National Lottery Project Grants is open for applications!

The National Lottery Project Grant fund has re-opened with a budget of £59.8 million available until April 2021 and new guidance has been created for applicants.

Posted: 10/03/2022

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Alongside this announcement the Arts Council has released supplementary guidance about what has changed to make the fund more responsive to the needs of smaller independent organisations and individual practitioners during Covid-19.

 

The guidance outlines the types of projects that due the circumstances during this COVID-19 period, they will be particularly keen to support. These are:

 • Applications from individual creative practitioners (including time to think and plan)

• Research and development activity

• Organisational development activity

• Live activity that can be safely delivered within this period (rather than activity with a start date far in the future)

• Activity that closely aligns with our Equality Objectives

 

The Application Form and Criteria

The four criteria for applying are: Quality, Public engagement, Finance and Management

Whilst these remain the same the information you need to provide has changed slightly in the following ways:

Public Engagement 

• This may now involve smaller groups for live activities or focus on engaging people through digital means. 
• Public engagement might happen as part of the project, or it
  might happen in the longer term, beyond the boundaries of your project.
• You might use this section to explain how the work you’re proposing will mean you are better able to engage people with your work in the future.

Management:

• If an activity involves working with the public, you will need to have a plan in place to do this as safely as possible and manage risks effectively. 
• You’ll need to use your answers in this section to tell us how you can feasibly deliver the project you’re proposing, and what you’ve done to make sure it is safely delivered. 
• You’ll need to think about contingency plans if the situation changes.

Finance

• We have removed the requirement for a minimum 10 per cent match funding during this period.
• If you don’t have match funding, or you have less than 10 per cent, you will still be able to submit your application.

More detailed information about changes can be found in the document attached below and on the Arts Council’s website here.

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