How to apply
We only have a certain amount of funding to award
We get a lot of applications, and many of them are for really worthwhile projects. This means we have to make some tough decisions around which projects we can fund, when reading all the applications we’ve received. So there are often lots of projects we cannot fund, even the good ones.
Make sure you also check who can and cannot apply before filling out the application form.
Apply online Continue online application
The time it takes to get a decision from us might vary
We’ll try and tell you our decision as soon as possible. This usually takes us around 12 weeks. Please bear with us as our funding teams respond to the huge demand for our funding. We’ll assess applications in the order they’re submitted.
If it's difficult or impossible for you to complete an application form
You can contact us if you have any communication support needs. We’re happy to talk about alternative ways for you to tell us about your idea.
What information you need to apply
We ask for the contact details, home addresses and dates of birth of two different people from your organisation. Both contacts need to have different email addresses
One person should be someone we can talk to if we have any questions about your project. The other should be a senior member of your organisation, who'll be legally responsible for the funding. Both need to live in the UK.
These two people cannot be:
- related by blood
- married to each other
- in a civil partnership with each other
- in a long-term relationship with each other
- living together at the same address.
We ask for the legal name of your organisation - and its address. And what type of organisation it is
Make sure these are up to date and match up with any information or identity documents we ask for (when you get to the application part).
We ask for information about your organisation’s accounts
We want to know the date your accounts wrap up each year and how much income you have.
If you do not have yearly accounts because you’re a new organisation (less than 15 months old), that’s okay. We can still look at your application.
Send us your bank statement
What we need
We ask for one bank statement dated within the last three months. So, we can check the account you want us to pay the grant into.
We'll not be able to assess your application if you do not have a bank account and bank statement that meet our requirements below and you’ll need to reapply once you have these set up. If you’re not sure contact us
We need:
- A bank account that meets our needs in our Financial Controls and Financial Governance Guidance
- A bank statement that meets our needs.
Our bank statement needs
The bank statement (or bank welcome letter if the account was opened within the last 3 months) must be uploaded:
- as one single file
- the file size limit is 12MB
- it can be a PDF, JPEG or PNG file.
and should show:
- the bank logo
- your organisation's legal name
- the address the statements are sent to
- your bank's name
- the account number and sort code
- the date the letter/statement was issued.
If all these details are on one page, just send us that page.
Here’s a picture of the kind of bank statement we’re looking for.
What else we would accept
If you have a new bank account opened within the last three months, we can accept a bank welcome letter instead of a statement. The letter must confirm the date the account was opened and all the account details.
If you’re unable to provide a bank statement, we can accept transaction listings, if they include everything we’d expect to see on a bank statement:
- the bank logo
- your organisation’s legal name
- the address your bank uses for correspondence
- your bank’s name
- the account number and sort code
- date the transactions listing covers.
We ask you for information about what sort of project you’d like to do
And how your project will help and involve your community.
What happens after you apply
- You send us your application – we'll get back to you with a decision in around 12 weeks. During these 12 weeks, we look at your idea and do our security checks. You can find out more about the checks we do. We might give you a call within those 12 weeks, to talk a little more about your idea or ask for more information.
- If your application is successful – we'll send you an email with the good news. You can start your project as soon as you get this email, if you want to. And we’ll put the funding in your bank account within 14 days (or sooner, if possible)
- You can start spending the funding on your project – you should spend the funding the way you said you would in your application (unless we’ve agreed to something different first). We might check in from time to time – to see how things are going. Find out more about managing your funding.
- Share your story – let people know about your grant and the amazing work you're doing in your community. Sharing news about your project with your community can be a great way to keep them involved and engaged. You can find out more about how to promote your grant. Your award email will also include details on how to publicise your grant and let people know about how your project is supporting people in your community.
We also ask you to read and agree to our terms and conditions
You can read the terms and conditions.
BSL video: National Lottery Awards for All England
Watch British Sign Language interpretation of 'National Lottery Awards for All England' (YouTube)
If you’re not sure about the sort of things we ask for when you apply
You can also read our Data Protection Statement to find out how we use the personal data you give us.
Read our blogs for more guidance and tips on applying
- Getting your project ready to apply - 5 key things your organisation needs to do
- Top 3 ways to strengthen your application
Reduce your environmental footprint
The National Lottery Community Fund cares about our environment and are always striving to manage our environmental impact. We encourage and support projects and communities to do the same. Learn more about how you can make your project or event more environmentally sustainable and perhaps save money at the same time.