News – Lottery funding for the arts secured to 2019

The current division of Lottery funding between the arts and film (combined), sport, and heritage will remain in place for the ten years from 2009 to 2019. The Government announced last week that each area will continue to receive 16.6% of the good cause money raised by the Lottery, with the remaining 50% distributed by the Big Lottery Fund to projects supporting areas such as health, education and the environment. However, income to all Lottery distributors will be reduced; £410m will go towards the 2012 Olympic Games with a further £750m coming from new Olympics-related Lottery games.
The review of Lottery funding priorities was launched by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport last December. 11,000 people responded to a consultation paper, and although ministers have concluded that there is no need for change in the fundamental allocations, the public may soon get more say in where Lottery grants go. A pilot voting scheme, the Your Pound, Your Choice trial, is expected to run in August and will permit the public to tick boxes on voting slips at participating Lottery retailers to vote for which local projects should get Lottery money. Camelot and the Big Lottery Fund have identified two regions to pilot the scheme, and up to five projects in the two regions will compete for Lottery grants of up to £50,000. The Government has also issued a series of policy priorities which the Lottery distributing bodies, including the UKs Arts Councils and the Film Council, will need to take into account in making funding decisions. Increasing participation for those who dont engage with cultural and sporting activity heads the list, and inspiring young people, fostering community initiatives, supporting volunteers and encouraging new talent also feature.