Arts Council England National Lottery Grants

Lonnie Holley from Afterness, a National Lottery Project © Artangel Alice Channer from Artangel’s Afterness, a National Lottery Project © Thierry Bal

Revamped National Lottery Project Grants

Tilbury Bridge, Walkway of Memories, a National Lottery Project © Evewright Studio

National Lottery Project Grants (NLPG) is getting a revamp. NLPG is the Arts Council’s open access programme for arts, museums and libraries projects. The fund supports thousands of individual artists, communities and cultural organisations.

The decision to revamp and relaunch the grant scheme was made to ensure every element of NLPG fits in with the objectives of our new 10 year strategy, Let’s Create, and to ensure we maintain the fund’s success. Aligning one of our key funding strands with our organisational objectives is vital to achieving those goals and create the change we want to see within the arts and cultural sector.

The refreshed scheme will have new guidance for applicants and a new application form, all centred around how work aligns with Let’s Create Outcomes and Investment Principles. Organisations will be able to apply for the revamped grants scheme now.

Artists and organisations will be able to apply for up to £30,000 and get a decision within eight weeks. A quick decision time will help those applying to adapt to changes in a timely manner and will give more breathing room to everyone involved. This change has been made to nurture more ambitious activity and help this funding channel become more Dynamic – a key Investment Principle in Let’s Create. beginning of their career, is vital for the health of arts in this country. It encourages a flow of new talent into the creative industry and helps nurture the next generation of artists and cultural figures. We make this investment because you get out what you put in. We hope to implement this support by providing targeted advice to those that have not applied to our funds before.

Due to the sharp decline in footfall during the pandemic, some of the worst hit venues we fund were museums. We want to continue to build on the support provided to museums through the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund and have made it easier for museums to apply for project grants. More museums will be eligible to apply, including those that are non-Accredited. These alterations will encourage museums to apply for funding to unlock their collections.

In addition, libraries are still welcome to apply for activity that aligns with any of the four Universal Library Offers: Creativity and Culture, Reading, Information and Digital, Health and Wellbeing.

The Arts Council is looking forward to welcoming applications for funding for the relaunched National Lottery Project Grants, one of the first steps in bringing the Let’s Create strategy to life.