Lottery

Big Lottery

Big Lottery is responsible for giving out half the money for the National Lottery to good causes giving a budget of £630M a year.

Heritage Lottery Fund

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) was set up by Parliament in 1994 to give grants to a wide range of projects involving the local, regional and national heritage of the UK This year, they will allocate around £255 million to projects in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Since 1994, the HLF has awarded £4 billion to more than 26,000 projects across the UK.

NESTA

NESTA aims to pioneer ways of supporting and promoting talent, innovation and creativity in science, technology and the arts. They invest in a diverse range of people, including scientists, inventors, engineers, medical practitioners, educators, artists, writers, film-makers and musicians. Their unique approach applies to both the kinds of projects they fund and the way they fund them. NESTA's distinctive support is clearly reflected in their award programmes and projects, which include: Invention and Innovation, Fellowship, Learning, Futurelab, Creative Pioneer, Planet Science and a number of partnerships and competitions.

Sports Council for Wales

The Sports Council for Wales is the national organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and recreation. It was set up in 1972 and is the main advisor to the Welsh Assembly Government on all sporting matters. The Sports Council for Wales is also responsible for distributing lottery funds to sport in Wales.

UnLtd

UnLtd administers the Millennium Awards which are available to individuals for projects that benefit the community. UnLtd also provides a support package which includes training and networking opportunities to successful applicants.

Schemes

Level 1 Awards are aimed at individuals or informal groups of people who have an idea which will change society for the better, and want help getting it off the ground. The money is to help with the running costs of the project. At Level 1 you can apply for an award of between £500 and £5,000, (with an average award size of £2,000). Level 2 Awards support individuals whose innovative ideas are already off the ground and now want help taking them to the next level; a Level 2 Award can pay for the living expenses of Award Winners to help them devote more time to their projects. UnLtd has Level 2 Awards of between £10,000 and £20,000 to give out each year across the UK. The average size of a Level 2 Award is likely to be £15,000.