Have your say on National Lottery Good Causes

The government has launched a12-week call for evidence asking the public to help shape the future of National Lottery Good Cause funding.

The UK Government is launching a national consultation on the future of Good Causes funding.

Since 1994, the National Lottery has generated over £53 billion for good causes across the UK, funding elite and grassroots sport, cultural institutions and local community projects. We want to hear from the public on how this funding can better align with modern priorities, reach the areas that need it most and how we can reduce bureaucracy.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is consulting on the future of National Lottery good cause funding, which has generated more than £53bn for good causes across the UK since 1994. The review is examining where future investment can deliver the greatest impact and how funding can be made more accessible to communities nationwide. 

Latest figures for 2025 show the National Lottery generated more than £8 billion in ticket sales revenue, with at least £1.7bn allocated to good causes. This means that approximately 23p of every £1 spent on National Lottery tickets supports good causes, while a further 12p is paid in Lottery Duty to the Exchequer. 

Funding is distributed across four categories, with allocations set in legislation: 20% for Arts and Culture, supporting organisations including Arts Council England, the BFI, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales and Arts Council of Northern Ireland; 20% for Sport, distributed through UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales and Sport Northern Ireland; 20% for Heritage, via the UK-wide National Lottery Heritage Fund; and 40% for Community, covering charitable activities, health, education and the environment through the National Lottery Community Fund. 

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday 23 September. Creative UK is inviting members to share their experiences, perspectives and recommendations to help inform its response. The submission will highlight the critical role National Lottery good cause funding plays in supporting the UK's arts, cultural and creative sectors, while advocating for reforms that make future funding more accessible, effective and responsive to the sector's evolving needs.

The Government welcome views from individuals and organisations across the UK.

This is a wide ranging review and we are seeking views and information to help us best deliver on each of our objectives. Our findings will inform detailed policy proposals to be published in due course. 

The Government want to hear what people value in the current system, as well as those areas that we could improve on. This includes views on how good cause funding is distributed, what it is spent on and the experiences of individuals, organisations and communities in accessing or attempting to access funding. 

It is important to us that this includes the views of the organisations and communities in every part of the country, including those who have and have not benefitted from National Lottery funding. We are delivering a programme of targeted engagement with these groups alongside this call for evidence to achieve this. 

This is a UK-wide review focused on distribution of National Lottery good cause funding. As many of the Lottery distributing bodies are spread across the UK, we are committed to working with the devolved governments as part of this call for evidence and beyond.

How to respond

The call for evidence will run for 12 weeks, closing at midday on 23 September 2026. We are seeking a wide range of views from both organisations and individuals. To make the process as straightforward as possible, our response will automatically guide you to the relevant questions based on the capacity in which you are responding. 

Only people aged 16 and over can participate in this survey. By proceeding, you confirm that you meet this requirement.

This survey takes approximately 15 to 20 minutes to complete. You do not need to finish in one go; you can save your progress by closing the window and returning via the link later. Please note that incomplete responses will be automatically closed and recorded one week after your last entry, and all submissions must be finalised before the survey closes to be included in our results.

Responses to the call for evidence can be submitted in the following ways:

Online survey (preferred)

This is the simplest and easiest way to respond. If you begin the survey but do not formally submit it, your partial responses may still be saved and considered as part of our final analysis.

Begin your online survey response

By email or post (alternative methods)

If you wish to share any further information with us relating to the questions contained within the survey, you can do so:

• By email- please title your email: ‘National Lottery Good Causes - Fund What Matters To You’. Responses via this method should be sent to: lottery-good-causes@dcms.gov.uk
• By post- Please state the subject of your letter as: ‘National Lottery Good Causes - Fund What Matters To You’. If you decide to send a written hard copy response, this should be sent to: 

National Lottery Good Causes Team The Department for Culture Media and Sport 100 Parliament Street, London SW1A 2BQ