Deadline: Ongoing Opportunity
The National Lottery Community Fund is seeking applications for The UK Fund to fund organisations that want to do more to help communities come together and help make us a better-connected society.
Your project must either work across the UK, or be able to inform, influence or scale across the UK.
They’ll fund ambitious projects that aim to create longer-term, transformational change. They’ll take an equity-based approach to tackle inequality. This means they’ll fund where there’s greatest need.
Funding Information
- Funding size: £500,000 to £5m
- Length of grants: They expect most projects to run from 2 to 5 years. They may consider funding for up to 10 years.
What they’re looking for?
- They want to fund projects that:
- strengthen relationships between people whose experiences of life have not been the same. For example, relationships between people of different ethnic backgrounds, generations, occupations or geographies
- create connections between online and offline worlds
- help make sure people from all backgrounds can shape the future of their communities.
- They’ll fund a wide range of projects. However, every project must strongly demonstrate that they:
- will benefit communities across the UK (or have the potential to) – this could be by sharing learning, influencing, collaborating, convening or delivering activity across and between UK countries
- scale your impact – this might be by expanding into new locations, developing infrastructure, strengthening delivery or increasing your reach
- focus on equity – they want to fund projects that involve and benefit places, people and communities who experience poverty, disadvantage and discrimination.
- They’re also looking for projects that have:
- potential for systems change – they’re interested in projects which intend to make significant and lasting change in how people experience the services and systems that are part of their everyday lives
- an approach to learning – they’re looking to support projects which share their learning openly and show they can adapt as they learn
- a way to work with others – they’re interested in projects that want to collaborate across systems and sectors to achieve lasting change
- a regenerative approach – they’re looking to support projects that have a positive impact on people and the natural environment.
Ineligibe Projects
- They’re unlikely to fund projects that:
- only focus on delivering services
- only plan to move their existing activities online
- exist already with no plan for how it will be scaled
- work in isolation to make change – they’re looking for projects that plan to work with other people and organisations to make a big impact and drive lasting change.
Who can apply?
- You can apply if you are a UK-based:
- registered charity
- community interest company (CIC)
- charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)
- community benefit society
- co-operative society (if it has a not-for-profit clause and registered with the Financial Conduct Authority)
- constituted voluntary or community organisation
- statutory body (including town, parish and community councils)
- company limited by guarantee (if it has a not-for-profit clause or is a registered charity)
- Partnership of organisations.
- You need at least two board or committee members who are not related
- Related can mean:
- related by marriage
- in a civil partnership with each other
- in a long-term relationship with each other
- related through a long-term partner
- living together at the same address
- related by blood.
- All companies who apply must have at least two directors who are not related in any of these ways. This also applies to companies that are also registered as charities.
- Related can mean:
Who cannot apply?
- individuals
- sole traders
- organisations based outside of the UK.
For more information, visit The National Lottery Community Fund.