The Principles Of The Big Lottery Fund's Grant Making
There are three main themes in the Big Lottery Fund’s current 
Policy Directions
- 716KB which underpin the Fund’s work both UK and England-wide:
- community learning and creating opportunity;
- promoting community safety and cohesion;
- promoting well being.
The outcomes and themes that flow from these vary for the other countries and are set out here in the relevant policy directions: Northern Ireland
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- 847KB, Wales
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The Big Lottery Fund is an outcomes funder meaning it adopts an approach which is based on identifying the difference which its funding can make and is illustrated though the Strategic Framework BIG’s Strategic Framework takes us from where we are today to where we want to be in 2015. It charts the journey we will make during this period. - 732KB.
The Big Lottery Fund’s Five Funding Portfolios
Current Grant Programmes
The Big Lottery Fund aims to embed its grant making principles through five funding portfolios – UK, England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. There are two fundamental types of programmes: demand-led and strategic. Demand-led programmes will encourage organisations and groups to develop their own ideas and local solutions for funding. Strategic programmes will focus more on a specific outcome or outcomes which the Fund wants its funding to achieve.
The Fund has already announced that there will be a continuation of the International Programme and consequent announcements will be made by each country about its programmes in this period.
Grant Budgets
he allocation of grant budgets is agreed annually by the Board; currently this is a minimum of 10% to UK-wide programmes, with the remainder allocated between the countries as follows: England 77.5%; Scotland 11.5%; Wales 6.5%; and Northern Ireland 4.5%.
Some Other Initiatives
Third Party Funding
The National Lottery Act 2006 granted the Big Lottery Fund the ability to distribute funds on behalf of others. The Big Lottery Fund has developed a strategy to enable it to deliver funding from Third Party sources, in any of the following ways:
- Joint Schemes (where we deliver a programme with more than one funding source);
- Specific legislation (where we are named in legislation and directed to run a programme);
- Solicited activity (where we are invited to run programmes);
- Tendering (where we bid as part of a tendering process); and
- Shared Services (where we provide services at cost).
The Big Lottery Fund will only deliver Third Party funding where it reflects its mission and values, adds real value and ensures a better deal for beneficiaries. The Big Lottery Fund cannot make a profit or loss from Third Party activity. Decisions on whether or not to pursue individual Third Party funding opportunities rest with the Board.
Loans
The National Lottery Act 2006 permitted the Fund to make grants or loans, or make or enter into other arrangements, in distributing funds. So far, the Board has decided not to make use of the loan-making power.
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