Big Lottery Fund

The Big Lottery Fund makes a difference to us all by investing in people and places across the United Kingdom. Here in the West Midlands, almost £1.6 billion of Lottery funding has been invested in projects since 1995.

The West Midlands region has about 5.26 million people and is dominated by the cities of Birmingham, Solihull, Coventry, Stoke-on-Trent and the four Black Country boroughs (Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton, Walsall). Rural areas make up three quarters of the region. There are significant levels of deprivation in many inner-city areas alongside relative affluence in some urban and rural areas. More than one in ten people have a BME heritage, making the West Midlands the second most diverse region in England.

The West Midlands regional team works with local and regional partners, funding advice workers and potential applicants by offering advice and support both before and after funding is awarded. This is done through a variety of ways:

• holding BIG Briefing events for funding advice workers throughout the region, so they can be updated on the latest funding opportunities and information from BIG and our partners
• monitor where grants are awarded in the West Midlands, and work to increase the number of applications where necessary. We do this in a number of ways such as targeting communications campaigns or working with local stakeholders in the area on a one-to-one basis.