Big Lottery Fund Hugh Stultz Funding Officer 14 th September 2015
Aims of today s talk To give a brief overview of BIG To highlight the funding streams most relevant to you To help improve your chances of success when applying to BIG.
Big Lottery Fund Mission The Big Lottery Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and to the lives of people most in need
About the Big Lottery Fund BIG distributes good cause * money raised from National Lottery ticket sales BIG is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) sponsored by the Cabinet Office Big is committed to the voluntary and community sector. Last year we awarded 500 million in grants, mainly to VCS organisations
How the lottery 2 is spent Retailers 10p Operating Costs 10p Lottery Tax 24p Prizes 1 Good Causes 56p BIG is responsible for delivering 40 per cent of all funds raised for good causes - about 12 pence of every pound spent on a Lottery Ticket
Heroes Return BIG Awards for ALL (A4A) Reaching Communities BIG open programmes
BIG is an outcomes funder Your project must meet at least one of these four outcomes: Outcome 1 Outcome 2 Outcome 3 Outcome 4 People having better chances in life, with better access to training and development to improve their life skills Stronger communities, with more active citizens, working together to tackle their problems Improved rural and urban environments, which communities are better able to access and enjoy Healthier and more active people and communities
Awards for All Programme Small grants scheme awarding 300-10,000 Six week turn around time for applications Applications open to community and voluntary groups, schools, health bodies and parish / town councils Project must be complete within 12 months of award You can apply for repeat or ongoing project
Reaching Communities Programme Larger grants scheme awarding grants over 10,000 Main programme: o Revenue projects funding from 10,000 (average 300,000) o Smaller capital projects funding from 10,000-100,000 Buildings programme: o Larger capital projects funding from 100,000 o Geographically targeted at most deprived areas
Success rates for our funding programme Awards for All Average success rate 45% Reaching Communities Average Success rates at stage 1: 10 15% circa Success rate at stage 2: 40 50%
Improving your chances Start by reading the guidelines carefully and thoroughly EVIDENCE Provide recent local evidence for the need for your project Ensure that you consult your beneficiaries and involve them at all stages of the project
How much evidence do you need to provide? Depends on: The scale of the problem The complexity of the problem hat capacity you have How much funding you are applying for make a strong case
Think about your outcomes Think clearly about the change you are trying to achieve for your beneficiaries Question: what will your beneficiaries be able to do after your intervention what will have improved / reduced / increased.
Grants officers comments on successful applications Beneficiaries and their needs are clearly identified A full range of activities has been provided that will clearly deliver the project outcomes Varied and relevant external evidence confirms the issues identified and.. gaps in current service Beneficiaries involved in.. user group, consultation, project planning and design, volunteering, recruitment and evaluation
Tips for the day / key learning Research your funder and study the guidelines Provide clear evidence of the need for your project Be clear about the outcomes (change) you want to achieve Ensure that your planned activities can meet your outcomes Re read your application before submitting
Support and guidance available BIG Websites: BIG Lottery Fund website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk Awards for All website: http://www.awardsforall.org.uk/england BIG Advice Line: 0845 4 10 20 30