The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund distributes over £600m a year to communities across the UK, raised by players of The National Lottery.
Overview
Total reviews: 14
Median 38.5 hours
Latest Reviews
Nov 22, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2019
Follow their guidance which is clear and straight forward.
Before you commence writing the application, phone them and speak to an adviser. They will listen and provide appropriate pointers to assist any application. They are easy to contact as well which is a bonus these days.
The application form is not over prescriptive like some charities forms.
Pros
Insightful
Friendly
Builds relationships
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
I believe the NLCF are learning how to respond and actively create a dialogue with those of us working as part of small voluntary groups (with less than £5k in the bank).
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
More of its funding appears to be heading in the direction of small voluntary and community groups.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Listens attentively and acts on what it hears.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
I can't think of anything, currently.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Nov 7, 2019
applied in 2019
We applied for a new part of the fund's work - the Digital Fund. I would go to any public events, tune into any webinars, and read the online notes from the team that run the Digital Fund. This is all new to the National Lottery Community Fund, and you might pick up clues in those public and open thoughts from their team.
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Average
It's such a large organisation it's difficult for everyone to get one to one attention but for the Digital Fund it's small enough to be more accessible, and it should. Whilst I really love how the team leader writes up weekly notes and show how they're thinking through things, there needs to be more feedback for applicants before stage 2. Maybe they will work out how to do this, as otherwise it's hard to see how the decisions are made. For example, it would be great to know why the 1st round applications that were rejected, were rejected - without resorting to the idea that it's not possible to respond. The 1st round when we applied was a couple of pages and it wasn't clear. We even had to write in to explain that when we clicked next, it submitted the form, when we thought it was going to a new page where we could add more detail. It had no room to explain much about the way we'd found the problem, the way we'd worked with our service users to unpack it, the way we'd built a MVP and had evidence about the next stage. It would be better for the 1st stage to have room for all of this - they may get fewer applications but they'd have more to pick from.
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
Time will tell. The point of the Digital Fund is to "help the charity and voluntary sector to use digital tools and approaches to support people and communities to thrive." Digital takes time, it takes patience, it takes thought, it needs talent (that costs a lot), and it requires pragmatic timely funding. The total pot of £15m sounds like a lot but at the pace it's being deployed, it just isn't fast enough for it to work.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
They are committed to funding user-centred digital innovation. That is vital as not many other funders have caught up with this yet. Bravo and thank you for being a pioneer and trying this out.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
I would encourage you to hire people who have actually built, deployed, and scaled tech for good. It's crucial to working out who you could fund and who you shouldn't. Without that, I'm not entirely sure how decisions are being made...and I say that because I know of other charities, other than ourselves, who have working digital services that follow all the principles that the Fund stands for and yet none of us got through to the 2nd stage...which means the 'submit an idea' stage 1 became a subjective exercise - as I say, there was nothing on that form that could allow it to be anything other than subjective.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Bad
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Nov 5, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2017
Get in touch with your local funding officer ahead of application. We received excellent support from ours which made entire process easier & less daunting
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Culturally sensitive
Insightful
Friendly
Builds relationships
Likes site visits
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2017
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
Local funding officer was great help around entire application process & took time to get to know us as an organization & the project itself
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Very
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Local understanding and knowledge
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Keep it up. Glad to hear the Lanarkshire pilot has been rolled out nationally now
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Oct 25, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2019
Have a clear understanding of the vision of what you are wanting to achieve. Focus on the challenges your stakeholders face, the change you want to create and how you will try and achieve that change. Consider how you can be collaborative in your approach.
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Risk taker
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Listens to grantees and is flexible in it's approach
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Carry on being open to change & putting stakeholders (those people grantees support, not grantees themselves) at the heart of the way you work. Aim to be a leader in the grantmaking field, influencing other grant makers to adopt best practice and learn from each other.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Reply from The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital Fund
Mar 22, 2023
Great guidance and reflections thank you!
Oct 21, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2019
If you're applying for a fund that is run like their Digital Fund was, then it will be a positive experience. Be ready to be honest and open, and work together with them to create a really good proposal.
Pros
Gives more than money
Insightful
Friendly
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Responsive
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
On the digital fund, being open to the idea that plans may change, and in fact encouraging this.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Learn from the digital fund - they've got a lot of things right
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
If you believe the contents of this review are inappropriate please contact us via email.
Reply from The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital Fund
Mar 22, 2023
Thanks for this feedback, it is great to hear.
Nov 22, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2019
Follow their guidance which is clear and straight forward.
Before you commence writing the application, phone them and speak to an adviser. They will listen and provide appropriate pointers to assist any application. They are easy to contact as well which is a bonus these days.
