The UK government has launched a review of National Lottery Good Cause funding. It is asking the public for their views on where this money should go and how it should be spent. This is the first time in more than 20 years that the public has been asked to have a say. The National Lottery’s operator Allwyn has ambitions to double Good Cause funding to £60 million a week by 2034 – so this fund is set to grow.¹
What Does this Mean For the Arts in NI?
Money raised for good causes through The National Lottery supports hundreds of artists and arts organisations every year. Since it launched in 1994, more than £217 million of National Lottery money has been invested in 9,680 rural and urban arts projects by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland. And thanks to National Lottery support there is now an arts building within 20 miles of everyone living in Northern Ireland.²
This review is an opportunity to share your experience and perspective on how National Lottery funding is distributed, how communities can influence funding decisions, and how funding processes can be improved. It’s important that the experiences of communities here in Northern Ireland are represented.
By law, the National Lottery Good Causes fund is currently split across 4 categories;
• 20% – Arts and Culture (Distributed by ACE, BFI, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, and Arts Council of Northern Ireland)
• 20% – Sport (Distributed by UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales, Sport Northern Ireland)
• 20% – Heritage (Distributed by NL Heritage Fund – UK wide)
• 40% – Community: charitable activities, health, education and the environment. (Distributed by TNL Communities Fund – UK wide)
How this money is split is a part of what’s up for review. National lottery funding accounts for over 40% of Arts Council Northern Ireland’s total Annual Funding Programme investment. Of the £13.97m invested in 2025, £8.15m was via exchequer funding from the Department for Communities allocation, and £5.82m was from National Lottery sources.³
How You Can Help
The consultation closes at midday on Wednesday 23 September. You can help by:
• Submitting a response to the Call for Evidence as an individual or on behalf of your organisation.
• Share on social media
• Ask your supporters, board and stakeholders to take part and share their views.
Some Pointers For Your Response
The online survey will take you around 15 minutes, and you can save your progress as you go. It’s important to share your own views and experiences, give specific examples and make the Northern Ireland context visible. We’ve put together a few pointers to help, the questions can be broadly summarised as below.
• Your knowledge of the difference National Lottery good cause funding makes and which projects have made the greatest impact
Share the difference funding has made to your organisation or the impact you have seen in your community or sector thanks to arts funded projects. Where possible, explain what the funding enabled that would not otherwise have happened and tangible outcomes such as, new projects, skills, facilities, cultural activity, community connections, or increased access etc.
• Your views on the current distribution of Good Causes funding
The review asks for your thoughts on the current distribution of funding and whether this should change. Arts & Business NI’s organisational response will ask to retain at least the 20% statutory allocation for the arts.
• Your views on community access to funding and decision making
On questions surrounding decisions on how to spend the money, we will be emphasising the need for equitable access to funding and funding for both large scale national level and small scale community-level projects. A healthy arts ecosystem needs both.
• Your experience of the application process and making this more accessible
Comment honestly about your experience of the application process or barriers to accessing funding. Processes can vary between different funding distributors. In Northern Ireland, these include the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Community Fund and Sport NI. When highlighting what could be improved, it is therefore helpful to include specific examples and, where relevant, identify the distributor you are referring too.
In our response Arts & Business NI will be advocating for simpler and more accessible application processes, that do not disadvantage smaller arts organisations with fewer resources or less capacity for bid writing.
Have your Say
Don’t miss your opportunity to have your say. The consultation closes at midday on Wednesday 23 September and you can submit your views here
Sources referenced
1: Open call for evidence. National Lottery Good Causes: Fund what matters to you. Updated 19 August 2026 > https://www.gov.uk/government/calls-for-evidence/national-lottery-good-causes-fund-what-matters-to-you/national-lottery-good-causes-fund-what-matters-to-you
2: The National Lottery: transforming the cultural landscape in Northern Ireland.12th November, 2025 > https://artscouncil-ni.org/news/the-national-lottery-transforming-the-cultural-landscape-in-northern-ireland
3: Arts Council announces Annual Funding Programme awards for 2025-26. 4th June, 2025 > https://artscouncil-ni.org/news/arts-council-announces-annual-funding-programme-awards-for-2025-26
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