National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment
Background
The National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) is a distributor of National Lottery funding, established as a non-departmental public body by an Act of Parliament.
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes over £650 million a year to communities across the UK, raised by players of The National Lottery. This makes it the largest single source of community funding in the UK.
This new fund fits with the National Lottery Community Fund's 2023-2030 strategy 'It starts with community'. The NLCF plans to distribute at least £4 billion of funding by 2030, supporting projects that will create resilient communities that are more inclusive and environmentally sustainable. Projects that will strengthen society and improve lives across the UK.
Objectives of Fund
The funding is for projects that meet one or both of these aims:
Help people connect with and care for nature in their area.
Make a positive difference to the environment.
The funding can be used to:
Start a new activity or continue an existing one.
Help organisations adapt to new challenges.
Run one-off events that have a clear environmental benefit.
All projects must benefit the local community and involve local people from the start.
Value Notes
Grants of between £300 and £20,000 for up to two years are available.
Who Can Apply
Applications are accepted from:
Constituted voluntary or community organisations
Constituted groups or clubs
Registered charities
Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs)
Not-for-profit companies
Community interest company (CICs)
Schools, if the project helps the local community, not just the school
Statutory bodies (including local authorities, town, parish, and community councils)
Community benefit societies.
To be eligible for funding applicants must have:
At least two directors who are not related.
A UK bank account in the name of their organisation.
Location
England
Restrictions
The following are not eligible for funding:
Individuals or sole traders.
Organisations based outside the UK.
For-profit companies (including Companies Limited by Shares).
Organisations that have received £20,000 from National Lottery Awards for All in the last 12 months.
Organisations that have an active Awards for All grant.
Organisations that are waiting for a decision on another application to this programme.
Organisations applying to more than one of NLCF’s programmes for the same project.
Retrospective costs.
Alcohol.
Contingency costs, loans, endowments or interest.
Paying someone else to write one's application.
Profit-making or fundraising activities.
Recoverable VAT.
Religious activities, though religious organisations can be funded if their project benefits the wider community and does not include religious content.
Statutory activities.
Activities that help children or young people with their schoolwork during school time.
Overseas travel.
Projects that take place outside of the UK.
Activities that make profits for private gain.
Activities or costs that only involve animals
Cash that will be given directly to individuals.
The following are examples of projects that would not be funded:
Outdoor classroom and sensory garden in a school. (A school planned to create an outdoor classroom and sensory garden. The space would mainly benefit pupils, with very limited access for the wider community.)
Garden makeover by college students. (College students improved a garden as part of a course at an alternative education provider. The project supported learning but did not benefit the wider community.)
One-off community festival. (This one-off festival included a commitment to sustainability. But it had no environmental activities and did not align with the programme’s aims.)
Solar panels for a sports club. (A project to install solar panels on a sports venue that was not a well-used community space. It mainly benefited people involved in sporting activities, rather than the wider community.)
International skills challenge for young people. (A project involving an international competition where young people explored sustainability through game design. It did not show clear local benefit or impact for the wider community.)
In-school environmental education. (A project that delivered classroom-based environmental learning as part of the curriculum. It repeated content already taught in schools and did not go beyond standard lessons.)
Eligible Expenditure
The funding can support a variety of costs to help the project succeed.
These include:
Running costs for the organisation
Help from a nature organisation
Equipment
One-off events with a clear environmental impact
Staff and training costs
Transport and utilities
Volunteer expenses
Small land or refurbishment projects
The funding is for projects that meet one or both of the following aims:
Help people connect with and care for nature in their area – this is for projects that help people engage with good-quality, accessible nature close to home. Projects that:
Make a positive difference to local green spaces, for example by:
creating community gardens or shared spaces for growing food or plants.
rewilding or restoring neglected green areas.
running volunteer sessions to care for green spaces.
improving parks or playgrounds to support nature and wildlife.
Help connect local people to nature, for example by:
running forest schools or outdoor learning activities to help people engage with nature and improve their wellbeing
organising activities in nature for people who do not usually access green spaces
creating or improving community allotment plots with wildlife-friendly features
offering volunteering in horticulture or community farming and providing outdoor therapy that supports both people and the environment.
Make a positive difference to the environment – this is for projects that help care for the environment and respond to climate challenges. Projects that:
Deliver sustainable activities, including:
running repair or reuse sessions – such as fixing bikes or furniture
setting up a food growing projects
redistributing food from supermarkets or shops that would otherwise go to waste
using nature-based solutions to local climate risks – like planting trees to reduce heat in urban areas or using plants to help prevent flooding.
Help people reduce carbon or save energy, including:
installing solar panels or other energy-saving features in well-used community buildings
offering advice sessions or interactive workshops to help people make small, positive changes
raising awareness about climate change, food choices, local growing, cooking or saving energy.
How To Apply
Guidance notes and the online application form are available on the NLCF website.
Groups should submit their application at least 16 weeks before the funding is needed. NLCF is receiving more applications than usual so it may take longer to respond. Applicants should wait for approval before starting their project or spending money.
Contact the National Lottery Community Fund for further information.
Useful links
National Lottery Awards for All England – Environment
https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/national-lottery-awards-for-all-england-environment#section-4
Addresses and contacts
For further information on how to obtain this grant locally, please contact the following:
Enquiries
National Lottery Community Fund
Apex House
3 Embassy Drive
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 1TR
Tel: 03454102030
E-Mail: General.Enquiries@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
