Welcome

Big Lottery Fund distributes half of good cause money raised through the National Lottery. Big Lottery Fund was launched on 1 June 2004, formed from the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund. Big Lottery Fund awards more than £600 million in grants every year. Over £6 billion has been committed to date across the UK. Big Lottery Fund will give out more than £2.3 billion between 2006-2009.

We are committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. Our funding covers health, education, environment and charitable purposes and we roll out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours.

Big Lottery Fund will make a significant improvement to Lottery funding:

Reduce administration costs through the merger of the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund.

Allow for easier access to lottery funding - a single lottery Distributing Body responsible for 50% of National Lottery funding.

Secure funding for the charitable and voluntary sector - Big Lottery Fund has undertaken that 60-70% of its funding will go to the voluntary and community sector - a larger percentage of Lottery funding than ever before.

Ensure that at least 1/3 of its funding is demand led and lightly prescribed.

Adopt the principle of full cost recovery by allowing all legitimate overhead costs to be recovered by voluntary and community organisations.

Pioneer and lead public involvement in lottery funding decisions through consultation on a local and a national level.

Improve public understanding of Lottery funding by providing advice on all distribution matters.

Improve the efficiency of National Lottery funding by simplifying the rules for applying for Big Lottery funding and speeding up the grant making process.

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Big Advice Line 0845 4 10 20 30