Our new UK strategy, ‘It starts with community,’ sets out our ambitions as a community funder from now until 2030. 

Over the next seven years we will focus on four key priorities where we want to make the biggest impact. These are to support communities to come together; to be environmentally sustainable; help children and young people thrive; and enable people to live healthier lives. 

We are also committed to taking an equity-based approach to our work going forward, with a sharper focus on addressing inequalities. 

Showing commitment to supporting grass roots organisations, our small grants programme, National Lottery Awards for All will be doubling the amount groups can apply for from £10,000 to £20,000 and doubling the term from 1 year to 2 years with these changes coming into effect from late autumn this year. 

The new strategy underpins our efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding across the UK by 2030. 

Neil Ritch, Scotland Director, The National Lottery Community Fund said: “Our new UK wide strategy – It starts with community – has been shaped by what we heard through conversations with 18,000 people across the UK. 

“In the years ahead we aim to have a more bold long term impact through four priority funding areas but we’ll also take the best of what we do now and will build on that going forward. 

“Our new strategy will be implemented over the next two years during which time we plan to have conversations with customers, stakeholders and those people who need our funding most to help us develop new Scotland funding programmes.  

“In the meantime all of our Scotland funding programmes remain open and available for people to apply, and we look forward to joining our colleagues across the UK as we expand the scale of National Lottery Awards for All later this autumn.” 

The National Lottery Community Fund distributes funding on behalf of National Lottery players who raise more than £30 million each week for good causes throughout the UK.  

The new strategy is available at tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/itstartswithcommunity.