Funding applications we’ve solicited
This page shows details of funding applications The National Lottery Community Fund has solicited from applicants.
What we mean by ‘soliciting’ a funding application
We are allowed to directly invite applicants to apply for a specific project or programme. This goes beyond general encouragement or publicising our funding. For example, we could contact an individual organisation and ask them to apply.
We may do this when it’s the best way to achieve an important part of our strategy, or Spending Directions we’re given by government.
Asking someone to apply does not guarantee we’ll fund them.
We still assess all applications we solicit, using the criteria for the funding they’re applying for. We’ll also do our usual checks around:
- due diligence
- value for money
- feasibility of the work described in the application
Legislation that allows us to solicit applications
Our ability to solicit applications is an ‘express power’ given to The Fund. This means it’s a power that is written into the laws that govern how our funding works.
The legislation is:
- Section 25(2A) of the National Lottery etc Act 1993 (for our National Lottery funding)
- The Dormant Bank and Building Society Accounts Act 2008 as amended by the Dormant Assets Act 2022 (for our Dormant Assets funding)
Funding applications we solicited in 2025
The National Literacy Trust
On 16 December 2025 we invited National Literacy Trust to submit a written application for up to £12.5 million of Dormant Assets funding, following our solicitation policy.
Why we solicited this application
In Spending Directions dated 12 December 2025, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport directed us to distribute up to £12.5 million Dormant Assets funding to the National Literacy Trust. This will fund services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people, or activities connected to providing these.
National Literacy Trust is a registered national charity with a 30-year track record of empowering people with the literacy skills they need to succeed in life. They’ve run the ‘Libraries for Primaries’ campaign for several years, which has successfully started to address the lack of library spaces and resources in primary schools. The campaign has established over 1,500 libraries and designated reading spaces, and distributed over 600,000 books in primary schools.
How this fits Dormant Assets funding priorities
The Dormant Assets Acts and Secondary Legislation set limits on how we can use Dormant Assets funding. One purpose permitted for Dormant Assets funding in England is “the provision of services, facilities or opportunities to meet the needs of young people” (from The Dormant Assets (Distribution of Money) (England) Order 2023).
This solicited application fits the permitted categories for use of Dormant Assets funding, specifically the youth strand of the Dormant Assets Scheme. This includes helping to foster a culture of reading for pleasure among disadvantaged children and young people. This can be through targeted intervention and increased access to reading material. It can also focus on the spaces and places that matter to young people, including schools, youth clubs and other settings like early year providers and libraries.
How we’ll assess their application
We asked the National Literacy Trust to demonstrate how their project meets the objectives of the Spending Directions we received from the UK Government.
We’ll assess their application to ensure we’re confident about its suitability, effectiveness, quality and value for money.
Specifically, we’ll assess the application to make sure that the work it describes:
- meets the objectives and priorities of the Dormant Assets Scheme
- does not replace or duplicate any services that government has a statutory responsibility to provide
- meets UK rules around subsidy control
- can deliver its policy objectives in a way that represents good value for money
- can be implemented accurately, sustainably and on time using the resources available