The National Lottery Community Fund is trying to find new ways of describing what the Growing Great Ideas programme hopes to achieve and its guidance talks about developing “visionary initiatives that go beyond individual organisations, and instead focuses on ecologies, platforms, ecosystems, assemblages, networks and constellations. We expect these initiatives to be generating an infrastructure through which many things are possible”.

Grants starting at £150,000 are available for partnerships putting forward proposals (see list below for eligible lead organisations). There is no maximum amount. Grants can be for a minimum of 2 years and may be awarded for between 7 and 10 years in some instances. The level of grant awarded is likely to reflect the stage of development of the innovative idea presented.

o Who can apply: UK registered charities, Community Interest Companies (CICs), Charitable Incorporated Organisations (CIOs), not-for-profit Cooperative Societies, not-for-profit Companies Limited by Guarantee, not-for-profit social enterprises, and voluntary and community groups with a constitution and bank account. Statutory agencies such as town, parish council and local authorities may be part of a consortium application but should not be the lead organisation.

Further information, guidance and an online application form is available on the National Lottery Community Fund website. If the National Lottery is interested in taking a project proposal further, it will contact the applicant to discuss it in more detail.