Grant News

The National Lottery Community Fund is launching a new “You Decide" grant scheme.  Prior to rolling out the national programme, a total of £2 million is available for the development of this scheme.  The development phase will involve working with 5 partners to work with and support local communities in designing and implementing effective ways of involving them in decision-making about grant allocations.

The development phase will run from spring 2025 to spring 2026 and partners can apply for grants of up to £80,000 to cover their costs.  The remaining £1.6 million will be distributed amongst the 5 partners for onward granting to communities.

Potential partner organisation must:

• show that involving communities is one of your main purposes or activities
• have experience of involving communities in making decisions about grants or what to support in their communities
• have experience of giving out grants to communities
• be committed to equity.

Partners’ roles will include:

• collaborating with the National Lottery Community Fund and other partners
• bringing together a mix of people and community organisations. Particularly those from communities who experience poverty, disadvantage and discrimination
• building community empowerment through the process. And involving communities in a way that builds their skills, resources and ability to work together
• sharing their experience of community decision making. And using it to develop and test different processes to involve communities in our decision making
• testing ways to involve communities in decision making
• giving out funding to communities.

The deadline for potential partner organisations to submit an expression is midday on the 5^th February 2025.

You Decide is one of 3 partnership approaches we opened in January 2025. The others are:

• Community Power
• Grant Holder Support.