So what is Lottery funding
Originally it started when Camelot were selected to operate the UK National Lottery, mainly because they promised to return the most to Good Causes and spend the least on operating costs and profit. They are responsible for ensuring the best possible return to the Good Causes but do not distribute or award funds themselves.
Lottery funding started when the National Lottery first started the balls rolling back in 1994. Since then lottery funding has supported well over 330,000 projects in the UK. Making almost certain that somewhere in your area there is a lottery funded company or charity at work. And where does the money come from I hear you ask. Simply from every time you purchase a lottery ticket.
28 pence from every pound spent on a lottery tickets goes to the National Lottery Good Causes, which is made up of 14 Lottery funders who independently decide which projects have successfully applied for a grant. Each is independent of Government but has to follow guidelines when deciding who should receives National Lottery funding. The 16 Lottery funders are:
Lottery funders
Heritage Lottery Fund, Big Lottery Fund which is a merger of The Community Fund and New Opportunities Fund, Arts Council England, Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Arts Council for Wales, Scottish Arts Council, Scottish Screen, UK Film Council, Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sports Council for Wales, Sports Council Northern Ireland, UK Sport, Olympic Lottery Distributor, Awards for All, NESTA
These 16 Lottery funders have to follow strict guidelines in the allocation of their monies, which are as follows:
Charities, Health, Education & the environment 50 percent,
Sports 16.67 percent,
Arts 16.67 percent,
Heritage 16.67 percent,
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has responsibility within Government for National Lottery policy, setting down how distributing bodies operate.
So as far as Lottery funding goes, there is plenty of money out there for those who require and deserve it.