OVERVIEW: The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funds from the U.K.’s National Lottery to support health, education, aging, and human services in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.
IP TAKE: NLCF is the largest community funder in the U.K. While this is an extremely transparent and approachable funder, it doesn’t consider unsolicited applications from organizations located outside the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, that means groups located in the United States will find this to be a nearly impossible hill to climb. However, if your nonprofit serves disadvantaged communities in either England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, or if you have a project that could be expanded to include those groups, consider partnering with another group in the region to help you reach your goals.
PROFILE: Created in 2004, The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) (also the Big Lottery Fund) is a funder that distributes funds raised by the National Lottery in the United Kingdom. It was formally established by the National Lottery Act 2006 to replace three of the previous existing distributing bodies. Its purpose is to “focus on projects that aid community groups, improve health, education and the environment.” The fund generally does not make grants in the U.S. and focuses almost entirely on community groups serving England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. It has two funding categories: requests under £20,000 and those over £20,001, and it funds across several different issue areas that improve communities in the U.K. through a variety of programs.
Grants for Global Health, Aging, and Community Development
NLCF does not make many grants outside of the United Kingdom, and as of this writing, it does not have any active international programs. However, it opens new programs and retires others regularly.
- Previously, the fund has helped improve access to disability services in Africa through the East Africa Disability Fund, worked to alleviate poverty in disadvantaged communities globally through the International Small Grants program, and focused on maternal health, early education for girls, and HIV/AIDS prevention through the International Strategic program. It also operated an International Communities program between 2009 and 2015 that awarded £80 million in grants to improve the quality of life for poor people around the world.
- It is important to note that while some U.S.-based organizations have received grants, NLCF does not accept proposals from organizations located outside the U.K. All of the international projects it has supported serve populations outside of the United States.
- U.S. grantees include Active Life, Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation, Youth & Family Circle at the Boys & Girls Club of America, Action for Healthy Kids, Boston College, and A World for Girls. See all NLCF grantees here.
Important Grant Details
The fund awarded over £686 million in a recent two-year period. Grant amounts usually range between £300 to £20,000, although they have occasionally stretched into the millions.
- The National Lottery Community Fund is focused on the U.K., so organizations must either be based in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland or operate programs that serve disadvantaged communities in those countries to receive funding. A database of all grants is available here.
- NLCF accepts unsolicited applications throughout the year.
- Application procedures vary according to the amount requested.
- The fund will not review applications from individuals or organizations located outside the U.K.
- Direct general questions to the fund using the appropriate method of contact provided here.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINKS:
