Aims/Priorities: The new £50 million Change Makers Partnership programme is provided and administered by the National Lottery Community Fund (NLCF) as part of its investment in community leadership.
The NLCF is looking to work with up to 12 partner organisations over the next five years to:
- Change the way community leaders are supported to succeed in England
- Develop and build strong support systems that meet community leaders' needs
- Ensure community leaders have what they need to develop, to feel supported, reach their full potential and to thrive in their communities.
- The funding is for work that:
- Enables community leaders to shape the future of their communities.
- Involves community leaders across communities and organisations - including those from under-represented groups and those with lived experience.
- Helps community leaders make an impact on wider systems (known as systems change).
- Shares what they learn with the sector and other projects funded by NLCF.
- For the purposes of this fund, communities can be communities of:
- Place - like people living in the same area.
- Interest - like people connected by a shared identity, experience or issue.
- Solidarity - like people coming together across different issues or communities to support each other and take collective action.
- Community leaders are those who 'mobilises people, ideas or resources to create positive change for their community. They often do this using their first-hand experience of a social issue'.
- They are grassroots leaders, rather than formally appointed leaders of institutions. They are also known as change makers, informal leaders, hidden leaders, activists, organisers, and leaders with lived experiences.
Who can apply: Applications can be made by either a single organisation or a partnership. Organisations applying as a partnership must have worked together already.
To be eligible, applicants must already have:
- Experience supporting community leaders.
- Experience working with places, people, and communities facing poverty, disadvantage or discrimination.
- Established relationships with organisations working at a local level.
And either as a single organisation or in their partnership, applicants must:
- Operate in at least two regions of England, such as, North West England, North East England and Yorkshire and the Humber.
- Have a combined gross annual income of more than £1 million.
- Be one of the following types of organisations that can apply:
- Constituted voluntary or community organisations
- Constituted groups or clubs.
- Registered charities.
- Charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs).
- Not-for-profit companies.
- Community Interest Companies (CICs).
- Statutory or public body.
- Community benefit societies.
- Co-operatives.
- Colleges or universities.
Grant amount: Grants of between £1 million and £5 million are available, with up to 12 awards expected across England. Most supported projects are expected to run for five years, although in exceptional cases three or four-year projects may be backed.
Application process: Full details, including an online presentation, can be found on the NLCF website.
Applications are accepted from 8 July 2026 to 5 August 2026 (noon).
The full application process takes around 10 months.
There are two stages:
- First stage: a decisions is given within about four months of receiving the application.
- Second stage: if the application goes further, it may take up to six months to gather more information and make a final decision.
Contact the National Lottery Community Fund for further information.
Deadline: 5 August 2026 (noon).
Contact info: general.enquiries@tnlcommunityfund.org.uk
Website: Change makers funding | The National Lottery Community Fund