GrantRadar

The National Lottery Community Fund

The Solidarity Fund

The National Lottery Community Fund's Solidarity Fund gives organisations in England £1 million to £5 million, spread over 5 to 10 years, for work that tackles the root causes of poverty, disadvantage and discrimination. Applications must strongly meet all five criteria: build power, make systems change, work in solidarity across communities and issues, be led by lived experience, and create and share learning. It is not for delivering services alone, and is aimed at organisations building on existing work rather than starting something new.

Apply on the funder’s site
You could get
£1,000,000 – £5,000,000
no fixed round
Deadline
Rolling
apply any time
Effort
Heavy
budgets, references, often several stages

Who can apply

  • Organisations that work with communities and are a constituted voluntary or community organisation, registered charity, CIO, not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, CIC, community benefit society or co-operative society registered with the FCA, or a university or union registered as a charity or company
  • There is no minimum size or income, but you must show you can manage large, long-term funding
  • At least 2 unrelated board or committee members (or 2 unrelated directors for companies)
  • Partnerships can apply only if the partners have worked together before on supporting communities to lead change and address root causes of inequality; all funded partners must be eligible
  • Work must build on what you already do; completely new or unrelated projects are unlikely to be funded
  • A safeguarding policy is needed for work with children, young people or adults at risk

What it funds

Long-term work in England that prioritises community agency and tackles the root causes of poverty, disadvantage and discrimination, connecting different communities around shared issues so people can act together. Work must:

  • Build power (organising, building communities, developing leadership)
  • Aim to change the systems that drive inequality
  • Bring people together across issues and communities
  • Be led by and accountable to people with lived experience (including in governance and decision-making)
  • Share learning to influence decisions and public understanding
  • Funding can cover core costs:
  • Staff (including sessional workers)
  • Development work such as training, governance support or tech upgrades
  • Transport
  • Utilities and running costs
  • Volunteer expenses
  • Learning and evaluation
  • Equipment
  • Minor capital costs for land or building work (not a large part of the request)
  • Costs of working in other languages

Some non-party-political campaigning and political activity can be funded where it benefits the public.

What it will not fund

  • Delivering services alone
  • Projects where political activity is the main purpose
  • Party political activity
  • Large capital costs (minor capital costs should not be a large part of the request)

How to apply

  1. Read the criteria, who can apply and the full list of application questions
  2. Apply online through The National Lottery Community Fund's application portal, giving a summary of what you aim to achieve and how your work meets all 5 criteria
  3. First stage: the Fund aims to give a decision within 3 months
  4. Second stage (if progressed): the Fund contacts you for more detail and makes a final decision, which may take up to 6 months

Unsuccessful applicants may in some circumstances be invited to submit a development grant proposal.

The team can answer specific questions about the programme or criteria (SolidarityFund@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk, 0345 4 10 20 30) but cannot advise on your project as a whole.

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