Impact so far
Since 1994, the National Lottery has raised over £38 billion to support good causes across the UK, transforming lives and communities and contributing to the arts, sports, heritage and communities. There are 12 National Lottery funders who independently decide which projects are awarded funding.
The British Film Institute (BFI) awards National Lottery funding to support film culture in the UK, backing bold and original storytellers, giving audiences across the UK the chance to see the world’s best films and nurturing the very best in UK filmmaking talent. The BFI Film Academy, funded in part by the National Lottery provides opportunities for young people aged 16-19 from all backgrounds, wherever they live in the UK to be part of, and shape our future film industry.
“The BFI Film Academy just let me as a young British Muslim woman come and take part and welcomed me” Mozalfa, participant at Reel solutions, Bradford
Sportscotland is the national sport agency for Scotland. They are responsible for developing sport in Scotland and work closely with partners to advance sport in schools, clubs and performance sports. Through Sportscotland and the UK National Lottery #RaiseASmile campaign a new judo hub for visually impaired young people to explore the inclusive sport of judo.
Sam Ingram, two-time Paralympic medallist and coach at the club, said: “Those who are visually impaired like myself can sometimes struggle to find a suitable sport but judo has so much to offer."
The judo hub will really benefit young people with visual impairment, help build their confidence and allow them to potentially discover a sport for life.”
“From the funding we’re able to create a new sporting opportunity and I can’t thank The National Lottery enough."
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) uses money raised by National Lottery players to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about. The projects funded by HLF vary from restoring natural landscapes to rescuing neglected buildings, from recording diverse community histories to providing life-changing training. Clive Henry was among a group of volunteers who brought the often hidden links between heritage sites and African slaves into sharp focus through the Slave Trade Legacies project.
The Nottingham taxi driver, who spends much of his spare time campaigning against racism and injustice, joined the Heritage Lottery Fund supported group while he was at his lowest ebb in life.
“The project gave me a new focus and helped me to heal by getting out and about and meeting people.” Clive Henry, Slave Trade Legacies project
Olympic Gold Medallist
“We are incredibly privileged to be UK Sport and National Lottery funded. It’s been our game changer. It really has. We are a 31-women team squad and we can train day in day out. We can look at the detail in our nutrition and in how we eat, drink and sleep. This is all because we’re full-time at Bisham Abbey. It’s seen our programme go from eighth, to third to winning a gold medal at Rio. It’s taken time, it’s been methodical and it’s been planned but we couldn’t have done it without National Lottery support.” Alex Danson MBE – England Hockey captain
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Last updated: 20 July 2023
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