National Lottery Community Fund
National Lottery players contribute around £30 million to good causes every week. The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) distributes around £600m a year to communities across the UK. Its goals are:
- To support ideas and activities that matter to people and communities.
- To use its funding and relationships to help create stronger, more connected communities, and
- To support charities and community organisations across the UK to be vibrant, diverse and active.
Funding priorities in England
- Stronger relationships – NLCF supports ideas that bring people together, strengthening relationships in and across communities.
- Shared and sustainable places and spaces – NLCF supports people to shape and sustain the places that matter to them, like a park, community centre or online network.
- Early action to prevent problems and tackle disadvantage – NLCF supports activity that empowers people to fulfil their potential, working to address problems at the earliest possible stage.
You can apply if your organisation is a:
- Voluntary or community organisation.
- Registered charity.
- Constituted group or club, or a
- Not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company.
The following Open Grant programmes are available:
- Awards for All offers grants from £300 up to £20,000 for up to 2 years. Applications may be made at any time (maximum value of £40,000 in any 24 months). Applications are made online using a response to just 1 question. Decisions normally take up to 12 weeks, although this is currently 16 weeks.
- Reaching Communities & Partnerships – can fund individual organisations or partnerships. Grants are for over £20,000 for up to 5 years. Application may be made at any time online (other formats are available).