- The government is launching a 12-week call for evidence asking the public to help shape the future of National Lottery Good Cause funding
- Since 1994, players of the National Lottery have generated over £53 billion for good causes across the UK, funding everything from Olympic and Paralympic champions and iconic institutions to local youth clubs and community halls
- For 12 weeks, anyone can take part in the ‘National Lottery Good Causes Fund What Matters to You’ call for evidence. You can share your views at GOV.UK
The government is launching a comprehensive review of National Lottery Good Cause funding, asking the public to have their say on where the money should go and how it should be spent – the first opportunity in more than twenty years.
Since the very first draw in 1994, the National Lottery has generated over £53 billion for good causes, powering Team GB and ParalympicsGB to hundreds of Olympic and Paralympic medals, saving national treasures like the Flying Scotsman, funding iconic British films like Billy Elliot, helping create beloved institutions like the Lowry in Salford, and restoring heritage sites like Beamish Museum.
Across the UK, it has supported youth clubs, funded community halls, backed local choirs and grassroots sports teams, maintained the parks and green spaces where neighbourhoods come together, and supported the small voluntary organisations that provide friendship, purpose, and belonging to people who might otherwise have none.
Nearly a quarter of every pound spent on a lottery ticket goes to causes like these, but its funding model is rooted in a different era. There has been no major review of how it works since former Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell’s in 2002-2003.
With the National Lottery’s operator Allwyn committed to an ambition to double Good Cause funding to £60 million a week by the end of the Fourth Licence in 2034, the government believes now is the right moment for the public to have more of a say in where their contribution is spent, so every pound reaches the communities that need it most. A 12 week call for evidence launches today.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said
The National Lottery is played by millions of people every single week. It is not just public money, it is literally the public’s money and they must be in the driving seat of how it is spent.
But for two decades no government has asked people how they want their money to be spent. Decisions are made hundreds of miles from communities who know best and favour larger organisations who can meet the needs of the system, rather than bending the system to work for the small, grassroots organisations who are the lifeblood of our communities.
This Government is determined that will change. With this consultation we are bringing people back into the conversation. They will write the next chapter in the story of the National Lottery and of our country.
Andria Vidler, Chief Executive of Allwyn UK, operator of The National Lottery, said
People don’t just play The National Lottery for the chance to win, they play knowing that it supports a vast number of charities and good causes up and down the country, funding the things that people really care about.
At Allwyn, we want everyone to know the difference that our players make to their communities every time they play. It’s about reigniting the conversation around The National Lottery with positivity, with energy, and with pride, reminding everyone that every ticket is a chance to do some good as well as a chance to win.
The review will explore where future investment can have the greatest impact and how funding can become more accessible to communities across the UK.
Lottery funded projects have been made possible because of the crucial work undertaken by the 12 National Lottery Distributor Bodies that deliver for their sectors across Arts, Heritage, Sport, and Communities, and the Government is committed to working closely with them throughout this review.
The latest figures from 2025 show that the National Lottery generated over £8 billion in total revenue from ticket sales, of which good cause funding equated to at least £1.7 billion. Therefore approximately 23p in each pound raised from National Lottery ticket sales goes to good causes and 12p goes on Lottery Duty for the exchequer.
This amount is then distributed across four causes and to each national lottery distributor, based on the following percentages that are set out in legislation
- 20% – Arts and Culture (ACE, BFI, Creative Scotland, Arts Council of Wales, and Arts Council of Northern Ireland)
- 20% – Sport (UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Scotland, Sport Wales, Sport Northern Ireland)
- 20% – Heritage (NLHF – UK wide)
- 40% – Community charitable activities, health, education and the environment. (TNLCF – UK wide)
Once the distributors receive their statutory allocation of funding, they are responsible for distributing this across the UK, on both a national and local level. These distributors operate at arms length from the government. As operator of the National Lottery, Allwyn UK has no part in grant making and is independent from Government.
Baroness Twycross, Minister for Museums, Heritage and Gambling, said
When people buy a National Lottery ticket, they are also contributing to good causes up and down the country. This call for evidence is a genuine chance to shape where the money this generosity raises goes and make sure it reflects what players and communities want and need.
Visiting the De La Warr Pavilion in Hastings recently, I saw exactly what National Lottery funding can do for arts and culture and for the communities that depend on them. Places like this don’t just preserve our heritage; they bring people together.
After 30 years, now is the right time to ask you how we make sure your community is funded properly from the National Lottery.
The 12-week call for evidence is open to players, organisations, and communities across the UK. The government wants to hear what is working, what could be improved, where future funding should go, and how to make it easier to access, including how to make sure the National Lottery genuinely reaches those communities most in need and gives local people a greater say in how funding is used where they live.
Notes to Editors
- The Call for Evidence runs for 12 weeks from Wednesday 1 July and is open to members of the public, organisations, and National Lottery Distributors.
- The National Lottery has 12 Distributor Bodies operating across arts, heritage, sport, and communities.
- On average, 23p of every £1 spent on a National Lottery Ticket goes to National Lottery Good Causes funding
- Allwyn the current lottery operator has committed to an ambition to double good cause income by the end of the Fourth Licence in 2034, from £30m to £60m a week
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To respond, visit GOV.UK.
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The National Lottery (TNL) has raised
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£38bn of funding for nearly 480,000 Good Cause projects in England.
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£4.3bn of funding for over 83,000 Good Cause projects in Scotland.
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£2.6bn of funding for over 77,300 Good Cause projects in Wales.
- £1.6bn of funding for over 34,000 Good Cause projects in Northern Ireland (NI).