National Lottery Awards for All is a very popular programme. We get a lot of applications, but we only have a certain amount of funding.  This means we have to make tough decisions around which projects we can fund.

If you are thinking of applying, here is some information on what we consider when making a decision on applications, and details of things we don’t fund.

This will give you a useful background on what to avoid when developing your project idea and applying for funding.

1. Projects that don’t strongly meet the programme criteria will not be progressed

When we assess your application, we will look at how well you project meets the National Lottery Awards for All programme aims. These are:

• Bring people together to build strong relationships in and across communities
• Improve places and spaces that matter to communities
• Help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest stage
• Support people, communities and organisations facing more demands and challenges because of the cost-of-living crisis

If your project idea does not strongly meet the programme aims and you are trying to adapt your idea to fit in with these, you may find that another funder would be more suitable.

It might be worth exploring other funding options. Perhaps chat to NICVA (Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action), Rural Community Network, Funders Forum NI or your local community networks for advice.

Projects focusing on increasing engagement in arts, sports, heritage, without clearly matching National Lottery Awards for All aims are not eligible. This includes costs associated with: 

• sports coaching  
• sports equipment 
• improving sports facilities 
• improving historic buildings 
• specialist arts facilitators.  

Other National Lottery distributors have a remit to provide funding in these areas so it is worth having a chat with them.

2. National Lottery Awards for All will not support projects that have not been developed by and include the community

When we review your application, we will look at how the people and/or communities who will benefit from the project have been involved in its design and how they will continue to be involved throughout its development and delivery.

We will also consider how your project will build on the strengths that already exist within your community and how well connected your idea is with other provision and organisations.

If you cannot evidence this in your application, we won’t be the right funder for you.

3. Projects that start before a decision has been made won’t be considered

It can take up to 12 weeks for us to review an application and give you a decision. You should take this into consideration when applying and when deciding on your project start date. Funding from National Lottery Awards for All cannot be used to cover costs that have already been spent.

If you already have an existing grant through the National Lottery Awards for All in Northern Ireland, you will have to wait until that grant has closed. Organisations can only hold one grant at a time. We can only consider one application at a time when you do apply.

4. Project costs that seem excessive or unreasonable will be queried

When looking at your application we will carefully look at your proposed budget to determine if project costs seem appropriate and reasonable and how you have explained these. A clear breakdown of costings should be provided within your application (there is an activity column in the project costs section to allow you to do this).

It is important to only apply for the funding that you need to run the project. Overinflated costings to request the maximum grant size is not a good idea as we seek to ensure that funding is distributed fairly, across geographic and thematic areas.

5. Organisations that have a high level of income may be asked for further details

We look at organisation income when reviewing your application. We prioritise lower income groups so if you have high levels of income we may ask you for more information.

As there is high demand for funding through this programme, difficult decisions have to be taken by our team, so it is important to only apply for funding if you need it.

6. Projects that include ineligible costs within their planned activities won’t be progressed

National Lottery Awards for All funding cannot be used to duplicate or cover shortfalls in activity that fall under the responsibility of statutory agencies. This is an important note to consider when developing your idea. It is worth while exploring what services/ activities are already available in your area. It is fine for your project to complement existing provision, but we will not duplicate it.

We frequently receive queries from Schools and Pre-schools regarding eligibility. We can’t cover the costs of Pre-school provision (because this is funded by government) and pre-pre school provision that receives statutory funding. We can fund activities taking place within schools as long as they include the wider community in developing the idea and will benefit the wider community (not just the school community). It is important to note that National Lottery Awards for All cannot fund the following:

• Improve school facilities
• Help with staff training
• Are part of the school curriculum
• Take place during teaching time
• Only benefit the school community – teachers, pupils, parents/carers

In addition to these key points, National Lottery Awards for All funding cannot cover the costs of the following:

• Profit making activities for private gain 
• Religious activities
• Projects where political activities are the main purpose
• Fundraising activities
• Projects/activities/spend outside of the UK (including Ireland) 
• Alcohol 
• Retrospective costs 
• VAT you can reclaim 
• Overseas travel  
• Contingency cost, loans, endowments, interest 
• Paying some-one else to write your application 
• Cash that will be given directly to individuals 

7. Don’t apply until you determine that your organisation is eligible

We sometimes receive applications from groups who aren’t eligible to apply, if you haven’t already done so, we encourage you to read our getting ready to apply blog.

We can’t consider applications from organisations that already have an active grant with National Lottery Awards for All in Northern Ireland as you can only apply for and hold one grant at a time.

If you have already received £20,000 in a 12 month period, we also will not be able to consider your application as this is the maximum you can apply for within 12 months through this programme.

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Support Available

We hope you found this information helpful but if you would like further guidance or support, talk to us! It is better to clear up issues, ask questions, or check eligibility in advance of applying. We are very happy to hear from you, and are available to support you at every stage, even if you are just at the initial stage of developing your project.

Give our team a call on 028 9055 1455 or email us at enquiries.ni@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk.

We cannot give assurances of success but can discuss our funding priorities and criteria.