The First Minister, Alex Salmond has announced that the Big Lottery Fund in Scotland will launch a ‘2014 Communities’ fund to create a lasting community legacy from Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games.

The announcement came as the First Minister highlighted the importance of civil society in an address to 1,200 delegates at the CIVICUS World Assembly in Glasgow on Wednesday 18 June.

The First Minister welcomed the Big Lottery Fund’s ‘2014 Communities’ fund which he said will present new opportunities and possibilities for people across the country. He stated that the benefits of the Games would go far beyond the sporting legacy and that people and communities across Scotland should have the every opportunity to participate and benefit from the event.

Following the announcement, Big Lottery Fund Scotland Chair Alison Magee, said: “We believe that Glasgow's 2014 Commonwealth Games has enormous potential to have a positive effect on communities across Scotland, rather than just a televised sporting event. The Big Lottery Fund's aim is to make sure that this specific funding programme supports people and communities to participate in this landmark event, whether that be through taking part in sport, volunteering, learning new skills or by arranging celebratory events marking Scotland's place in the Commonwealth.

"We especially welcome the opportunity to support the Scottish Government and all their partners in creating a lasting legacy from the Games and so look forward to hearing the views of all our stakeholders in Scotland about how we seize this great opportunity for our country."

The Big Lottery Fund is keen for people and communities to have their say in where Lottery money could go in support of Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth Games. On 19th June BIG hosted a discussion at The Gathering* giving everyone involved in the voluntary and community sector, community enterprise and grassroots sport the opportunity to express their views.

Those who were unable to attend the event will still be able to take part in the discussion online by logging onto www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/2014 from Friday 20 June.

The ‘2014 Communities’ fund will be a flexible and responsive fund through which the Big Lottery Fund will invest an initial £500,000 between 2008 and 2009.  

Further information

Contact Landa Rolland at the Big Lottery Fund Scotland Press Office on 0141 242 1458 or 07789 033 457
Public Enquiries Line: 08454 102 030
Textphone:  0845 6021 659
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at www.biglotteryfund.org.uk.

Notes to Editors

• The Big Lottery Fund rolls out close to £2 million in Lottery good cause money every 24 hours which together with other Lottery distributors means that across the UK most people are within a few miles of a Lottery-funded project.
• The Big Lottery Fund, 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.
• On 1 December 2006 the Big Lottery Fund was officially established by Parliament and at the same time assumed the residual responsibilities of the dissolved National Lottery Charities Board (Community Fund) the New Opportunities Fund, and the Millennium Commission. The Fund is building on the experience and best practice of the merged bodies to simplify funding in those areas where they overlap and to ensure Lottery funding provides the best possible value for money.
• Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to Good Causes. As a result, over £19.5 billion has now been raised and more than 250,000 grants given out across the arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.

SCOTLAND

The Scotland Committee, led by Chair, Alison Magee, has been making Big Lottery Fund decisions on Scottish projects since March 2007. As well as taking devolved decisions on Lottery spending, the Committee has and will continue to play a strategic role in the future direction of BIG in Scotland.

The Big Lottery Fund has £257 million to invest in Scotland’s communities before 2009 as follows:  

£202 million for Investing in Communities
£25 million for the Young People’s Fund
£30 million for Awards for All

* The Gathering is Scotland’s largest voluntary and community sector event.