Social connections and community activities are at the heart of creating healthier, happier lives and a flourishing society. That’s why The National Lottery Community Fund supports amazing community-led projects and have increased their Awards for All funding from £10,00 to £20,000.
You can now:
- Apply for funding between £300 and £20,000 to support your project, an increase from the previous £10,000 per year
- Get your project funded for up to two years rather than one.
You can apply for funding to deliver a new or existing activity or to support your organisation to change and adapt to new and future challenges.
The National Lottery Awards for All can fund projects that’ll do at least one of these things:
- bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities
- improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
- help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage
- support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis.
These changes to National Lottery Awards for All deliver the promise and ambition of the Lottery's new strategy and marks the biggest change to National Lottery funding for a generation.
Application deadline
Ongoing. Apply at least 16 weeks before you want to start the activities or spend any of the money.
Who can apply
- constituted voluntary or community organisation
- constituted group or club
- registered charity
- charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
- not-for-profit company
- community interest company (CIC)
- school (as long as your project benefits and involves the communities around the school)
- statutory body (including local authorities, town, parish and community council)
- community benefit society.
Your income
They are more likely to fund groups with smaller incomes.
Due to high demand, organisations that have a large annual income might not be able to get funding.
You need at least 2 board or committee members who are not related
All companies who apply must have at least two directors who are not related in any of these ways. This also applies to companies that are also registered as charities.
Who cannot apply:
- individuals
- sole traders
- organisations based outside the UK
- companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies Limited by Shares)
- organisations that currently have a National Lottery Awards for All England grant which is not finished
- organisations that have already sent a National Lottery Awards for All England application and are waiting for a decision
- organisations applying to more than one of our programmes for the same project over the same period. This is because you cannot get duplicate funding for something we're already funding you to do. It’s OK to apply to another programme if you've already had an unsuccessful decision though
- one organisation applying on behalf of another.
They do not accept applications written for you by private businesses or consultants
Read more about these changes to Awards for All in this blog from David Knott, Chief Executive Officer at the National Lottery Community Fund.
Find out more and apply here.