If your group is preparing a bid to The National Lottery Community Fund, the questions are no mystery. The Fund publishes form previews for National Lottery Awards for All that show each question and its word limit. This guide covers what the form asks, eligibility essentials, the costs the Fund will not pay, and when a larger programme fits better.
What the Awards for All form asks
The form previews for Awards for All England (Environment version) and Awards for All Northern Ireland share eight sections: Your project; Extra details about your project; Your organisation; Senior contact; Main contact; Bank details; Terms and conditions; and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion monitoring. Section 1 holds the questions your group writes:
| Question in the form preview | Limit |
|---|---|
| "What would you like to do?" | 50 to 300 words |
| "How does your project meet our funding priorities?" | 50 to 150 words |
| "How does your project involve your community?" | 50 to 200 words |
| "What costs would you like us to fund?" | Up to 20 cost headings; no breakdown for headings under £250; 350 characters per calculation |
Section 7 asks you to agree six statements, including that your board or committee has authorised the application and that the project questions contain no personal data.
In the standard Awards for All England form, the priorities are the three aims on the programme page: "build strong relationships in and across communities", "improve the places and spaces that matter to communities" and "help more people to reach their potential, by supporting them at the earliest possible stage". Some versions, such as the Environment form, set their own priorities. When the live form differs from a preview, follow the live form.
For the community question, the Fund's news article on the England form advises explaining why your community wants the project and how you know, and to "Check and recheck" before you submit.
Eligibility essentials
From the Awards for All England programme page:
- Size: £300 to £10,000, for up to one year. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own versions with different ranges.
- Board: at least two people on your board or committee who are not related.
- Contacts: a senior and a main contact who are not related, with different email addresses and UK home addresses.
- Bank statement: dated within the last three months, showing your organisation's legal name, account number and sort code.
- Income: groups under 15 months old can apply without accounts, and "We prioritise groups with smaller incomes on National Lottery Awards for All."
- Limits: no more than £10,000 in any 12-month period, and no pending Awards for All application.
Costs the Fund will not pay
The England page lists costs it cannot fund, including alcohol, contingency, loans, endowments, interest, bid-writing services, profit-making or fundraising activities, reclaimable VAT, statutory and political activities, overseas travel, and activities to improve educational attainment. It can fund running costs, equipment, one-off events, staff and training, transport, utilities and volunteer expenses. Include only VAT you cannot reclaim.
Larger grants: Reaching Communities and the four missions
Reaching Communities England funding starts at £20,001, for up to five years. Most funded applications are less than £500,000 in total; talk to your regional team first if you want more. Assessment has two stages.
The Fund looks for work with places, people or communities facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination, that helps people shape decisions affecting their lives and contributes to at least one of the four missions of its strategy, "It starts with community":
- Communities come together
- Communities help children and young people thrive
- Communities are healthier
- Communities are environmentally sustainable
It favours one or two missions done well. For Awards for All England, write to the three aims instead.
Write it in your own words
The Awards for All England page warns about businesses or consultants who offer to write applications or claim to act on the Fund's behalf, and says: "We would not accept applications from these types of businesses or consultants." Bid-writing services are also an ineligible cost. For free advice, the page points to your local council for voluntary service (CVS).
On AI, Civil Society reported in January 2025 that the Fund will not reject applications because AI tools were used. According to that report, the Fund advises editing AI text so it reflects your own experience, checking any AI-suggested budget, looking out for inaccuracies, and remembering that some tools, especially free ones, may store users' data. Never paste personal data into an AI tool.
The UK Community Fund Kit includes UK_CommunityFund_Application_Workbook_TEMPLATE.docx, a planning workbook that follows these previews question by question, with no pre-written answers.
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 and read the live programme page on the day you apply.
The Funder File is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to The National Lottery Community Fund.
Sources
- National Lottery Awards for All England
- Form preview: Awards for All England, Environment
- Form preview: Awards for All Northern Ireland
- Reaching Communities England
- Our missions
- Strengthening your Awards for All England application form
- Civil Society: Major funder says charities can use AI tools when applying for grants
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