The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland (NLCFS) has released information on different updates to their different funding streams.

Funding will mainly continue to operate as before, but there have been some changes to help make sure these funds are still accessible and can better support people and communities through COVID-19.

Summary:

the National Lottery Awards for All (up to £10,000) and Young Start (up to £100,000) funds remain open and unchanged
other funds will remain open for a further 18 – 24 months, and will mainly continue to operate as before
NLCFS are expanding what they will fund through the Improving Lives fund
for funds offering more than £10k, the maximum grant length will now be 3 years, and applications will be assessed quicker

Full Details of Changes:

The Community-Led Activity Fund will now fund up to a maximum of 3 years, and NLCFS will be happy to consider applications for shorter-term projects. Turnaround time for applications will be reduced to approximately 3 months.

The Improving Lives Fund has been expanded, and will now fund work that:

supports children, young people and families currently experiencing challenging circumstances
supports people who have experienced abuse
tackles loss, isolation or loneliness
supports people who experience discrimination and/or works to challenge discrimination
supports people facing financial hardship

Turnaround time for applications will be reduced to approximately 3 months. As announced in September, Improving Lives grants are now available for up to 3 years and the maximum grant size is £200,000.

The NLCFS understands that everything has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; as a result, they no longer have a separate application process for applications responding to the impact of COVID-19. They are still happy to discuss how they might support responses to the pandemic through their funds. They are also keen to help build on some of the amazing community responses to the pandemic.

All funds will continue to be regularly reviewed over the next 18 – 24 months.

For further information, please contact the NLCFS team by phone: 0141 846 0447, or email: advicescotland@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk