National Lottery Funding – an overview.
Following a major review with stakeholders, the National Lottery Community Fund have launched their new funding strategy. Their priorities are to fund projects that:
- Support places, people or communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination
And
- Support people and communities to shape the decisions that affect their lives.
Your project must support communities through one of their four main missions:
1. coming together;
2. environmental sustainability;
3. helping children and young people thrive; and
4. enabling healthier lives.
Funding focus:
More than 50% of grants will go to areas experiencing poverty and disadvantage, and at least 15% will support environmental sustainability projects.
They will support activities that create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable - activities that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
The 4 main missions in detail are:
- Support communities to come together by:
- creating accessible, welcoming places, both physical and virtual, for people to meet
- initiating engaging and inclusive activities that support connections within and between groups of people
- enabling people from all backgrounds to shape the future of their communities
- cultivating an increased sense of belonging.
- Support environmentally sustainable communities that:
- reduce carbon emissions and negative environmental impact
- create positive environmental impacts
- establish equality of access to the natural environment
- improve the quality of natural spaces.
- Enable children and young people to thrive by:
- creating opportunities for children and young people from all backgrounds to enjoy community experiences
- helping children and young people shape the decisions that affect them and their communities
- providing children and young people access to safe spaces to play, participate, socialise and get support.
- Enable people to live healthier lives by:
- helping reduce health inequalities
- increasing opportunities for community participation to shape better health services
- taking a preventative approach to health.
Specifically, the national lottery will focus on:
- tackling health inequalities(as part of the mission to enable people to live healthier lives)
- environmental injustice and access to quality nature (as part of the mission to help communities be environmentally sustainable).
- inclusive places and activities, prioritising communities least able to help people come together (as part of the mission to help communities come together)
- supporting babies, children, young people and their families to navigate key transitions in their lives(as part of the mission to help children and young people thrive).
The national lottery will continue to have two tiers of funding.
- Grants of between £300 to £20,000 under the Awards for All programme. This is a quick way to apply for small amounts of money. However, you should apply at least 16 weeks before you want to start the activities or spend any money. The funding could be for up to two years. You will need to answer 3 simple questions:
- What would you like to do?
- How do you meet one of the funding priorities?
- How will you do it?
The programme is ongoing and there is no application deadline.
- Grants of over £20,001 under the Reaching Communities programme. This can be for projects that will last up to 5 years. They are looking for project that work with their community – whether that’s a community living in the same area, or people with similar interests or life experiences.
There will be a 2-stage process. The first is an expression of interest – of no more than 750 words, and you will need to answer the following questions:
- What would you like to do?
- Who will benefit?
- How will it help people make decisions?
- Why are you the right organisation to do this?
If your expression of interest is accepted, then you will be invited to make a full application. It will take up to 9 months to determine a full application, so please take this into account when applying.
The programme is ongoing and there is no application deadline.
If you have any questions, please contact John Mikucki