What is the Heritage Lottery Fund?
In the United Kingdom the National Lottery is the most important organization running lottery games, and just like all its major counterparts from around the world it directs a part of the revenue towards funding good causes. These amounts represent a percentage of the money collected as a result of selling tickets, which explains why there are differences between the sums directly to charity each year. The Heritage Lottery Fund is one of the main beneficiaries and ever since 1994 when it was established, the organization spent around £375million every year to fund various projects.
Applying for Heritage Lottery Fund money
The idea behind the Heritage Lottery Fund is to support underfunded projects that would make a decisive contribution towards conserving and enhancing the heritage of modern life. Among the organizations that receive hefty contributions are museums, historic places and parks from all over the United Kingdom. A total of £5.5billion was spent over the course of almost 20 years with 35,000 projects being completed thanks to the financial support.
Distributing the money collected by the National Lottery for Good Causes is a serious job and that’s why there are several formalities to respect when applying for financing. As a non-departmental public body, the organization runs background checks and tries to fund those projects which are more likely to make a long-lasting difference for the people and heritage in the United Kingdom. The grants range from £3,000 to over £5million so regardless of the magnitude of the project, it is worth applying for Heritage Lottery Fund money. The organization has a website where those interested can send their applications.
Projects funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage projects are so diverse, that it is virtually impossible to list all those that might be eligible for funding as long as the application is well redacted. The Heritage Lottery Fund offers money to applicants from all over the UK and each year, museums, historic buildings, or wildlife sites are revitalized. Among the projects funded by the organization are those catering for the conserving of royal palaces but also the protection of endangered species.
The bottom line is that anything worth protecting in the United Kingdom, and any project that is aimed at conserving the environment could be eligible for Heritage Lottery Fund financial support. Plenty of World Heritage Sites were opened as a result of the organization lending a helping hand, and among those who apply for financing were many individuals. They have been here for almost 20 years and given the success of the National Lottery, it is only fair to assume that they are here to stay.
Check out the Lottery operators and charity as well.