Grants & Assistance - NSWBA

NSWBA Support for Clubs and Players

A key priority of the NSW Bridge Association is supporting clubs everywhere in NSW - in both city and country areas.

The general philosophy is that the NSWBA will support activities which help to improve the running of bridge and promotion of the game. It also supports individuals seeking to improve skills that can help with these matters (e.g. teacher training, director training, marketing, etc). Note this does not extend to individuals seeking to improve their own bridge playing skills - therefore while support may be available to a club organising lesson programs, it is not available for players attending those lessons.

The NSWBA also supports players that have qualified to attend State finals and to State teams that represent NSW in the Australian National Championships (ANC).

The level of support varies depending on the nature of the activity. In particular for programs that are also supported by the ABF, a greater level of NSWBA support can be given (see below for more details).

The NSWBA subsidy is only applicable to attendees who are current members of a NSWBA affiliated club.

Two categories of support are available to clubs:

Category	Examples
ABF sponsored programs	ABF marketing workshops ABF directing workshops
Non-ABF sponsored programs	Lessons, Teaching tours, Workshops for Teacher training, Directing or Marketing, General bridge promotion

In all of these activities, our focus is on collective support - we think it is not our role to provide funding to affiliated clubs for their own individual benefit. Funding may be available to clubs via loans from the James O'Sullivan Foundation, for example to buy or refit premises.

The following categories of support are available to individuals:

Category	Examples
Travel/accommodation - workshop attendees	Attendance at ABF sponsored programs Attendance at other workshops to develop bridge administration skills (e.g. Directing, Marketing)
Travel/accommodation - players	State teams finals State pairs finals (representing a club) State trials or other State finals (e.g. ITS) State team representatives attending the ANC

ABF sponsored programs

These programs are jointly sponsored by the ABF and the NSWBA. They currently consist of the following:

Area	Program	Run by
Marketing	Marketing workshops	Peter Cox
Directing	UNDER DEVELOPMENT

Funding:

There is usually no charge to participants. The ABF pays for the trainer and their expenses.

The NSWBA covers other expenses of the host club:

Reimbursement of catering costs up to a max of $13 a head per day. Receipts should be provided.
Venue hire costs (*subject to prior approval)
Reimbursement of photocopying costs for materials (Max 500 sheets @ 10cents per copy)

The NSWBA also contributes to individuals attending these programs:

$60 travel/accommodation grant for participants travelling at least 100km (as per our normal subsidy policy)

How to apply: Complete the "Grant claim form - ABF Sponsored Programs"

Non-ABF sponsored programs

These activities do not receive financial support from the ABF and are supported directly by the NSWBA. They are intended to assist clubs in developing the skills of their directors, teachers and players, as well as general bridge promotion.

Clubs are encouraged to liaise with other clubs in their region and actively seek to maximise local participation. Some suggestions for activities are:

Expert seminars for players on any aspects of the game e.g. bidding or card play
Expert seminars on directing and computer scoring
Teacher training seminar
Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced lessons from a local or touring expert
General bridge promotion (e.g. community fair, advertising, leaflet drops)

General advertising and promotion costs such as newspaper adverts, letter-box drops etc can be conducted as a separate promotional activity. The NSWBA may be able to assist with advice and by posting a notice on our website.

Funding:

Without additional ABF funding, the NSWBA is unable to cover all costs for clubs for these events. Instead:

The NSWBA encourages clubs to charge a small amount to participants to raise some income
The NSWBA will then contribute to the NET cost of the event (Income less Expenses)

How to apply: To simplify the application for funding process, you are asked to follow these steps:

Decide on the event in consultation with nearby clubs
Plan and budget the event
Complete the "Grant claim form - non-ABF Sponsored Programs" and submit it to the NSWBA (our office may also be able to help in your planning)
Hold and evaluate the event

Funding requests that fall within the limits of our subsidy policy will generally be approved without reference to the NSWBA Council and will be paid after the event has taken place.

Clubs seeking a higher level of funding for a particular activity are encouraged to contact the NSWBA office directly. Further information may be required and they will be individually considered by the NSWBA Council.

Travel/accommodation - workshop attendees

ABF sponsored workshops
Other workshops for developing bridge administration skills (e.g. directing, teacher training or marketing)

Attendees travelling > 100km receive $60 per person

How to apply: Requests for travel subsidies for attendees should be collated by the host club and submitted with their own grant claim form. Each applicant should complete a claim form and a summary list should be included on the 2nd page of the grant claim form. The NSWBA office will then pay the claimants directly.

Travel/accommodation - players attending State trials/finals

Amounts and procedures for these subsidies vary depending on the event in question. Claim forms will usually be provided to the players at State finals.