BIG Reaching Communities

Reaching Communities has proven to be a very popular and highly competitive programme. Competition for funds is very high, and difficult decisions have to be made, often resulting in very good projects not being funded. Any new applicant should note the high levels of interest in this programme and consider whether your project is not better suited to another Big Lottery Fund programme. Additionally, you should check the programme update section on the website to view the latest news and current success rates for applicants to Reaching Communities.

The three-year programme will make up to £100 million available in 2007-08. Reaching Communities will give grants of more than £10,000 and up to £500,000, including a maximum of £50,000 for capital grants. We have set a maximum overall project size of £750,000 and £200,000 for the total capital element within a project. We will fund projects for up to five years.

You can apply to Reaching Communities if you are:

- a registered charity
- a voluntary or community group
- a statutory body, (including schools)
- a charitable or not-for-profit company
- a social enterprise - a business that is chiefly run for social objectives, whose profits are reinvested in the business rather than going to shareholders and owners.

The Big Lottery Fund (BIG) announced in autumn 2009 that due to the difficulties experienced by projects and communities during the current economic downturn, that it has decided to relax the eligibility criteria for Reaching Communities to enable these projects to apply for funding. The Reaching Communities programme will now accept applications for projects that were previously eligible for other BIG programmes. This will include amongst others:

· Projects that provide family learning activities
· Children’s play activities such as after school clubs or one o’ clock clubs
· The refurbishment of community buildings
· Community services taking place within libraries
· Projects that have young people as their primary beneficiaries; etc.

Organisations that can apply for Reaching Communities funding include not for profit organisations, statutory bodies, including schools and social enterprises. The total budget available for 2009 – 10 is £80 millions and grants can range from £10,000 and £500,000 for projects lasting up to 5 years.

Applications can be made at any time till at least to the end of March 2010 after which BIG is planning to launch a range of new programmes.

If you have any queries about this programme, please contact the BIG Advice Line on 0845 4 10 20 30 where you can also obtain an application pack and guidance notes or visit http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_reaching_communities

The BIG Advice Line will be able to answer any questions you want to ask prior to submitting an Outline Proposal form. Please note that the OPF team will only be able to help you once you have submitted an Outline Proposal form.