Frequently Asked Questions

How much Lottery money goes to the good causes?

For every £1 spent on a National Lottery ticket 28p goes to good causes, 50p goes towards prizes, 12p goes to the Treasury in duty, 5p goes to Lottery retailers, and 5p to the game operator (0.5p of this is profit, the remainder covers operating costs).

Who distributes the good causes money?

28% of the money raised by the National Lottery goes to a range of good causes.  These include arts, heritage, sport, charities and community and voluntary groups as well as to projects concerned with health, education and the environment.

There are currently four independent distributing bodies responsible for Lottery money distribution in Northern Ireland.  These are the Sport Northern Ireland, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Big Lottery Fund.

These bodies make their grant decisions independently of Government and in response to applications for funding which they receive. They also make their decisions based on the published criteria of each of their different Lottery funding programmes.

How is the money split?

Currently Lottery funding is allocated to good causes in the following way:

•Health, Education, the Environment and Charities 50%

•Sports 16.67%

•Arts 16.67%

•Heritage 16.67%

What is 'Awards for All'?

Awards for All is a funding scheme supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, the various Arts Councils and Sports Councils and the Big Lottery Fund.  It supports small organisations looking for grants from £300 up to £10,000.  For more information visit the Awards for All web site.

How much has been given out in my area?

Details of grants awarded in your local area can be found on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport website.