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Welcome to our new website. You may still see some pages from our old site as we move things over.

Who can and cannot apply

Who can and cannot apply for this fund 

You can only apply once for COVID-19 emergency funding in England, either for less than £10,000, over £10,000 or over £10,000 for partnerships. So please make sure that you’re applying for what you need. 

You can apply if you already have existing grants with The National Lottery Community Fund, including a National Lottery Awards for All grant in each country in the UK. If you've already got COVID-19 funding through National Lottery Awards for All, you'll need to tell us how the funding you're applying for now is different from that. 

We also encourage organisations to apply who are led by people with lived experience. 

Who we cannot accept applications from: 

  • organisations that have already applied to us for COVID-19 funding, including the Coronavirus Community Support Fund, since 22 May
  • organisations that have already applied to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund and been told they were unsuccessful
  • organisations that agreed to transfer their National Lottery Awards for All application to the Coronavirus Community Support Fund
  • statutory bodies
  • schools
  • individuals
  • sole traders
  • companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies Limited by Shares)
  • organisations based outside the UK
  • organisations that don't have at least 2 people on their board or committee who aren't married, in a civil partnership, in a long-term relationship, living together at the same address, or related by blood
  • one organisation applying on behalf of another.

Be careful of businesses or consultants who say they can support you with your funding applications. They might even say they’re acting on the Fund’s behalf, or they’re a preferred supplier of the Fund. They could even offer to write an application for you. We wouldn’t accept applications from these types of businesses or consultants. But you can get support and advice on writing your application from your local CVS (your local council for voluntary services). 

You can apply if your organisation is a: 

  • voluntary or community organisation
  • registered charity
  • constituted group or club
  • not-for-profit company or Community Interest Company 

If you’re not sure if you can apply, contact us. 

British Sign Language video

You can also watch this video to get the above information in British Sign Language (BSL) for those who are hard of hearing.