National Lottery Awards for All - England

Grants are available for charities, voluntary groups, schools and local authorities in England to carry out projects that will improve their local community.

Current Status
Open for Applications
Maximum value:
£ 10,000

Objectives of Fund
National Lottery Awards for All is a small grants programme provided by the National Lottery Community Fund, previously known as the Big Lottery Fund until the name was changed in January 2019.

The funding is intended for projects that support communities to thrive by:

Building strong relationships in and across communities.
Improving the places and spaces that matter to communities.
Helping more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage.

Value Notes
Grants of between £300 and £10,000 are available for up to one year.

Organisations can receive funding of a maximum of £10,000 within a 12-month period.

Match Funding Restrictions
Grants can be used to pay for some or all of the project costs.

Who Can Apply
Applications are accepted from:

Voluntary and community organisations.
Constituted groups and clubs.
Registered charities.
Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs).
Not-for-profit companies.
Community interest companies (CICs).
Schools (for projects that benefit and involve the communities around the school).
Statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish and community council).
Community benefit societies.
To be eligible for funding applicants must have:

Two unconnected people on the board or committee.
A UK bank account in the name of their organisation.
Annual accounts (unless the organisation is less than 15 months old).
The National Lottery Community Fund is 'keen' to support smaller organisations and will consider their income when making a decision.

Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
Individuals.
Sole traders.
Organisations based outside the UK.
One organisation on behalf of another.
Companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies limited by shares).
Organisations that currently have National Lottery Awards for All funding or have already applied and are awaiting a decision.
Certain types of projects run by schools/organisations working in a school (those that only benefit teachers, pupils and parents of pupils and do not also strengthen the community outside of the school):
Projects to improve school facilities or equipment.
Projects to help with staff training.
Projects that are part of the school curriculum.
Projects that involve activities the school should already be providing (like a project teaching literacy during school hours).
Projects that take place during teaching times (lunch breaks, or before and after school might be eligible).
Alcohol.
Contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest.
Paying someone else to write an application.
Profit making/fundraising activities.
Recoverable VAT.
Political or religious activities.
Statutory activities.
Activities that improve educational attainment (PHSE, STEM, English, Maths).
Overseas travel.
Eligible Expenditure
During the ongoing coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic, the Awards for All programme is supporting people and communities most adversely impacted by the crisis.

Organisations can apply for funding to:

Continue to deliver activity - whether the community needs crisis response, recovery or business as usual activity.
Change and adapt, becoming more resilient to respond to new and future challenges.
To be eligible for funding projects should:

Involve people and communities from the start.
Build on people’s strengths.
Be connected in their community.
The grants can be used for the following costs:

The organisation’s running costs.
Small land or refurbishment projects (relevant permissions need to be in place).
Equipment.
One-off events.
Staff costs.
Training costs.
Transport.
Utilities.
Volunteer expenses.
This is not an exhaustive list. Applicants are advised to contact the National Lottery Community Fund with any queries about their project's eligibility.

How To Apply
Applications may be submitted at any time.

Due to the coronavirus/COVID-19 crisis there is high demand for funding and the time it takes to get a decision from the National Lottery Community Fund might vary. The Fund aims to inform organisations of the outcome of their application within 12 weeks.

The online application form can be found on the National Lottery Community Fund.

For more information visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-england