National Lottery Funding: A Guide to the Community Fund

When people talk about National Lottery funding for a community project, they usually mean The National Lottery Community Fund. It is one of several bodies that share out the money National Lottery players raise for good causes, and it is the one most focused on communities, charities and voluntary groups. This guide explains how it is organised, which programme suits which size of project, and what it looks for.

If you are a CIC wondering whether you qualify, read our explainer on whether a CIC can apply for National Lottery funding alongside this guide.

How the Community Fund is organised

The Fund runs different programmes in each of the four UK nations, plus a small number of UK-wide programmes. The country you deliver in decides which programmes you can use, so start there.

Its current strategy, called It starts with community, covers 2023 to 2030. The Fund says it plans to distribute at least £4 billion by 2030, and the strategy is built around four missions:

• communities come together
• communities help children and young people thrive
• communities are healthier
• communities are environmentally sustainable

You do not have to tick every mission. You do need to show clearly how your project helps your community, and naming the mission it serves makes that easier for an assessor to see. Our guide to how funders assess grant applications explains what reviewers are checking for in more detail.

Small grants: National Lottery Awards for All

Awards for All is the Fund's small grants programme and the most common starting point. It runs in all four nations, with grants from £300 to £20,000.

• England: projects can last up to 2 years, and the Fund aims to make a decision in 16 weeks. The Fund says it supports projects that bring people together, improve places and spaces that matter to communities, help people reach their potential at the earliest possible stage, and support those facing extra pressure from the cost-of-living crisis. See the Awards for All England listing for current terms.
• England, environment: a separate strand funds community projects that support the environment. See Awards for All England Environment.
• Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland: the Fund aims to decide within 12 weeks. See Awards for All Scotland, Awards for All Wales and Awards for All Northern Ireland.

Awards for All is open to a wide range of not-for-profit organisations. In England its guidance includes voluntary and community groups, charities, CICs, schools (where the project mainly benefits the wider community) and some other types. Community interest companies limited by shares can apply if they follow the regulator's guidance on paying out profits. Our guide to CICs limited by shares or guarantee explains the difference. If this is your first grant, our guide to getting your first grant as a community group walks through the basics you need in place.

Larger grants in England: Reaching Communities

Reaching Communities England is the main route for bigger, longer projects in England.

• Amount: £20,001 to £1,000,000, with more only in exceptional cases.
• Length: projects of up to 5 years.
• Time to decide: around 40 weeks in total. The Fund describes a two-stage process, with stage one taking up to 3 months and stage two up to 6 months.
• Typical size: the Fund says most awards are under £500,000, and that the average award in 2025 was £319,000 over 3 years. It asks you to talk to it before applying for more than £500,000.

The Fund says Reaching Communities prioritises work with people facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination, and projects where the people you support help shape decisions. Its guidance also sets organisational requirements. For example, you need at least two board or committee members who are not related, and some organisation types need an asset lock. If you want funding for land or buildings, the Fund expects you to own them or have a lease that runs for at least 5 years after the work ends.

Because the bid is larger and the wait is long, plan well ahead. Our guides to writing a statement of need and a theory of change cover two of the sections that carry most weight in a bid of this size. You can see the current Reaching Communities England listing on GrantMatch.

Programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Each nation has its own larger programmes. At the time of checking, they included:

• Scotland: Community Action and Fairer Life Chances, Young Start (for projects that involve children and young people aged 8 to 24, with Main Grants of £20,001 to £150,000 and a separate small grants strand) and the Scottish Land Fund, which helps communities take ownership of land and buildings with grants from £5,000 to £1 million. See the Scottish Land Fund listing and Young Start.
• Wales: People and Places, which offers £20,001 to £700,000 and aims to decide within 40 weeks, and Supporting Great Ideas. See People and Places.
• Northern Ireland: Strengthening Communities, which offers £20,001 to £500,000 and aims to decide within 16 weeks, and Dormant Assets for All. See Strengthening Communities.

Small Eco Awards are also available for environmental projects in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. See Small Eco Awards.

Programmes open, close and change. Always check the Fund's own programme page before you start writing, and browse grants in Scotland, grants in Wales and grants in Northern Ireland for other options.

UK-wide programmes

A small number of programmes fund work across the UK or at national scale. The UK Fund offers £500,000 to £5 million to grow work that is already making a proven difference. It does not fund brand-new projects, the work should benefit communities across the UK by working in different places or sharing learning between nations, and the Fund aims to decide within 36 weeks. The Solidarity Fund, for England, offers £1 million to £5 million. These are competitive, high-value programmes aimed at established organisations with a strong track record. See The UK Fund and The Solidarity Fund.

Choosing the right programme

A few questions narrow it down quickly:

1. Where will the project happen? This decides which set of programmes applies.
2. How much do you need? Up to £20,000 points to Awards for All. Above that, look at the larger programme for your nation.
3. How long is the project? Awards for All England funds up to 2 years. Reaching Communities funds up to 5.
4. When do you need the money? A decision in 12 to 16 weeks is very different from 40. Build the wait into your plan.
5. Is it really a community project? If the heart of your project is heritage, the arts, sport or film, another National Lottery funder may be a better fit.

The Fund also says you should not apply to more than one of its programmes for the same project at the same time. Pick one, and apply well.

Other National Lottery funders

The National Lottery money for good causes is shared between several distributors. Alongside the Community Fund they include The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Arts Council England, Sport England, the British Film Institute, and national bodies such as Creative Scotland and sportscotland. The Lottery Good Causes funding finder lists grants across all of them, filtered by nation, project type and amount.

Making your application stronger

The Community Fund publishes clear guidance for every programme. Read it all before you start. Then:

• Show community involvement. Explain how the people you work with shaped the idea and how they will help run it.
• Use evidence of need. Local statistics, waiting lists, survey results and quotes all help. Our statement of need guide shows how to set this out.
• Keep the budget realistic. Assessors notice padded or vague costs. Use our grant budget template guide.
• Plan your reporting. If you are funded, you will report on what you did and what changed. Our guide to grant monitoring and reporting explains what to collect from day one.

Find National Lottery grants that fit

GrantMatch lists all the open National Lottery Community Fund grants alongside thousands of other UK grants. Create a free profile and we will match you with the programmes you are eligible for, and alert you when new ones open.