Department for Culture Media and Sport
national lottery
The proceeds of the National Lottery support the arts, heritage, sport, charities and community and voluntary groups as well as supporting projects concerned with health, education and the environment.
Our role
DCMS is responsible for National Lottery policy, including legislation and sets the policy and financial framework within which the distributing bodies for National Lottery grants operate.
The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issues policy and financial directions to the English and UK wide Lottery distributing bodies.
The Lottery distributing bodies in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland have their policy directions issued to them by the Welsh Assembly, the Scottish Parliament, and the Northern Ireland Assembly respectively.
We also sponsor the National Lottery Commission, which regulates the National Lottery game and the game operator.
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National lottery funding
We do not give out Lottery money. It is distributed by 14 independent National Lottery distributing bodies. To apply for a Lottery grant visit the Lottery Funding website or telephone the Lottery Funding Hotline on 0845 275 0000 to get advice on which distribution body to contact.
You can access details of Lottery grants awarded to arts, sport, heritage, health, education and the environment projects using the National Lottery Grants Search Database. Details of the Lottery grants given to support the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games can be found on the Olympic Lottery Distributor page.
Information about what types of organisations have benefited from Lottery funding, and about the work of the National Lottery Promotions Unit, is available through the National Lottery Good Causes website.
National Lottery Act 2006
The National Lottery Act 2006 makes the Lottery more responsive to people's priorities and makes sure that Lottery money goes efficiently to good causes.
If you have a question about the National Lottery, please email us at: lottery@culture.gsi.gov.uk
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