The application form is not over prescriptive like some charities forms.
Pros
Insightful
Friendly
Builds relationships
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
I believe the NLCF are learning how to respond and actively create a dialogue with those of us working as part of small voluntary groups (with less than £5k in the bank).
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
More of its funding appears to be heading in the direction of small voluntary and community groups.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Listens attentively and acts on what it hears.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
I can't think of anything, currently.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Nov 7, 2019
applied in 2019
We applied for a new part of the fund's work - the Digital Fund. I would go to any public events, tune into any webinars, and read the online notes from the team that run the Digital Fund. This is all new to the National Lottery Community Fund, and you might pick up clues in those public and open thoughts from their team.
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Applied and not funded
If you were funded tell us the outcome
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Average
It's such a large organisation it's difficult for everyone to get one to one attention but for the Digital Fund it's small enough to be more accessible, and it should. Whilst I really love how the team leader writes up weekly notes and show how they're thinking through things, there needs to be more feedback for applicants before stage 2. Maybe they will work out how to do this, as otherwise it's hard to see how the decisions are made. For example, it would be great to know why the 1st round applications that were rejected, were rejected - without resorting to the idea that it's not possible to respond. The 1st round when we applied was a couple of pages and it wasn't clear. We even had to write in to explain that when we clicked next, it submitted the form, when we thought it was going to a new page where we could add more detail. It had no room to explain much about the way we'd found the problem, the way we'd worked with our service users to unpack it, the way we'd built a MVP and had evidence about the next stage. It would be better for the 1st stage to have room for all of this - they may get fewer applications but they'd have more to pick from.
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Average
Time will tell. The point of the Digital Fund is to "help the charity and voluntary sector to use digital tools and approaches to support people and communities to thrive." Digital takes time, it takes patience, it takes thought, it needs talent (that costs a lot), and it requires pragmatic timely funding. The total pot of £15m sounds like a lot but at the pace it's being deployed, it just isn't fast enough for it to work.
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
They are committed to funding user-centred digital innovation. That is vital as not many other funders have caught up with this yet. Bravo and thank you for being a pioneer and trying this out.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
I would encourage you to hire people who have actually built, deployed, and scaled tech for good. It's crucial to working out who you could fund and who you shouldn't. Without that, I'm not entirely sure how decisions are being made...and I say that because I know of other charities, other than ourselves, who have working digital services that follow all the principles that the Fund stands for and yet none of us got through to the 2nd stage...which means the 'submit an idea' stage 1 became a subjective exercise - as I say, there was nothing on that form that could allow it to be anything other than subjective.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Bad
Nov 5, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2017
Get in touch with your local funding officer ahead of application. We received excellent support from ours which made entire process easier & less daunting
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Culturally sensitive
Insightful
Friendly
Builds relationships
Likes site visits
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2017
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
Local funding officer was great help around entire application process & took time to get to know us as an organization & the project itself
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Very
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Local understanding and knowledge
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Keep it up. Glad to hear the Lanarkshire pilot has been rolled out nationally now
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Oct 25, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2019
Have a clear understanding of the vision of what you are wanting to achieve. Focus on the challenges your stakeholders face, the change you want to create and how you will try and achieve that change. Consider how you can be collaborative in your approach.
Pros
Positive leader in the field
Gives more than money
Risk taker
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Openminded
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
Listens to grantees and is flexible in it's approach
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Carry on being open to change & putting stakeholders (those people grantees support, not grantees themselves) at the heart of the way you work. Aim to be a leader in the grantmaking field, influencing other grant makers to adopt best practice and learn from each other.
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Reply from The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital Fund
Mar 22, 2023
Great guidance and reflections thank you!
Oct 21, 2019
Funded for amount requested - applied in 2019
If you're applying for a fund that is run like their Digital Fund was, then it will be a positive experience. Be ready to be honest and open, and work together with them to create a really good proposal.
Pros
Gives more than money
Insightful
Friendly
Builds relationships
Understands nonprofits and issues
Responsive
Cons
Pros
Cons
What is your relationship with the funder for this experience?
Current or former grantee
If you were funded tell us the outcome
Funded for amount requested
What year was this experience?
2019
How would you rate this funder's accessibility?
Excellent
How successfully do you think this funder is accomplishing its goals as a funder?
Excellent
Tell us one thing that this funder does really well
On the digital fund, being open to the idea that plans may change, and in fact encouraging this.
If you had one piece of advice to give to this funder (about grantmaking or anything else), what would it be?
Learn from the digital fund - they've got a lot of things right
How was your relationship overall with the funder?
Excellent
Reply from The National Lottery Community Fund - Digital Fund
Mar 22, 2023
Thanks for this feedback, it is great to hear.