Background Information

The DCMS Lottery Grants Database only holds information relating to completed grants/grants in progress made by the Lottery distribution bodies. It does not hold details of applications for Lottery grants.

Location of National Lottery grants

The majority of National Lottery grants, especially those that help to restore or create a new building, benefit a specific area or community, are shown as having their location in or benefiting a particular area because the building itself is located in a particular place. Some Lottery grants, however have a much wider geographical benefit or do not benefit a geographic area at all - for example a cycle path or canal which crosses many geographical boundaries; a film which is distributed throughout the United Kingdom; a website or telephone line which can be accessed by people throughout the country; a touring arts event which travels to several destinations. These types of grants are described as ‘non-location specific’ as they do not benefit a particular geographical location.

Umbrella/Third Party/Award Partner Grants: The distributing bodies sometimes make grants for onward dispersal through a third party. In these instances, the minimum information that the Database records the name of the third party or umbrella organisation which has received the grant; the amount of the grant; and the number of projects that benefited from the grant. The financial benefits of Umbrella/Third Party/Award Partner are widely spread across the country – distributing money from that grant to many small projects and communities across the country - therefore these types of grant are not liked to any specific geographical location.

Grant Date: where the award of a grant is staged, this means the ‘initial grant date’.

Not Derived: this refers to grants which have a specific location, but where the geographical location data could not at present be derived from the postcode associated with the grant. These are updated on a regular basis.

National Lottery Distributing bodies/Joint Schemes

Awards for All

This is a joint scheme funded by the four national Arts and Sports Councils in their respective nations; the Big Lottery Fund; and the Heritage Lottery Fund. As the scheme is administered by Big Lottery Fund, the Database registers these grants under the good cause of Charitable Expenditure – this may not necessarily reflect the good cause of the distributing body which awarded the grant as part of this joint scheme.

The Big Lottery Fund was launched on 1 June 2004, following an administrative merger between the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund. The Big Lottery Fund became fully functional on 1 December 2006 and distributes National Lottery money to organizations working in the good cause area of Health, Education and the Environment, and Charitable Expenditure. To gain a complete picture of what the Big Lottery Fund and its predecessor bodies have funded, you will need to search ‘Big Lottery Fund, ‘New Opportunities Fund’, ‘Community Fund’, ‘Home Front Recall’ and ‘Awards for All’ – bearing in mind that ‘Awards for All’ and ‘Home Front Recall’ are joint schemes with other distributing bodies and so elements will fall under other good causes.

The Community Fund (formerly the National Lottery Charities Board) was renamed in April 2001. The Community Fund distributed grants to projects under the Charitable Expenditure good cause until being merged with The New Opportunities Fund on 1 December 2006 to create the Big Lottery Fund.

Home Front Recall

A joint scheme funded by the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund. As the scheme is administered by Big Lottery Fund, the Database registers these grants under the good cause of Charitable Expenditure – this may not necessarily reflect the good cause of the distributing body which awarded the grant as part of the joint scheme.

The New Opportunities Fund was created under the terms of the National Lottery Act 1998. The Fund distributed National Lottery grants to projects in the good cause area of Health, Education and the Environment until being merged with The Community Fund on 1 December 2006 to create the Big Lottery Fund.

The Millennium Commission distributed Lottery funds to support projects across the United Kingdom that marked the year 2000 and the beginning of the third millennium. The Millennium Commission was wound up by Order on 30 November 2006 following the formal establishment of the Big Lottery Fund which is the Commission’s legal successor.

Lottery Good Causes

Charitable expenditure good cause – originally funded by the National Lottery Charities Board, which changed its name to The Community Fund in 2001. The Community Fund until being merged with The New Opportunities Fund on 1 December 2006 to create the Big Lottery Fund.

While the good cause of Charitable Expenditure has been the good cause supported by the Community Fund and now in part the Big Lottery Fund – these are not the only Lottery distributors who give grants to charitable or philanthropic organizations. Charitable and philanthropic organizations also benefit from grants given by the sport and arts distributing bodies.

Health, Education and Environment good cause – originally funded by the New Opportunities Fund, until the Fund’s merger with The Community Fund on 1 December 2006 to create the Big Lottery Fund.

Millennium good cause – funded by the Millennium Commission, which was wound up on 30 November 2006.

Health, Education and the Environment, and Charitable Expenditure good cause – this cause is currently funded by the Big Lottery Fund, which was created in a merger of The Community Fund and The New Opportunities Fund and formally came into being on 1 December 2006. At present, most Big Lottery Fund grants appear separately under the separate good causes of ‘Charitable Expenditure’ and ‘Health, Education and the Environment’. We are working with the Big Lottery Fund so that grants made after the formal creation of the Big Lottery Fund on 1 December 2006 appear under the new combined good cause of Health, Education and the Environment, and Charitable Expenditure.

Background Information

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