The National Lottery Community Fund – the largest community funder in the UK – has today doubled the amount of funding available to grassroots projects, in the biggest change in National Lottery funding for a generation.
The change to National Lottery Awards for All is part of The National Lottery Community Fund’s ambition to strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
With a new maximum award of £20,000, the funder is doubling the amount groups can apply for as well as doubling the time, to two years, that they can be funded for.
Equity, diversity and inclusion is a priority for The National Lottery Community Fund, which has pledged to invest most in places, people and communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
Last year through National Lottery Awards for All the funder awarded £11.9 million to projects supporting for ethnic minority communities. £18.3 million was also awarded to groups supporting people with disabilities, and £3.2 million to LGBTQ+ communities.
This was part of more than 11,600 National Lottery Awards for All grants made totalling £98 million. These were awarded in almost every
local authority, with one grant made every ten minutes.
David Knott, Chief Executive Officer at The National Lottery Community Fund, said:
“We’ve been inspired
to reimagine National Lottery Awards for All because of what we’ve seen, felt and heard about the huge difference small amounts of funding, thanks to National Lottery players, make every day.
“From our engagement with communities and our work everyday, we know small grants are the vital building block of community. That’s why we’re doubling down on our grassroots funding with these changes, supporting communities to take action on the things that matter to them in a way that works for them.
“We expect these changes will see significant growth in National Lottery Awards for All in local communities. As a responsive funder we look forward to seeing more ideas from all communities across the UK.”
Earlier this year, the funder launched its new strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which underpins its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030 – supporting projects that build resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable.
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year The National Lottery Community Fund was able to distribute over half a billion pounds (£615.4 million) of life-changing funding to communities.
