The National Lottery Community Fund: Strengthening Communities
Overview
Summary
- Area - Northern Ireland
- Suitable for - Voluntary or community organisations
- Funding size - £20,001 to £500,000 for up to 5 years. Only smaller organisations can apply for less than £200,000.
- Application deadline - Ongoing
Overview
They know that communities have many strengths and resources. They’ll fund projects that use these to help make people’s lives better.
Your project must:
- involve people who experience poverty, disadvantage or discrimination
- support people early to help prevent negative experiences
- be led by your community and build on its strengths and connections.
Your project must also achieve one of these outcomes:
- Reduce health inequalities.
- Improve people’s physical health, mental health or wellbeing.
- People have positive relationships and connections.
- Young people reach their potential and thrive as adults.
- Children and young people develop good social and emotional skills.
It's okay for your project to achieve one outcome, or more. Meeting more than one outcome will not improve your chances of getting funding.
Funding
They offer funding from £20,001 to £500,000
- Any size of organisation can apply for £200,000 to £500,000.
- Only smaller organisations can apply for less than £200,000.
By smaller organisations they mean those with an annual income under £500,000. Based on your average income over the last 2 years.
They can fund:
- equipment
- staff costs
- training costs
- transport
- utilities
- volunteer expenses
- small refurbishment projects that you need to deliver a service
- overheads for your project.
They’ll fund the delivery of the project. And they’ll fund some of the indirect project costs. Find out how to work out overheads in their guide to full cost recovery.
Download the guide to full cost recovery
Who can apply
You can apply if your organisation is a:
- unregistered voluntary or community organisation
- An organisation set up with a governing document - like a constitution. But is not a registered charity or company.
- If you get funding they'd expect you to incorporate or become registered with a regulator (for example, the Charity Commission or CIC regulator).
- not-for-profit company
- A company limited by guarantee - registered with Companies House. And might also be registered as a charity.
- registered charity (unincorporated)
A voluntary or community organisation that's a registered charity. But is not a company registered with Companies House.
- Community Interest Company (CIC)
- A company registered with Companies House. And the Community Interest Company (CIC) Regulator.
You need at least 3 board or committee members who are not related
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.
- They’ll check you have appropriate governance and processes.
- They'll only fund organisations that can prove they work successfully
- They’ll expect you to show that you’ve worked well in the voluntary and community sector before.
What are they looking to fund
They know that communities have many strengths and resources. They’ll fund projects that use these strengths and resources to help make people’s lives better.
Your project must involve people most affected by poverty, disadvantage or discrimination. They want to fund vulnerable or excluded communities. Particularly people who find it hardest to access support.
For example because they:
- live far away
- are socially excluded
- cannot use online services.
Try to make your project inclusive and accessible for these people.
You should think about:
- who you aim to reach
- who you are finding it difficult to engage with and why
- how you can make it easier for them to get support.
They'll ask you about this if you apply.
They expect you to be able to describe the people you’ll support beyond using statistics. It’s most important that you tell them about the local context, your knowledge, experience and engagement with people facing those challenges.
Your project must support people early to help prevent negative experiences. Often called ‘early intervention,’ they want to fund projects that help people avoid problems they could face. And to break negative cycles that people may get caught in.
Your project must involve your community.
Your project should:
- be led by your community’s needs. And involve the community in the design, development and delivery of your project.
- use your community’s strengths. Like their existing skills, experience and resources.
- be connected in your community. By understanding and working with others working in your area. And adding to what they already do.
Your project must achieve one of these outcomes:
- communities help to reduce health inequalities
- communities support people’s physical health, mental health and wellbeing
- people have positive relationships and connections
- communities help young people to reach their potential and thrive as adults
- children and young people develop good social and emotional skills.
You should be able to learn from and measure your project. They’ll only fund organisations that learn from what they do – whether it works well or not. And that will share this learning with others. If you’ve been running the project already, they’ll want to see what you’ve learned from your work so far. You should also have a clear idea of what impact your project will have on your community and how you’ll measure it. This will be asked on the application form.
They 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.
They will not fund projects where political activities are the main purpose. But they can fund projects that are mainly about campaigning.
Applications should also consider climate impact of your project . They expect you to consider how to have a postive environmental impacts, reduce your carbon emissions, negative environmental impacts. See their guidance on reducing your environmental footprint
If you get funding you’ll need to follow their expectations on safeguarding children and adults at risk.