National Lottery – Funds for (almost) Everyone

At a talk by the Heritage Lottery Fund recently, I was struck by how wide their funding portfolio is and by the range of charities that have succeeded in securing project funding.

Think HLF and the chances are your mind turns to a listed building that has been saved by this lottery pot. But the range of HLF funded projects is actually very broad, from oral history projects to saving special landscapes. Grants also range from just £3,000 to £5 million.

Visiting a social welfare charity client of ours this week reinforced this fact to me when I found that they too had been awarded HLF funding for a heritage project - a very different kettle of fish from their usual sources of funds.

What is also interesting is the high success rate for bids to HLF. At almost 50%, this is nearly five time that of the Big Lottery Fund's Reaching Communities strand, which only funds some 10% of bids received (a fact which underscores the value of getting professional advice with these).

So if you have never looked closely at HLF, do have a look at their funds here - there may just be one for you. And if you need any advice with your bid, take a look here.