Viewers of Channel 4’s hit show The Secret Millionaire will now be able to play a part in helping local community groups secure much-needed funding through the Big Lottery Fund’s new Secret Millionaire Fund.

Big Lottery Fund and The Secret Millionaire have teamed up to give viewers of the programme a chance to act on the charitable inspiration fuelled by the show. Lottery funding worth £1 million has been lined up to give away in grants of between £500 and £5,000 from the Secret Millionaire Fund.

People can visit www.channel4.com/secretmillionaire to find out if their community group is eligible to apply, or they can even nominate a local good cause who could benefit from the funding. Groups can then download a straightforward application form and apply to BIG’s Secret Millionaire Fund.

Successful applicants may then be selected for filming by Channel 4 and appear on the website or TV programme. Visitors to the website can also showcase their favourite local cause on an interactive map of the UK and get involved by donating time or money.  

The website was produced by RDF Digital in conjunction with Collective London. RDF Digital Cross Platform Director Garret Keogh said: “We wanted to build on the success of the RDF TV show and the goodwill that viewers feel at the end of each episode of Secret Millionaire. We’ve revisited all of the projects in the show and highlighted where people can get involved by donating time or money. Now with the launch of the Secret Millionaire Fund, the spirit of the TV show continues on the web.“

The Secret Millionaire Fund will support projects that give people better chances in life, build stronger communities, improve rural and urban environments or promote healthier and more active people and communities.

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “The Secret Millionaire Fund is offering local groups opportunities to get their hands on funding for local projects that can have a big impact on peoples’ lives. These small grants can make a substantial difference to the vital work of local groups and charities, such as the ones that have been helped on the Channel 4 show.”

Adam Gee, New Media Commissioner at Channel 4 said: ”The new Secret Millionaire website aims to reflect the spirit of our massively popular TV series – the focus is on bringing attention to the wonderful work of local community groups, the attention they totally deserve but often don’t get. Working with the Big Lottery Fund to also help bring them the funding they need, but again often don’t get, is an ideal public service partnership.”

Further Information

Big Lottery Fund Press Office – Oswyn Hughes: 02920 678 207
Out of hours contact: 07760171431
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659

Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Channel 4: Jenny Cummins 020 7306 8181
Jcummins@Channel4.co.uk
RDF Digital, part of the RDF Media Group: Rachel Davidson 020 7013 4259
Rachel.Davidson@rdfmedia.com

Notes to Editors:

• In Wales, the Big Lottery Fund is rolling out close to £1 million a week in Lottery good cause money, which together with other Lottery distributors means that across Wales most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest of the National Lottery good cause distributors, has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK since its inception in June 2004. It was established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £22 billion has now been raised and more than 300,500 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
• www.channel4.com/secretmillionaire is a cross-platform commission ordered by New Media Commissioner Adam Gee and produced by RDF Digital, Part of the RDF Media Group.