Community grants open to make sport and culture more accessible across the Liverpool City Region

1 day ago

4 min read

Sports clubs, arts and cultural groups, community groups and charities can apply for £300 to £1,000, as the Inclusive Sport and Culture Festival and the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball European Championships 2027 launch a shared social impact programme

Click here for how to apply.

View accessible formats of this news article here

Sports clubs, arts and cultural groups, community groups and charities across the Liverpool City Region can now apply for grants of between £300 and £1,000 to make sport and culture more accessible for disabled people.

The community grants are the first public part of a shared social impact programme for two major Para sport events coming to Liverpool in 2027: the Inclusive Sport and Culture Festival (ISCF), which takes place across the city's waterfront from 2 to 8 May, and the IWBF Wheelchair Basketball European Championships (WBEURO27), which come to the M&S Bank Arena from 11 to 19 September. Both events are delivered by UKEL.

Organisations can apply for funding to:

buy equipment that allows more disabled people, or people with access needs, to take part
add a new inclusive session or offer to an existing programme
carry out an accessibility audit of their facilities
make facilities or processes more accessible
train staff and volunteers to deliver sessions for disabled people and people with access needs

Projects can be rooted in sport, in arts and culture, or both. That could be a wheelchair basketball or Boccia session, a dance class, a choir, a theatre group or an arts workshop that wants to open its doors to more D/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people.

A samba drumming band in bright costumes plays outdoors at Liverpool's Pier Head on a sunny evening. The Royal Liver Building rises behind them and a crowd watches from the sides.

Sports clubs, community groups, registered charities, not-for-profit organisations and Community Interest Companies can apply, as long as their project takes place in the Liverpool City Region.

The programme will run in two waves. Applications for wave one close at 5pm on Monday 30 November 2026, and wave two closes at 5pm on Friday 4 June 2027. Applications will be assessed by a panel that brings together UKEL, Liverpool City Council and people with lived experience of disability or accessibility needs, with decisions made within eight weeks.

The wider social impact programme is built around four themes: supporting wellbeing, skills development, live event experience, and advocacy and system change. Its ambition is to create more opportunities for disabled people across the Liverpool City Region to take part in sport and culture, building a community where choice is the standard and inclusion is the legacy. Rather than starting from scratch, the programme will build on and accelerate work already happening in the region, working with community partners for the long term. Further projects will be announced over the coming months. The programme is made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery.

John Muddeman, Director of Events at UKEL, said:

“Bringing two major Para sport events to Liverpool in the same year is a huge moment for the city, and we want the impact to be felt long after the final match, in the clubs, groups and community spaces where people take part every week.

“These grants are deliberately practical. A piece of equipment, a new session, an access audit or training for volunteers can be the difference between someone being able to take part or not. Local organisations know their communities best, and we can’t wait to see what they do with this funding.”

Esther Britten MBE, Head of Events and External Affairs at UK Sport, said:

“Major events have the power to do far more than inspire people in the moment. Through National Lottery funding, we want to make sure they create opportunities that continue long after the events themselves, helping more disabled people take part in sport and culture in the communities that host them. We’re delighted to support this programme and look forward to seeing the difference these grants make across Liverpool.”

Bev Ayre, Creative Director of the Inclusive Sport and Culture Festival, said:

“Culture sits right at the heart of this festival, and so much of it happens in community halls, studios and rehearsal rooms across the city region. We’d love to hear from arts and cultural groups as much as sports clubs, whether that’s a dance class, a choir, a theatre company or a visual arts group that wants to make its work more accessible.

“D/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists are leading the festival’s cultural programme, and these grants are a chance to grow that creativity at a grassroots level, long before and long after May 2027.”

Great Britain's women's wheelchair basketball team in a courtside huddle at the 2026 World Championships in Ottawa. Players in white Great Britain vests sit in their sports wheelchairs, listening to their coach.

The Inclusive Sport and Culture Festival is a first-of-its-kind event in the UK, bringing together international Para sport across Boccia, Para Athletics, Wheelchair Rugby and Para Canoe with a £1 million arts and culture programme led by D/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent artists. Four months later, WBEURO27 will see Europe’s leading wheelchair basketball nations compete in Liverpool for qualification to the LA 2028 Paralympic Games.

How to apply

Full guidance, the application form and a budget template are available at iscfestival.co.uk/grants. Completed applications should be emailed to hello@ukel.co.uk by 5pm on Monday 30th November 2026.

Anyone who needs the information in another format, or support to apply, can email hello@ukel.co.uk.