National Lottery Community Fund – You Decide – Development Phase

Aims/priorities: Before launching the broader programme, TNLCF wants to work with partners from spring 2025 to spring 2026 in a development stage. This could lead to communities being involved in decisions about what and who is funded. But it could also lead to other great ways of involving communities that have not yet been considered. TNLCF wants to find out what works best for people.

Partners’ roles will include:

  • Collaborating with TNLCF and other partners
  • Bringing together a mix of people and community organisations. TNLCF will listen to how they want to get involved with decision making, particularly those from communities who experience poverty, disadvantage and discrimination
  • Building community empowerment through the process and involving communities in a way that builds their skills, resources and ability to work together
  • Sharing their experience of community decision making and using it to develop and test different processes to involve communities in decision making.
  • Testing ways to involve communities in decision making.
  • Giving out funding to communities.

Who can apply? Applications will be accepted from the following types of organisations:

  • Constituted voluntary or community organisations.
  • Registered, exempt or excepted charities.
  • Charitable incorporated organisations (CIO).
  • Not-for-profit companies limited by guarantee that are a registered charity or have a not-for-profit 'asset lock' clause in their articles of association.
  • Community interest companies (CIC).
  • Community benefit societies.
  • Co-operative societies that have a not-for-profit 'asset lock' clause in their society rules and also are registered with the Financial Conduct Authority.

To be a partner organisation, applicants must:

  • Show that involving communities is one of their main purposes or activities.
  • Have experience of involving communities in making decisions about grants or what to support in their communities, particularly involving people or communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination.
  • Have experience of giving out grants to communities.
  • Be committed to equity and be able to show this. By ‘equity’ is meant recognising that not every community starts with the same resources and that to make things fairer, those that need it most should be supported.

TNLCF is looking for a mix of partners with different experience and welcomes expressions of interest from different sizes or organisations and organisations that have worked at different scales.

This includes those who are used to working:

  • Locally, in-depth, with smaller numbers of people.
  • Regionally or nationally, with large groups of people.
  • With communities based on people’s shared identity, interests or experience rather than where they live.

Grant amount: A total of £2 million is to be distributed between up to five partners.

Grants of up to £80,000 are to be used to cover the partner's costs in delivery.

At least £1.6 million is for onward granting to communities.

Application process: Expressions of Interest are expected to open 8 January 2025.

TNLCF is holding a webinar on 27 November 2024 (10.30am to 11.15am.)  Registration is required and can be done via the TNLCF website. The webinar will be recorded and shared.

Full details can be found on the TNLCF website.

Deadline: Not specified.

Contact information: Email: EnglandPortfolioTeam@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk

Website: You Decide | The National Lottery Community Fund