For funders and partners
Funding the first pilot.
FUS is planning a South Coast sailing pilot for adults with Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The three-stage budget is £50,000. Delivery depends on funding, vessel readiness and formal approval.
FUS also aims to support adults with other long-term conditions. The current programme and submitted applications retain their defined IBD pilot scope; wider delivery would require consultation, suitability checks, an agreed budget and appropriate funding.
Programme budget published 13 September 2026Application status checked 13 October 2026, 18:55 UTC. Submitted requests are not secured.
Funding position
Current funding position.
The £50,000 figure is the planned programme cost, not money raised or one grant request. Funders may support a stage or an agreed cost. FUS records restrictions and checks allocations so that the same cost is not claimed twice.
Submitted requests are awaiting decisions. They are not secured and do not reduce the gap. Only accepted funding reduces it.
Application update, 29 September 2026: Freedom Under Sail submitted a £5,000 request to the Laughology Happiness Fund for “Living Well Afloat: Confidence and Connection”. A decision is pending; this is not funding received.
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Funding structure.
A contribution may support a stage, a specific eligible cost or agreed equipment. The purpose and reporting terms are recorded before funds are spent.
- Stage 1 - £8,000
Organisation and co-design
Co-design, governance, safeguarding preparation and the systems needed before delivery.
See Stage 1 costs - Stage 2 - £20,000
Pilot readiness and initial delivery
Safety equipment, coding, insurance, qualified crew, access support and evaluation.
See Stage 2 costs - Stage 3 - £22,000
Sustainability and earned income
Development of paid sailing offers and the systems needed to support future community delivery.
See Stage 3 costs
Funding position: the figures above show the full programme cost, the combined value of grant applications submitted, formally accepted funding and the remaining amount. Submitted or pending applications are not treated as secured.
Stage 1
Organisation and co-design.
£8,000Organisation and co-design
Fund governance, participant co-design and the systems required before delivery.
Participant co-design
Five people with Crohn's or colitis help design the participant journey and priorities.
Governance and operational controls
Governance, safeguarding, finance, risk and secure record-keeping are prepared before delivery.
Core systems and advice
Enquiry systems, communications and specialist startup advice make the pilot workable.
Cost breakdown
Each item has a public budget reference. Figures are rounded; the stage total is unchanged.
- S1-01Website and digital enquiry systems£2,000
- S1-02Governance and legal setup£1,200
- S1-03Safeguarding, insurance and risk preparation£900
- S1-04Finance and administration£800
- S1-05Co-design with five contributors£800
- S1-06Communications and outreach£800
- S1-07Software and secure storage£600
- S1-08Workshops and events£500
- S1-09Specialist startup advice£400
Stage 1 total £8,000
This stage does not fund vessel preparation or sailing days.
Stage 2
Pilot readiness and initial delivery.
£20,000Readiness and initial delivery
Fund the safety equipment, coding, insurance, personnel, participant access and evaluation required for the first pilot. Funding does not itself authorise delivery.
Stage 2 application status: two non-overlapping requests totalling £20,000 have been submitted. Decisions are pending and neither amount is treated as secured.
Vessel readiness
Portable safety equipment, MCA Category 4 coding work and commercial insurance.
Safe delivery
Qualified skipper and supporting crew, safeguarding systems and project coordination.
Participant access
Travel and access support, evaluation and first-season reporting.
Cost breakdown
Each item has a public budget reference. Figures are rounded; the stage total is unchanged.
Portable safety equipment
£5,000Seven budget lines for portable safety equipment.
- S2-01Eight-person ISO 9650-1 Type 1 / SOLAS B liferaft£2,000
- S2-02Eight 190N automatic lifejackets£1,600
- S2-03Registered EPIRB£500
- S2-04Danbuoy and two horseshoe recovery sets£300
- S2-05Offshore distress-signal pack£200
- S2-06Portable DSC/GPS VHF radio£200
- S2-07Emergency grab-bag upgrade£200
Pilot readiness and delivery
£15,000Budget lines for certification, insurance, crew, participant access and evaluation.
- S2-08MCA Category 4 coding and certification£2,100
- S2-09Commercial and project insurance£2,000
- S2-10Participant travel and access support£2,500
- S2-11Qualified skippers and supporting crew£5,000
- S2-12Safeguarding and participant systems£900
- S2-13Monitoring and evaluation£1,500
- S2-14Project coordination£1,000
Stage 2 total £20,000
Delivery begins only after coding, insurance, qualified crew and the required operating controls are complete.
Stage 3
Sustainability and earned income.
£22,000Sustainability and earned income
Fund income development and operating systems intended to reduce future reliance on grants.
Income development
Corporate and paid sailing offers, commissioned places and appropriate partnerships.
Commercial systems
Business development, pricing, sales material, booking and payment systems.
Working capital and reinvestment
Working capital, responsible media and contingency to support sustainable community benefit.
Cost breakdown
Each item has a public budget reference. Figures are rounded; the stage total is unchanged.
- S3-01Working capital for initial revenue-generating sailing days£8,000
- S3-02Business development and corporate-partner engagement£4,000
- S3-03Corporate product development, pricing and sales materials£3,000
- S3-04Targeted marketing and customer acquisition£1,000
- S3-05Impact, media and income-generation equipment£3,000
- S3-06Commercial contingency and cash-flow reserve£1,500
- S3-07Booking, payment and customer-management systems£1,500
Stage 3 total £22,000
Any earned-income activity remains subject to legal, operational, market and funding readiness. Surpluses stay within the CIC for community benefit.
