Supporting Change - Carers

Who can apply

You can apply if your organisation is a:

• constituted voluntary or community organisation
• registered charity
• Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO)
• not-for-profit company
• community interest company (CIC)
• statutory body (including local authorities and community councils)
• community benefit society.

Partnerships and groups of organisations can also apply

We’ll give our funding to the lead organisation in a partnership. They can then pay the other partners for the work they do.

You need at least 3 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 3 directors who are not related in any of these ways. This also applies to companies that are also registered as charities.

Who cannot apply

We cannot accept applications from:

• individuals
• sole traders
• organisations based outside the UK
• companies that can pay profits to directors, shareholders or members (including Companies Limited by Shares)
• organisations applying to more than one of our programmes for the same project over the same period. This is because you cannot get duplicate funding for something we're already funding you to do. It’s OK to apply to another programme if you've already had an unsuccessful decision though
• one organisation applying on behalf of another (unless you’re applying together as a partnership).

We can fund some political activity and campaigning

But only if:

• the activity is not party political. This means that it must be about policy, practice, or legislation rather than opposing or supporting a political party
• the activity is meant to help the cause of your organisation and benefit the public or society.

We will not fund projects where political activities are the main purpose. But we can fund projects that are mainly about campaigning.

We do not accept applications written for you by private businesses or consultants

Be careful of businesses or consultants who say they can support you with your funding applications. They might 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 do not accept applications from these types of businesses or consultants.

But it’s ok to get help from support organisations - like your local authority or Third Sector Interface (TSI)

They may be able to give you support and advice on writing your application.

The projects we fund

Your project must reduce health inequalities that unpaid carers experience.

Unpaid carers can face more health challenges. They can experience poverty, isolation and can find it hard to get support. We're looking for projects that will make a long-term difference to their health and wellbeing.

You must show us how you’ll:

• make long-term changes to the systems that affect unpaid carers health
• involve people with experience of care in influencing these changes. Particularly, how you'll help unpaid carers have more control over decisions that affect their health and wellbeing.
• work with other organisations
• use learning and evidence to inform your project. We'll also expect you to consider how you'll use what you learned to make changes after the project ends.

This section has details of what we mean by each of these.

Your project must make long-term changes to the systems that affect unpaid carers health

We want to fund projects that will make meaningful and lasting changes to the way things work. So unpaid carers wellbeing is better, and they can stay healthy in their caring role.

Your project will need to have a significant impact for unpaid carers. This could be through a large-scale project like changing the way carers access services. By working with different organisations and sectors. Or it could be through small changes over many years like how unpaid care is valued and talked about.

We will not fund the delivery of an existing service. For example, to expand a service in to new areas or reduce waiting lists. If you’d like funding for this see our Fairer Life Chances fund.

Your project must involve people with experience of unpaid care

By people with experience of unpaid care we mean adults or children who:

• currently care for someone or have cared for someone before
• receive care or have received care in the past.

You should involve them in developing, delivering and leading the project. We want to see how they’ll be able to influence the project. And how they’ll continue to influence changes after the project ends.

We particularly want to see how you’ll help unpaid carers to have more control over decisions that affect their health and wellbeing.

We know that many people do not see themselves as unpaid carers. We're particularly interested in projects that reach these people.

This can include:

• parents that care for a child with additional support needs or disabilities
• older people that care for their partner
• people that care for someone with an addiction
• young carers
• LGBTQ+ carers
• ethnically minoritised carers

You must work with other organisations

Systems change happens when organisations work together. We expect you to share skills, knowledge and resources to make a long-term impact.

This could include partnering with:

• community and third-sector organisations
• statutory services
• researchers
• policymakers.

We’ll ask you who you plan to work with and how you’ll work with them. We might ask for evidence of how you’ll work together. For example, a written, partnership agreement.

You must use learning and evidence to inform your project

We want to know what evidence you have that your project is needed. You'll need to tell us how you'll test new ideas and ways of working to improve and develop your project.

We’ll ask you how you plan to share what you learn. And who you’ll share it with. While you're funded, we also expect you to share what you're learning from the project with us and our partners.

You should consider how you'll continue to use what you've learned to benefit unpaid carers and influence wider change.

Reduce your environmental footprint

The National Lottery Community Fund cares about our environment and is 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 in our guidance on reducing your environmental footprint. 

If you’ll be working with children, young people or vulnerable adults

You need to have a policy in place that explains how they’ll be safe. If you get funding you’ll need to follow our expectations on safeguarding children and adults at risk.

The SCVO website has child safeguarding advice and information services.

What we can fund

We offer funding from £500,000 to £2 million and fund long-term projects over 5 to 10 years.

We expect to fund around 4 to 5 projects.

We can fund:

• your organisation's running costs
• equipment
• one-off events
• staff costs
• training costs
• transport
• utilities
• volunteer expenses
• part of your organisation’s overheads
• some capital costs

We’ll fund the delivery of the project and fund some of the indirect costs

Also known as overheads. This could include things like rent or insurance. Or part of a salary for someone not working directly on the project. Like a senior manager or an office admin worker.

For example, the project you’re applying for could be half of the work your organisation does. In that case, we could fund half of your overheads.

This is sometimes known as full cost recovery. Find out how to work out overheads in our guide to full cost recovery.

We can also fund some capital costs

That’ll support you to deliver systems change. For example, equipment and technology.

But we will not fund:

• projects that are mostly for capital costs
• large scale refurbishments or buying land and buildings

If you think you’ll need funding for capital costs, contact us.

We cannot fund:

• retrospective costs (costs for things that have already happened, or you’ve already paid for)
• alcohol
• contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest
• paying someone else to write your application for you
• fundraising activities (where you use our funding to raise more money)
• VAT you can reclaim
• religious activities (we can fund religious organisations if their project benefits the wider community and does not include religious content)
• statutory activities
• activities that help children or young people with their schoolwork during school time
• overseas travel
• projects that take place outside of the UK
• activities that make profits for private gain
• cash that will be given directly to individuals
• large scale refurbishments or buying land and buildings