National Lottery Community Fund: Funding programmes Grant

About this grant

This page is the funding programmes directory for the National Lottery Community Fund, the largest community funder in the UK. It lists a range of grant programmes available across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales, supporting community-led projects that bring people together, strengthen communities, tackle environmental challenges, and improve quality of life. The programmes vary in size and focus, from small grants of £300 to £20,000 available through the National Lottery Awards for All schemes in each nation, to larger grants of up to £1,000,000 through specialist programmes such as the Scottish Land Fund. Thematic areas covered include community connection, inclusion, health, children and families, environment and nature, and community ownership of land and buildings. Additional programmes listed include Community Action Funding (Scotland), Dormant Assets for All (Northern Ireland), Fairer Life Chances (Scotland), and People and Places (Wales), among others across 24 pages of listings. Decision timelines range from approximately 12 to 40 weeks depending on the programme.

Eligibility

Eligibility varies by individual programme but is geographically restricted to organisations operating in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, or Wales as appropriate. Programmes generally target voluntary, community, and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations. The Dormant Assets for All programme in Northern Ireland is explicitly for VCSE organisations. Community-led organisations are prioritised across most programmes. Specific eligibility requirements, sector restrictions, and organisational criteria are defined at the individual programme level.

How it's scored

Evaluation criteria are not described on this directory page. Each individual programme will have its own assessment process. The page notes indicative decision timelines ranging from 12 weeks (for most Awards for All and smaller programmes) to 40 weeks (for People and Places, Wales), suggesting varying levels of assessment complexity by programme size and type.

Key requirements

• ✓Community-led projects that bring people together and strengthen communities
• ✓Projects addressing environmental challenges and improving quality of life
• ✓Eligible across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales
• ✓Grant sizes range from £300 to £1,000,000 depending on specific programme
• ✓Decision timelines vary from 12 to 40 weeks by programme

Frequently asked questions

How much funding does National Lottery Community Fund offer?

National Lottery Community Fund: Funding programmes offers $375 – $1.3M.

Who can apply for National Lottery Community Fund: Funding programmes?

Eligibility covers organisations in GB; nonprofit, charity, community-group, social-enterprise, local-authority, cooperative. See the eligibility criteria above for the full conditions.

Relevant sectors

About this sector

Biodiversity funding backs habitat restoration, species protection, protected areas and nature-positive business. It comes from environment agencies, multilateral nature funds and conservation philanthropy, often through competitive calls with defined regions. Applicants are usually asked for baseline surveys, local partners and indicators that show ecological change.