply a weblink to the item. 

 

The cost should include any additions, such as VAT and delivery. When a grant is approved, payment is made upon sight of the receipted invoice.  The applicant should also supply the contact details of the person to whom the TRA should apply for any supplemental information they might need before making a decision.

 

The following are not conditions of a grant being made but the TRA would expect grant recipients to do the following:

1.  Consent to the event for which the grant is awarded being included in the TRA Race Diary and to provide all necessary information about the event to the TRA for that purpose.

2.  Co-operate in the setting up of a link between the event website and the TRA website. 

3.  Acknowledge the grant on the event website and display as part of that announcement the TRA logo, which may be copied from the Race Organisers' page here.

4. Where a grant is made for equipment such as signage or banners that are custom printed, the TRA would welcome inclusion of the TRA logo in the design,  copied from the Race Organisers' page.