Reaching Communities

Reaching Communities is sponsored by National Lottery Community Fund. The Reaching Communities programme supports communities to thrive by funding projects that build strong relationships, improve community spaces, and help more people reach their potential. During the ongoing pandemic, it prioritises supporting communities most adversely impacted.

Reaching Communities England | The National Lottery Community Fund Reaching Communities England With this funding, we want to help strengthen communities and improve lives across England. Our funding is available to all communities. But our priority is the places, people and communities that need it most.

When we say ‘community’, we mean people who live in the same area. Or people with similar interests or life experiences, even if they do not live in the same area. You can apply for £20,001 or more, for projects lasting up to 5 years.

We fund a range of projects and organisations varying in size and amount.

For example, we gave: £55,000 over 5 years to a single organisation to deliver health and wellbeing support in their community, including advice on benefits and debt and dementia prevention services £500,000 over 2 years to a partnership project focusing on early intervention for children and young people facing multiple disadvantages, including youth homelessness, substance misuse, and limited local resources £1 million over 4 years to an organisation to organise, co-design and run programmes with deprived communities that meet their needs and priorities Asking for a larger amount Most projects receive funding under £500,000.

In 2025, the average we gave was £319, 000 over 3 years. However, we can and are keen to award up to £20 million to large organisations with ambitious projects. If you want to ask for over £500,000, get in touch with us .

Our priorities are to fund projects that: support places, people or communities experiencing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination support people and communities to shape the decisions that affect their lives Your project must help achieve one of these missions.

Which are to support communities to: come together through inclusive places, spaces and activities (either physical or virtual), especially for communities where people are least able to come together help children and young people thrive by developing positive social and emotional skills tackle health inequalities by addressing the conditions in which people live, work and grow be environmentally sustainable by engaging with climate issues, having a positive environmental impact, and improving access to quality natural spaces