Awards for All offers voluntary organisations and community groups grants of between £300 and £20,000 over up to two years.
The money can be used for new or existing activities that do at least one of:
- bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities
- improve the places and spaces that matter to communities
- help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage
- support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis.
You can only have one Award for All grant at a time and you can only have a maximum of £20,000 form the fund in any 12 month period. Within that limit, you can apply for a series of grants so long as each project ends before you apply for more funding. All the more reason to base your funding application on:
- an accurate and reasonable assessment of actual costs
- the capacity of your group or organisation.
In other words, don’t just apply for the maximum amount on offer, but think anout using a small amount of money to pilot a project or try a service out. You can always go back with a second bid and you might stand a better chance of getting that if you can show the community need and how you have used the pilot to develop the idea with service users etc.
Community need and involvement in developing your project are two key things the National Lottery will look for in your application.
All sorts of groups and organisations can apply including: community groups (so long as they have a written constitution); schools (so long as the project is for wider community benefit); co-ops, CICs and non-profit companies; parish councils; and, of course, charities. The National Lottery is more likely to fund groups with small income and low or reasonable reserves. You need a bank account into which the grant can be paid.
You should apply at least 16 weeks before your project starts or you need to start spending money.
More information including a list of the questions you need to answer and a link to the application form is at National Lottery Awards for All.