Lottery funding

The Good Causes Portal at www.lotterygoodcauses.com has information on how to get Lottery funding and the latest news on organisations that distribute Lottery money.

 

Arts Council England - Grants for the Arts
(including National Lottery funding)

Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts, formed through the merger in 2002 of the Arts Council of England and the 10 Regional Arts Boards. Over 100 separate application schemes have been replaced with just five 'Grants for the arts'.

Further information at: www.artscouncil.org.uk

 

Big Lottery Fund

The creation of the Big Lottery Fund (BLF) was the centrepiece of Government's recent reforms of Lottery distribution. From 2005, the BLF has taken over the functions of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund, and is responsible for giving out half of all the Lottery funds for good causes. It will give out more than £32.3 billion between 2006-2009.

The BLF mission and outcomes

The BLF mission is to improve communities and the lives of people most in need. Each programme has three key themes:

  • Supporting community learning and creating opportunity
  • Promoting community safety and cohesion
  • Promoting well-being.

There are four outcomes the BLF wants to see their projects achieve:

  • people having better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills
  • stronger communities, with more active citizens working together to tackle their problems
  • improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy
  • healthier and more active people and communities.

What BLF will fund

The BLF has outlined the proposed new England and UK Programmes 2006-2009 in booklets available online at: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/index/apply-uk/prog-update-uk.htm

The BLF programmes are accessible to a wide range of organisations and partnerships. The programmes continue to provide funds for voluntary and community organisations (VCS) and the proportion of funding received by the voluntary and community sectors is anticipated as 60-70% across all of the funding available.

BLF now also incorporates the approaches of the New Opportunities Fund across the available schemes with its former focus on initiatives for environment, health, and education (formal and informal). Its programmes are open to local authorities, health bodies, schools and other education bodies and private sector organisations. Information on how schools qualify for funding, a booklet called Making a BIG difference to schools can be downloaded at the link above.

Searching for BLF funding

www.lotteryfunding.org.uk

The on-line funding search facility will help you to find the funding programmes that best match your project. It will search programmes offered by Lottery funders that are currently open to applications. Go to the above, click on your relevant country link and the funding search will then take you through a series of four questions about:

  • the location of your project
  • about you as an applicant
  • about the project itself
  • and about the amount of money you are applying for.

For a list of all current open programmes, go to: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/index/apply-uk/all_open_programmes-az.htm.

 

Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) - Your Heritage

Support for a wide range of projects involving the national, regional and local heritage of the United Kingdom. Projects must care for and protect or increase understanding and enjoyment of our heritage and also give people a better opportunity to experience heritage. This programme includes funding towards Black History Month.

Further information at: www.hlf.org.uk
(On left hand side of screen select 'publications and info' then 'application packs').

 

HLF - Young Roots

Young Roots is a UK-wide scheme established to help youth organisations to promote the involvement of young people in the heritage of the United Kingdom. Young Roots and the general HLF funding programme, Your Heritage (£5,000-£50,000), are open to applications for projects that celebrate Black History Month.

Further information at: www.hlf.org.uk
(On left hand side of screen select 'publications and info' then 'application packs').

 

Find out more about funding in the following pages: