Reaching Communities England
The National Lottery Community Fund
Award
£20k – £20m
Deadline
Rolling — apply any time
Where
England
Summary
Funding for small or large organisations, from £20,001 to £20,000,000, to strengthen communities and improve lives across England.
Who can apply
You can apply if your organisation works with communities in England and is a: • voluntary or community organisation with a written constitution • registered charity • charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) • not-for-profit company limited by guarantee • community interest company (CIC) • school • public body (for example, local authority, town, parish or community council) • community benefit society (registered with the Financial Conduct Authority) • co-operative society (also registered with the Financial Conduct Authority) Partnerships You can apply as a partnership, as long as each partner is one of the eligible organisation types listed above. We normally award funding to a lead organisation. They’re responsible for managing the funding and paying any partners for the work they do. You’ll need a written agreement between all partners before we can pay the funding. If you don’t have one, you can use our partnership agreement template (Word document, 51 KB). Unincorporated groups You can still apply. But before managing funding of this size, it’s worth thinking about whether becoming an incorporated organisation is right for you. If you're not incorporated, your trustees or members can be personally responsible for things like unpaid debts. Examples of incorporated organisations include companies and CIOs. You can read NCVO’s guide on legal structures to find out more. If your organisation needs an asset lock Some organisations must have an asset lock. This means you have rules that stop your assets being sold or used for private benefit. You must have an asset lock if you're a: • CIC • company limited by guarantee that’s not a registered charity • community benefit society • co-operative society You can read more in the government’s guide to asset locks for CICs. Requirements for board or committee members All organisations must have at least 2 board or committee members who are not related. This applies to companies and charities. By ‘related’, we mean people who: • are married or in a civil partnership • are in a long-term relationship • live together at the same address • are related by blood • are related through a long-term partner
Full details
• Project location: England • Amount: £20,001 to £20,000,000 • A decision in: 40 weeks • Programme status: Open to applications With this funding, we want to help strengthen communities and improve lives across England. Our funding is available to all communities. But our priority is the places, people and communities that need it most. When we say ‘community’, we mean people who live in the same area. Or people with similar interests or life experiences, even if they do not live in the same area. How much you can ask for You can apply for £20,001 or more, for projects lasting up to 5 years. We fund a range of projects and organisations varying in size and amount. For example, we gave: • £55,000 over 5 years to a single organisation to deliver health and wellbeing support in their community, including advice on benefits and debt and dementia prevention services • £500,000 over 2 years to a partnership project focusing on early intervention for children and young people facing multiple disadvantages, including youth homelessness, substance misuse, and limited local resources • £1 million over 4 years to an organisation to organise, co-design and run programmes with deprived communities that meet their needs and priorities Asking for a larger amount Most projects receive funding under £500,000. In 2025, the average we gave was £319,000 over 3 years. However, we can and are keen to award up to £20 million to large organisations with ambitious projects. If you want to ask for over £500,000, get in touch with us. Funding priorities We’re most likely to fund projects that: • support places, people or communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination • support people and communities to shape the decisions that affect their lives Our missions Your project must help achieve one of these missions. Which are to support communities to: • come together through inclusive places, spaces and activities (either physical or virtual), especially for communities where people are least able to come together • help children and young people thrive by developing positive social and emotional skills • tackle health inequalities by addressing the conditions in which people live, work and grow • be environmentally sustainable by engaging with climate issues, having a positive environmental impact, and improving access to quality natural spaces Read more about our missions in ‘What we’re looking to fund’.