What is the Big Lottery Fund? BIG is responsible for distributing almost half of the money that the National Lottery raises for good causes. Our mission is to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. We want to use Lottery money to make changes for communities with a particular emphasis on tackling need

What will Awards for All fund? Awards for All projects must help to achieve at least one of BIG’s outcomes: 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

What does this approach mean? You need to think about: - What are the needs of the people you want to help? - What changes do you want to make to the lives of the people you want to help? - Are those changes the main aim of your project? - How will those changes help achieve one or more of the four Big Lottery Fund outcomes?

Some recent Awards for All grants in Braintree £2,683 to Earls Colne Friendship Club to provide outings for members enabling older people to meet up on a regular basis thus reducing isolation £10,000 to Colne Engaine Parish Council to purchase play equipment creating an enhanced local environment £10,000 to Halstead and Colne Valley Scout Council to provide toilets, storage and shelter at their campsite enabling greater use of the site £1,552 to Prail Court Tenant’s Association in Coggeshall for seating, a Wii and TV to enable group activities thus reducing isolation £6,000 to Kelvedon and Feering Pre-School to create an outside covered play area improving play opportunities £10,000 to Stisted Parish Council to replace unsafe play equipment and provide play equipment for children with disabilities thus extending play opportunities

Who can apply to Awards for All?: You can apply if you are a: voluntary and community organisation school parish or town council health body

You can apply if.. You have: at least 3 unrelated people on your governing body a UK bank account in the name of your organisation with at least two unrelated signatories You can: send BIG an application at least three months before your project is planned to start complete your project within one year of when BIG confirms your award

How much you can apply for?: Between £300 and £10,000 Only one application at a time One Awards for All funded project needs to be completed and the End of Grant report approved before you can apply again One organisation cannot receive more than £10,000 of Awards for All grants in any one year period No match funding requirements within grant limit

What Awards for All can pay for: Examples of what a grant could pay for: equipment hire or purchase information technology equipment building and refurbishment work sessional workers updating equipment and premises for health and safety reasons training volunteer expenses transport costs venue hire

Building projects and Awards for All BIG will only fund non-recoverable VAT. Any planning permission needed must be in place before making an application. For building projects, applicants must own their own freehold or hold a lease that will continue for at least five years. Total costs of building works must not be more than £25,000 (including VAT).

Awards for All cannot pay for: Activities that happen or start before BIG confirms the grant Day-to-day running costs Existing activities and repeat or regular events that are less than 3 years old Items that mainly benefit an individual Building and refurbishment work costing more than £25,000 (inc. VAT)

Awards for All cannot pay for: (continued) Salaries of permanent or fixed term staff Projects or activities that the state has a legal obligation to provide Political or religious activities Routine repairs, maintenance and replacement Fundraising activities Used vehicles

You send us your application We let you know our decision You read our guide You send the documents we ask for We confirm the grant You start your project Application process: 30 working days 20 working days 10 working days Online or by post

Things to double-check: Is the name of your organisation on your application form, bank account and governing document exactly the same? Are you asking for an item or activities that Awards for All can fund? Have you filled in all sections of the form? Does your main contact know all about your project? Will your main contact be available during the assessment and grant confirmation period?

The figures During the period 1 April 2011 to 30 September 2011: 492 Awards for All applications were received from the East of England 290 (59%) received an offer of funding Of those not offered funding: 35% did not link to at least one programme outcome 25% asked for something we could not fund 11% did not provide adequate evidence of need

Improving your chances BIG scores applications to help decide who should be funded. Applications will score higher if they: show strong evidence of need seek to involve as wide a range of people as possible meet more than one of our outcomes are from groups that have never received an Awards for All grant are from groups with a smaller annual income are for smaller projects

Showing the need Community consultation through meetings and surveys Waiting lists and attendance records Identifying gaps in facilities, activities or services – talking to other agencies Statistical research (but keep it local) Looking at local, regional or national strategies Evaluation of previous projects and pilots

Involving as wide a range of people as possible Think about who you want to benefit from your project How will you ensure that people will know about your project and how to benefit from it? Think about the barriers that may stop people using your project e.g. disability, literacy Are there groups who traditionally do not take part – can you think of ways of involving them? Explain how you will promote and publicise your project so as to encourage participation by everyone you want to benefit

Which of our outcomes will your project meet? Which of the four BIG outcomes will your project help achieve? Only pick outcomes you can justify Remember to relate outcomes to identified need: e.g. if you pick the outcome ‘healthier and more active people and communities’, what evidence do you have of poor health in people or your community

Do you need more than £10,000? Reaching Communities programme -Open to voluntary and community sector and the statutory sector -Grants of between £10,000 and £500,000 for revenue costs and £10,000 to £50,000 for capital costs -Maximum project size: £750,000 (£200,000 capital) -Projects seeking more than £300,000 revenue must be exceptional -Funding period between 1 and 5 years -Can fund new and existing work -Rolling programme: can apply at any time -2 stage application process -Minimum decision time: 3 months Max: 5 months -No match funding required within award maximum

Village SOS -Open to rural villages of 3,000 people or less -One entry per village -Project must be a community business -Kick-start grants of between £10,000 and £30,000 -Closing date: 20 October Website: -Helpline:

Further information and advice Website: Phone: BIG Advice Line Text phone: Other Lottery distributors: Arts Council England: Heritage Lottery Fund: Sport England: Lottery funding: Ed Hickman:

QUESTIONS?