Read a blog from our Chief Executive

David Knott, Chief Executive Officer, lifts the lid on how and why we’re turbocharging support for grassroots funding

Today marks the start of the biggest change in National Lottery funding for a generation, as we double the maximum funding available to grassroots projects across the UK.

We’ve been inspired to reimagine National Lottery Awards for All because of what we’ve seen, felt and heard about the huge difference small amounts of funding make every day.

From today, community projects can apply for funding between £300 and £20,000 to support their projects for up to two years. This means groups can receive up to £40,000 within a two-year period, holding one grant at a time.

From our engagement with communities and our work everyday, we know small grants are the vital building blocks of communities. Small grants are where we see the furthest reach and their effects are almost everywhere. For National Lottery players, their most local community funded project is always due to a small grant.  

That’s why the very first hallmark of our strategy published earlier in 2023 was to double down on our grassroots community funding. We’re excited to see the ideas communities come up with now we’ve unlocked more funding and more flexibility.  

Earlier this year, I visited one of our National Lottery Awards for All funded projects with the Minister for Civil Society. Based in Liverpool, the brilliant organisation Daisy Inclusive UK supports young people with disabilities or in vulnerable situations to reach their full potential, through services including education and employment support, and specialist mental health advice. Over football and tea I felt the life changing difference this just one small grant has had on so many lives. And the passion and pride they all felt for their community.

Another group to benefit from National Lottery funding was Nottingham News Centre, which held a special event on Windrush Day (Thursday 22 June) at Haywood Road Community Centre in Nottingham. This celebrated the contributions of former industrial workers of African Caribbean heritage from the Windrush generation through presentations and an exhibition. We were delighted to take our funding in a new direction and attract many first-time applicants to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Windrush through National Lottery Awards for All funding. 

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing examples of the wonderful projects to have benefitted from National Lottery Awards for All. We hope it inspires further applications with the ambition, scale and creativity to make a lasting impact in communities.