The first window of the 2026 County Grants Fund is set to open on Monday, 16 February.

Since the introduction of the ECB County Grants Fund in 2021, over £500k has been allocated through the scheme to Devon clubs for 78 projects that have exceeded £1 million in value.

Application Window Window Opens Window Closes Panel Review and Support Decision Period
1 Monday, 16 February 2026 Friday, 27 March 2026 27 March - 10 April 2026
2 Monday, 20 July 2026 Friday, 28 August 2026 28 August - 10 September 2026

Changes to Project Themes

Patio area at Ipplepen CC.

This year has seen a change to the themes of the projects that are eligible for the County Grants Fund. The themes eligible are now the following:

Creating Welcoming Environments

  • Social Space: furniture / flooring / patio / decking / heating / glazing
  • Female / Disabled Toilet Facilities: sanitaryware / vanity units / tiling / flooring / babychanging units / mirrors / hand dryers
  • Catering: kitchen units / professional catering equipment and appliances / barbecues
  • Arrival and Access: disabled access / exterior lighting / signage / car park
  • Digitising: WiFi hardware (excludes subscription fees) / TVs / PA or Music systems / Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) equipment / Electronic Scoreboards (only if part of a wider digitisation project)

Enhancing Playing Facilities

  • ECB Approved Non-Turf Match Pitch (min 30m)

  • ECB Approved Non-Turf Practice Facility (min 26m)

    • All NTP projects, including refurbishments, must come with a full warranty from the supplier for a named ECB-approved NTP System

Enhancing Changing Facilities

  • Changing room refurbishment and/or extensions

  • Individual shower spaces with drying areas

  • Improved toilet provision: sanitaryware / vanity units / tiling / flooring

  • Grooming points: mirrors / hand dryers / hair dryers

  • Personal possession lockers

Clubs should choose one project theme only. It is expected that some projects under the Creating Welcoming Environments theme may include more than one related project type (listed below), so linked packages will be reasonably considered (i.e. a social space project may also incorporate elements of digitising).

Changes to Eligibility Criteria

Clyst St George CC's Non-Turf Pitch, funded by the ECB County Grants Fund.

Alongside the changes to the project themes, the eligibility criteria for clubs allowed to apply for a grant have changed. Applying clubs must deliver cricket for at least one of the following target groups to be eligible:

Women's Cricket

  • A minimum of one women's team playing a minimum of three competitive softball or hardball fixtures in league, friendly, indoor or outdoor cricket in 2025/2026, as recorded on Play-Cricket. 

Girls-Only Cricket

  • A minimum of one girls' team playing a minimum of three competitive softball or hardball fixtures in league, friendly, indoor or outdoor cricket in 2025/2026, as recorded on Play-Cricket.

Girls-Only Dynamos Cricket

  • Clubs delivering a Dynamos Cricket programme specifically for girls in 2025/2026, as registered on ClubSpark.

Dynamos Cricket for Girls Activation Clubs

  • Dynamos Cricket for Girls delivered by Clubs which have been selected by the Devon Cricket Foundation to deliver Dynamos Cricket for Girls in 2025/2026 that specifically leads to the creation of girls' teams at the selected Clubs, as registered on ClubSpark.

Disability Cricket

  • A registered Disability Champion Cricket Club or a registered host for the Disability Premier League in 2025/2026.

Further Grant Details

Each application will be assessed on a case-by-case basis. Clubs can typically apply for between £1,000 (minimum) and £15,000 (maximum) per application. For larger-scale Enhanced Changing Facilities (projects over £30,000), grants up to £50,000 will be available.

2026 COUNTY GRANTS GUIDANCE NOTES

Contact

For any County Grants Fund queries, please contact Funding & Facilities Manager, Nick Goodliffe:

nick.goodliffe@devoncricket.co.uk
07801 178329