What are the subsidy policies for senior fitness clubs

At present, there is no unified national subsidy standard for elderly fitness clubs in China. Subsidy funds mainly come from corresponding special projects of civil affairs, sports, local commerce and other departments. The total amount of subsidies that qualified institutions can apply for in a single year ranges from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of yuan. The specific application requirements and amounts are completely subject to local policies.

A while ago, I just helped an elderly table tennis and Tai Chi club in Shangcheng District, Hangzhou, complete its 2023 subsidy application. They received a total of two funds last year: one was a national fitness site operation subsidy of 120,000 yuan from the sports system, and the other was an 80,000 yuan supporting operation subsidy for elderly care services from the civil affairs system. The 200,000 yuan subsidy just covered 70% of their annual venue rent, which is equivalent to a huge cost savings.

Many bosses who are new to the industry think that they can get subsidies as long as they run the elderly fitness business. In fact, this is not the case at all. The subsidy orientations of different departments are completely different, and the requirements are also very different. For example, the core of the sports subsidy is to assess how much public service you have done. Take the club in Hangzhou I just mentioned. Last year, they held three free Tai Chi public welfare classes every week, undertook street table tennis competitions for the elderly, and also gave free working day venue fees to all seniors over 65 years old in the jurisdiction. All these must leave traces, including sign-in sheets, event photos, and videos, and must be submitted when declaring, all of which are indispensable. Last year I came across a club in Tianhe, Guangzhou that specializes in Latin dance for the elderly. The owner rushed to apply for a subsidy at first, but it turned out that because they all had paid memberships, they couldn't hold public welfare classes three times a year, and they couldn't even meet the application threshold, so they went to the club several times in vain.

The subsidy amount of the Civil Affairs Bureau is generally higher, but the requirements are also stricter. Your club is assessed as a supporting elderly care service. For example, your venue must be equipped with AED first aid equipment, have at least one staff member holding a rehabilitation practitioner certificate or a social sports instructor certificate for the elderly, and it must be connected with the account of the elderly living alone in the community to provide door-to-door fitness guidance for the elderly with limited mobility. Shanghai launched the "Sports and Health Home for the Elderly" project last year. Clubs included in the list can receive a one-time construction subsidy of up to 500,000 yuan, as well as an operating subsidy based on the number of people served, which is 10 yuan per person. A Shanghai Baoshan studio I know that does elderly rehabilitation and fitness received 140,000 yuan in subsidy for this part of the person last year.

But when it comes to subsidies, there are actually quite a lot of quarrels within the industry. Many owners of small and micro clubs complain that the threshold is too high. Many small restaurants in the community are opened by two or three retired coaches who cannot afford to keep so many standardized accounts or hire certified rehabilitation therapists. They simply cannot meet the subsidy requirements. On the contrary, those large chain organizations have dedicated administrative posts to monitor policies and produce materials, making it much easier to receive subsidies, which is a bit like "supporting the strong but not the weak". But the management department also has its own considerations. In the past two years, there have indeed been many cases of fraudulent subsidy. For example, some clubs falsely reported the number of service users, asked elderly people to sign in and leave without providing services at all, and robbed public funds. Therefore, raising the threshold is also to give money to institutions that provide good services. This is actually understandable.

I would like to give you a little experience that I have learned from so many applications. If you are currently running a fitness club for the elderly and want to apply for a subsidy, don’t just go to the government affairs hall and ask "Is there any subsidy for senior fitness?", do some homework first, search the Sports Bureau, Civil Affairs Bureau, Business Bureau in your district. Go to the official website of the Public Security Bureau and search for policy documents from the past year. Search the keywords "National Fitness", "Elderly Care Service Package" and "Silver Consumption". Generally, declaration notices will be posted on it. If you can't find it, go to the public service office of the street and ask. The information they have is the most accurate. After all, most subsidies are first reviewed by the street. By the way, there are many local bureaus of commerce that provide subsidies for silver-haired consumers. For example, if an elderly person applies for a card here, the government will reimburse part of the full deduction. Many people don’t know this. I applied for this for a club in Nanshan, Shenzhen last year, and I earned more than 60,000 yuan a year, which is enough to pay the salaries of two coaches.

Anyway, silver fitness is still in the spotlight now, and policies in various places are being adjusted every year. In some places, the subsidy amount may have increased this year, and in some places, special projects may have been added. Pay more attention to it, and apply as soon as you meet the requirements. Don’t force it if you can’t get it, and don’t randomly change your operating model just to collect subsidies. After all, the most stable thing is to do a good job and earn membership fees. Subsidies can only be regarded as the icing on the cake, not a meal.