Aimed at supporting smaller charities, community groups and grassroots rugby clubs in England, the grants offer projects up to £10,000 to support the valuable work they are doing to improve lives through rugby.

Over 40 organisations, including 17 rugby clubs, applied for a small grant, with 11 projects ultimately being awarded funding.

Dean Bee, Manchester Village Spartans Club Chairman said, "Our club hopes this project will help us further improve how we can reach out to new players from within the LGBT and straight communities we're part of and introduce even more players to rugby that are typically ' harder to reach' - so they, too, can experience all the great things rugby can do - like so many Spartans, past and present."

Each project selected for a Try for Change small grant uses rugby and its core values as a tool to greatly improve and support the lives of marginalised and disadvantaged people.

Other successful projects include the use of rugby in prisons to reduce reoffending, helping asylum seekers and refugees integrate into communities and improving the health and wellbeing of people in disadvantaged communities.

“It’s great to see such deserving projects, such as [Insert project name] being awarded grants in our first round of funding," said Dominic Proctor, RFU Chair of Try for Change and RFU Board Member.

"The projects selected each demonstrate how rugby has the ability to improve the lives of millions of people from all walks of life and I’m excited to see how they each of them utilise their grants to make a real difference over the coming months.”

Sue Wicks, the Strategic Lead for Sport for Change at Comic Relief said she was impressed by the commitment each of the projects had shown to improving lives through rugby.
"There’s a great spectrum of projects covering numerous disadvantaged and socially isolated groups across England and I can’t wait to see how they continue to grow their fantastic programmes over the coming year to provide positive change within their communities," said Wicks.

If you or your organisation would like to be a part of our Try For Change project, please email us with details and thoughts to: info@villagespartans.co.uk