Awareness and advocacy
Proposed IBD awareness activity.
Freedom Under Sail's primary purpose is supported participation. Subject to consent and available funding, pilot information may also be used to improve public understanding of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.
Explain the often-hidden, unpredictable and wider day-to-day effects of IBD without defining people solely by their condition.
Use programme experience, evaluation and carefully agreed stories to help partners and the wider public understand practical barriers to participation.
Work with IBD organisations, healthcare and referral partners, funders and responsible media where this supports accurate information and community benefit.
Taking part in publicity will always be optional. Personal experiences or health information will be used only with specific, informed consent and agreed boundaries.
FUS is not a medical authority and will not offer diagnosis, treatment advice or unverified health claims. Awareness activity will remain proportionate to available funding and capacity.
First-season measures
First-season evaluation measures.
The pilot is intended to test whether a small, supported sailing model can be delivered safely, inclusively and consistently before expansion.
The plan allows 40–60 participant places. Ten crewed days could support 40; reaching 60 needs five more days and more funding. Delivery remains subject to coding, weather, individual needs and operating limits.
Attendance, occupancy, chosen onboard roles, reasonable adjustments and withdrawals will be recorded without pressuring anyone to take part beyond their preference.
Participants will be invited to report on confidence, connection, enjoyment and whether they felt respected, supported and able to contribute.
Incidents, near misses, cancellations, crew observations and partner feedback will inform the formal decision about any second season.
Freedom Under Sail is a wellbeing and community-participation programme. It does not claim to provide medical treatment or clinical outcomes.
Evidence and decision status
Evidence and readiness status.
This makes clear which documents are plans and which controls have been completed.
- CIC identity, company number and correspondence details.
- Purpose, first-season scope, funding request and indicative allocation.
- Public privacy, cookies, accessibility, complaints, safeguarding and equality information.
- Current prospectus, detailed budget and supporting cost evidence.
- Risk assessments, method statements and operational plans as completed.
- Insurance, vessel certificates and compliance records when verified.
- Governance, safeguarding, financial-control and evaluation documents.
- Unconflicted approval route for material contracts and payments.
- Applicable coding, insurance, equipment and maintenance evidence.
- Qualified skipper and competent-support arrangements.
- Published participant pathway and a recorded final go/no-go decision.
Website information reviewed 20 September 2026. This is a review of public wording, not confirmation that delivery controls are complete. Portal documents retain their own version, approval and review dates.
Funder reporting
Funder reporting.
Reports will separate spending, delivery, participant experience and safety learning. They will include problems and changes, not only positive results.
- 01Award baseline
Agreed budget, restrictions, milestones, evidence requirements and reporting dates.
- 02Readiness confirmation
Recorded evidence that the applicable governance, vessel, insurance, delivery and participant gates are complete.
- 03Pilot reporting
Spend against budget, reach, attendance, participant-reported experience, incidents, cancellations and material variances.
- 04Continue, change or stop
A documented recommendation on whether the evidence supports a second season and what must change before scale.
Governance
Governance and decision-making.
FREEDOM UNDER SAIL CIC is an active Community Interest Company, company number 17377830. It was incorporated on 3 August 2026 as a private company limited by guarantee without share capital and is registered under SIC 93199 — Other sports activities. Companies House records two active directors: Henry Peter Saunders, appointed 3 August 2026, and Kiran Kumar Sehgal, appointed 27 August 2026.
View the official Companies House recordFormal approval
Major budgets, contracts, restricted-fund decisions and the decision to start delivery must be formally approved and recorded through an unconflicted process.
Conflicts of interest
Directors must declare any interest that could affect a decision. A director with a conflict will not take part in the discussion or approval. Important contracts and payments will require an unconflicted decision, written evidence and formal minutes.
Restricted funding
Restricted grants and sponsorship will be separately identified and used only for the agreed purpose, with evidence retained for reporting.
Operational authority
The skipper or vessel master retains final authority over departures, participants, route, weather decisions and abandonment. Funding does not buy operational control.
Monitoring
Financial results, delivery outputs, participant feedback and safety learning will be reviewed separately so that reach is not presented as proof of wellbeing impact.
Complaints & safeguarding
People can report concerns now. The full safeguarding procedure and named safeguarding lead must be formally approved before recruitment or sailing begins, and before any funding that requires those controls is used.
Readiness gates
Readiness requirements before bookings open.
The first participant day will proceed only after the applicable controls have been completed and recorded.
- 01Governance and policies
Before delivery, the required governance and policies must be in place; safeguarding leadership, equality, complaints and data controls must be adopted and recorded.
- 02Vessel and insurance readiness
Before delivery, coding, survey, required equipment, maintenance and suitable insurance must be complete.
- 03Qualified delivery arrangements
Before delivery, appropriate skippers, crew competence, operating limits and emergency plans must be confirmed.
- 04Participant pathway
Before delivery, eligibility, referral, access, consent, support and cancellation arrangements must be published.
- 05Formal go/no-go decision
A formal resolution records whether bookings and delivery can safely begin.
Controlled due diligence
Due-diligence documents.
This public overview is open to everyone. Supporting evidence and controlled documents require approved portal access. Verified funders, assessors and delivery partners can request access when the relevant documents are available.
Participant-facing assumptions can be checked separately in the public participant guide.
Open funding portal
Request portal access
Ask a funding question
Requests are individually verified and approved. Access can be limited or withdrawn.
See the programme scope and readiness requirements at a glance.
Open the funder overview