About The National Lottery Community Fund

The National Lottery raises money for good causes.

People use this funding to do extraordinary things, taking the lead to improve their lives and communities. Every time you buy a National Lottery ticket, you help make this happen.

Communities come in all shapes and sizes, and National Lottery funding is there for everyone.

There are 12 distributors of money raised by the players of The National Lottery, which fund projects and activities that transform communities, protect our heritage, and enrich lives through arts, sports and culture.

It starts with community.

Our 2030 strategy focuses on making an even greater difference in the years ahead.

Read The National Lottery Community Fund Strategy 2023 – 2030

We are a distributor of National Lottery funding, established as a non-departmental public body by an Act of Parliament.

The National Lottery Community Fund is governed by a board. The board is responsible for setting the Fund’s long-term strategy and key policies, and making sure that it’s run in an effective and efficient way. It delegates the day-to-day running of the organisation to the chief executive and his senior management team.

The chief executive and his senior management team are responsible for delivering the strategy and policies set by the board. They oversee the day-to-day running of the Fund.

Our work is divided into five portfolios, covering funding across England, Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland, and the US as a whole.

We have teams all over the US who are the main point of contact for communities. They work with people to develop ideas and create opportunities for groups to come together.

Learn about our structure and how we’re governed & Our People

Our Corporate Plan outlines the number of grants we will make over the next three years, highlighting our strategic focus areas and key performance indicators.

Read our Corporate Plan 2022-24 (PDF 1.4MB)

Our name

On the 29 January 2019 the Big Lottery Fund became known as The National Lottery Community Fund. This new brand name clearly shows what we do and who we do it for, positioning us as part of The National Lottery family.

Our new brand name does not change our legal status and we remain a corporate body created by and operating under the National Lottery etc Act 1993 as amended. Our legal name also remains the Big Lottery Fund, being the name set out in the National Lottery Act 2006.