The government began the first public consultation on what kind of arts, film, heritage, and sporting projects should receive Lottery funding.
Source: Press release 25 November 2005, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (020 7211 6200)
Links: DCMS press release
Date: 2005-Nov
A report by a committee of MPs criticized the level of unspent balances held by the National Lottery Fund, and called for a less cautious approach to distributing them.
Source: Managing National Lottery Distribution Fund Balances, First Report (Session 2005-06), HC 408, House of Commons Public Accounts Select Committee, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Report | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Oct
A paper discussed the nature of risk and what it meant for grant-makers. It looked at the inherent risks and tensions associated with grant-making, and considered both the benefits and hazards that arose from grant-makers taking risks.
Source: Diana Leat, Discussion Paper on Risk and Good Grant Making, Big Lottery Fund (020 7211 1800)
Links: Paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Sep
The National Lottery Bill was given a second reading. The Bill was designed to formalize the merger of the New Opportunities Fund, the Community Fund and the Millennium Commission into a single distributor ? the Big Lottery Fund. Companies would compete for a single National Lottery operating licence, under an improved system designed to deliver significantly greater competition to the licensing process.
Source: National Lottery Bill, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, TSO (0870 600 5522) | House of Commons Hansard, Debate 14 June 2005, columns 159-226, TSO
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Hansard | DCMS press release | NCVO press release | HOC Library research paper (pdf)
Date: 2005-Jun
A National Lottery Bill was published, designed to formalize the establishment of the Big Lottery Fund and make public involvement in the funding process possible.
Source: National Lottery Bill, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, TSO (0870 600 5522)
Links: Text of Bill | Explanatory notes | Big Lottery Fund press release | NCVO press release
Date: 2005-May
The Big Lottery Fund announced the first wave of funding for the period 2005 2009. It included programmes for voluntary and community sector infrastructure ( 155 million), children's play ( 155 million), environmental programmes ( 354 million), and 'wellbeing' programmes promoting healthier lifestyles ( 165 million).
Source: Press release 30 March 2005, Big Lottery Fund (020 7211 1800)
Links: BLF press release | Guardian report
Date: 2005-Mar
Following consultation, the Big Lottery Fund said that 'flexible, demand-led and customer-friendly' grant programmes would be at the heart of new programmes up to 2009. It would adopt a mixed portfolio approach to funding, with no less than one-third of its income distributed via demand-led, lightly-prescribed, accessible programmes, including an expanded 'Awards for All' scheme. It would introduce more flexibility in the length of funding, and adopt the principle of full cost recovery by allowing all legitimate overhead costs to be recovered by voluntary and community organizations. It also re-stated its undertaking that 60-70 per cent of all funding would go to voluntary and community organizations.
Source: Consultation: Phase 1 findings, Big Lottery Fund (020 7211 1800)
Links: Report (pdf) | Summary (pdf) | BLF press release | Home Office press release
Date: 2005-Jan