Searching for the Awards for All end of grant report form? The National Lottery Community Fund's current guidance for grants up to £20,000 does not ask for routine progress updates or a set closing form: you report when the Fund asks, and you must tell it about certain changes. It does expect records of spending and of what the project achieved, kept for seven years. Here is what the guidance and the standard terms require, and how to be ready if the Fund asks.
Is there an Awards for All end of grant report?
National Lottery Awards for All England offers grants of £300 to £20,000 for projects lasting up to 2 years. The Fund's page on spending and managing Awards for All funding says Awards for All England funding should be spent within an agreed period of up to two years of your funding confirmation email, and that you don't need to send project updates unless the Fund asks for them. Its general page on managing funding up to £20,000 sets no end of grant report requirement either. If you find an end of grant report form elsewhere online, check it against the current guidance first.
No routine report does not mean no reporting. Clause 1.2 of the standard terms and conditions, which apply to grants awarded after 16 November 2023, requires you to "provide us promptly with any information and reports we require about the project and its impact". Clause 1.12 lets the Fund and the Comptroller and Auditor General inspect your project and grant records. Larger grants work differently: holders of over £20,000 for a project lasting two years or more are asked for an update every year.
What you must tell the Fund
The guidance lists the moments when you must get in touch, during or after the project:
- the main or senior contact for the project changes;
- you need more time to finish;
- you have finished and have more than £1,000 left over;
- the project will support different people from those in your application;
- you want to spend the funding on things not in your application;
- you can no longer carry out the project.
Clause 2 of the terms adds situations to report if they have happened or are likely to, including poor progress, match funding withdrawn, duplicate funding for the same costs and grant money received in error. Small changes to activities or spending are fine as long as you still deliver the project described in your application.
Leftover funding and the £1,000 line
The Fund's guidance draws one line for underspend:
| Left over when the project ends | What the guidance says |
|---|---|
| £1,000 or less | You can use it to continue the project for longer or to run similar activities |
| More than £1,000 | You must let the Fund know |
| Money not used for the project | Clause 1.7 of the terms: return it immediately |
| Money paid in error | Clause 2.6: it must be repaid and falls due immediately |
Record what you decide, and keep any reply from the Fund.
The records to keep for seven years
Clause 1.11 of the terms requires "accurate and comprehensive records about your project both during the project and for seven years afterwards". The guidance says the Fund may ask for receipts, invoices and bank statements at any point during the project and for up to seven years after it ends. Two cash rules apply: you cannot withdraw more than £100 at a time, and any cash withdrawal must be agreed by two people running the project.
| Keep | Why |
|---|---|
| Bank statements | A record of what you received and spent |
| Receipts and invoices, including cash purchases | Evidence of spending if the Fund asks |
| Evidence of community benefit: photos, testimonials, feedback, adverts, online links | Shows the project reached people as planned |
| Proof of acknowledgement: your website, social posts and printed materials with the logo | Clause 1.4 requires you to acknowledge National Lottery funding |
If you cannot provide what it asks for, the Awards for All England guidance warns that the Fund may suspend the grant, ask for money back or decline future funding.
Write your own end of grant summary anyway
A short closing note, written while the details are fresh, lets you answer any request quickly and feeds your next application. Compare what you promised with what happened, and match spending to your application budget. If you have to contact the Fund at the end, keep it factual:
Dear National Lottery Community Fund,
[Organisation name] has completed [project title], grant reference [number], on [date]. We delivered [activities and numbers] for [who benefited]. We have [amount] left over. [We would like to use it for (similar activity) / Please tell us how you would like it returned]. Our records, including receipts and bank statements, are kept at [location] and are available on request.
[Name], [role], [email], [phone]
The UK Community Fund Kit's UK_CommunityFund_Final_Report_TEMPLATE.docx compares promised and delivered outcomes with a financial summary, and its UK_CommunityFund_Budget_TRACKER.xlsx compares your budget with actual spend line by line.
General information: this article is general information, not legal, tax or fundraising advice. No template can guarantee funding. Always follow each funder's own guidelines.
The Funder File is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to The National Lottery Community Fund.
Sources
- The National Lottery Community Fund: Spending and managing your Awards for All funding
- The National Lottery Community Fund: Managing funding up to £20,000
- The National Lottery Community Fund: Standard terms and conditions of National Lottery Awards for All
- The National Lottery Community Fund: National Lottery Awards for All England
- The National Lottery Community Fund: Letting us know how your project's going
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