Awards for All is the Big Lottery Fund’s small grants programme, with grants of £300 to £10,000 on offer. The Big Lottery Fund is looking for applications from groups in our area. You can apply at any time but there are a few things to bear in mind:
- You have to be a voluntary or community organisation, school, parish or town council or a health body to apply
- You must have a UK based bank or building society account in the name of your organisation that requires at least two people to sign cheques or make withdrawals
- You need to have at least three months until the start of your project
- You need to be able to complete your project within one year of receiving the grant
In addition, the project you have in mind needs to meet at least one of the following Big Lottery Fund outcomes:
- People have better chances in life
- Stronger communities
- Improved rural and urban environments
- Healthier and more active people and communities
Once you submit a complete application form you will hear if Big Lottery Fund thinks it can fund your project within 10 weeks. Only then do you need to send in supporting documents such as your governing document and proof of a bank account.
Top tips for applying to Awards for All:
- Be as realistic as you can when describing what you want to achieve and make sure to include realistic costs to back it up.
- Don’t just apply for a list of things you need – think about the difference that these items and activities will make to your beneficiaries and remember to write about this difference in your application.
- Remember to link your project to the outcomes of the Awards for All programme. Your project only needs to meet one outcome to be eligible but the more you can meet the better.
- Read the guidance notes – there is some helpful information in these that help to explain what the Big Lottery Fund is looking for.
- Make sure that the person you nominate as the main contact knows all about the project as they will be the first port of call if the Big Lottery Fund has any questions.
- It may sound obvious, but make sure you complete every question otherwise the form will be returned to you. In fact a third of all application forms are sent back for this very reason.
- And finally, get someone else to read through your completed application form. If it makes sense to them then it will make sense to your Funding Officer.