BAC

BAC Benevolent Fund

Benevolent Fund Constitution

The British Athletes Commission (BAC) in partnership with Sports Aid has set up a Benevolent Fund (the “Fund”) as part of the commissions member services with a view to creating, sustaining and developing a fund of monies from which current and recent past elite athlete can benefit in times of hardship. The aim of the BAC and Sports Aid is to develop this fund into a substantial safety net providing a measure of security for its members. However, until substantial funds are available, the BAC and Sports Aid must make the best and most prudent use of the resources currently available.

The BAC is reviewing and examining ways of aiding those athletes who are forced to retire from their sport due to injuries which are uninsured or are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to insure, The Fund is being set up primarily to aid athletes in this position, however other donations may be awarded on the grounds of extreme hardship brought on by other factors, and each case will be treated on individual merit. For the purpose of the Fund the BAC and Sports Aid define hardship as the possibility of losing one’s home due to rent or mortgage arrears, having the bailiffs sent in, or some other equally serious financial problem.

Administration

Trustees:

Five Trustees appointed from time to time by the BAC Executive board will administer the Fund. One of the Trustees will be appointed Chairman of the Trustees by the above Board.

The Trustees will be drawn from the following areas:

• 2 from the BAC
• 1 from Sports Aid
• 1 Legal Professional
• 1 Medical Professional

At least three trustees must participate in any meeting to constitute a quorum.

The Trustees will meet at least twice per calendar year, but they may meet as is deemed necessary by the Chairman. If it is necessary to convene a meeting at short notice, a teleconference will be deemed acceptable.

Accounting

Funds raised and donations received for the fund will be held by Sports Aid in a ring fenced account. The Fund may not be used for purposes other than those described in this Constitution.

Donations made by the Trustees of the Fund will be shown in the accounts, but the reasons for the donations will not be made available to BAC members in order to protect the recipients. The Trustees are answerable to the BAC Executive Board who may be given details of any amount awarded and the reasons for the award, but will keep such information strictly confidential.

Donations from the Fund

The purpose of the fund is to provide financial aid and relief to current and recent past elite UK athletes who are suffering hardship from career ending injuries which have not been alleviated by insurance or where any such insurance is inadequate. Other cases will be treated on individual merit in the absolute discretion of the Trustees. The fund cannot pay for private medical insurance premiums and cannot pay for the costs involved in nursing or residential care. Nor can it provide money to set up businesses or provide for holidays. It cannot make loans to BAC members, pay court fines, or fund legal cases unless deemed by the Trustees to have implications for the wider benefit of elite athletes in general.

Applications for donations must be made in writing with full medical evidence to the Chairman of the Trustees.

Until the Fund is sufficiently robust in the opinion of the Trustees, no single donation from the Fund will exceed an upper limit which will be set by the BAC Executive Board acting on the recommendation of the Trustees.