Our equality principles

We have developed the following equality principles which we expect everyone we work with to follow:

Promoting accessibility

Accessibility is about providing services that:

• people can use, without spending too much time and money
• are sensitive to the different cultures of the people using them.

Valuing cultural diversity

People have different needs, beliefs, values and abilities and those differences need to be both respected and promoted. Having a diverse public face can help us build trust and confidence among the varied communities we seek to fund, and a diverse workforce generates a richer mix of ideas and talents. We also believe we are more efficient and effective when our decision-making structures are reflective of the diverse views of society.

Promoting participation

Our new policies, processes and programmes must be developed on the basis of real need. This means that the people who will be affected by them should be involved in their development. We know that there are groups that are traditionally under-represented, so we need to work with those groups to establish structures and provide them with a more active role in shaping the work that we do. In this way we are able to encourage participation, openness and honesty.

Promoting equality of opportunity

We recognise that some groups commonly experience poorer access to employment, have fewer training opportunities and are under-represented in the workforce, particularly at senior level. In addition, we know that not all groups have the same access to services and their experiences of receiving services may be poorer. We believe that in order to level the playing field we may need to treat people differently to help them have the same chance to take part in employment and service opportunities.

Promoting inclusive communities

A cohesive community is one where people feel they belong, where their lives are appreciated and valued, and where people with similar life opportunities develop strong, positive relationships with people who are from different backgrounds.

Reducing disadvantage and exclusion

We fund initiatives that deal with the causes of disadvantage and exclusion, and target our money to fund projects that help include groups at greatest risk. Our understanding of disadvantaged and excluded takes into account factors like people’s experience of discrimination.

Learn about equality

Read about equality issues you should consider when designing and running projects

Equality Matters (2011) (PDF, 368 kb)

Equality Matters is a good practice guide for small to medium-sized voluntary or community sector organisations. The guide is designed to help applicants think about equality issues and incorporate them into planning their projects, whether they are applying to The National Lottery Community Fund (or another funder). This guide is part of our drive to promote equality and maximise opportunities for people to take part in the projects we fund. The guide was updated in October 2011. Download a large print version of Equality Matters

Equality Information - Grant holders Guide (2012) (PDF, 376 kb)

Recent changes to our grant set up and grant management, will help us get a better understanding of who is benefiting from our funding and how our funding can reach the widest reach of people as possible – which is fundamental in helping to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need.

We knew that our staff and customers would need support to help with these changes, so we produced an Equality Information guide for grant holders The guide provides lots of examples, links to data sources and plenty of good practice. This guide was updated in January 2012.