The Big Lottery Fund is the largest Lottery distributor.
It is responsible for giving out half the money raised by the National Lottery for good causes: 14 pence of every pound spent on a Lottery ticket. Its mission is to bring real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need. BIG’s remit covers health, education, environment and charitable purposes.

BIG was formed in 2004, when the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund were merged. It will distribute £2.3 billion between 2006 and 2009. BIG has undertaken to give 60-70% of its funding to voluntary and community groups. BIG is committed to spending at least one third of its funding through lightly prescribed programmes that focus on local community needs, and these include: Reaching Communities; Awards for All; Community Buildings; Advice Services; and the People’s Millions. As of December 2007, BIG operates 24 programmes open for applications, and will begin consultation on the next range of programmes in late 2007/early 2008.

Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts. Between 2005 and 2008 it is investing GBP1.7 billion of public funds from government and the National Lottery. It believes that the arts have the power to transform lives and communities, and to create opportunities for people throughout the country. It funds activities that benefit people in England or that help artists and arts organisations from England to carry out their work.

The Scottish Arts Council is the lead body for the funding, development and advocacy of the arts in Scotland, distributing both National Lottery and Scottish Executive funding.

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland is the lead development agency for the arts in Northern Ireland. It is the main support for artists and arts organisations throughout the region, offering a broad range of funding opportunities through our Treasury and National Lottery funds.

The Arts Council of Wales is an Assembly sponsored Public Body and a registered charity. It is also a distributor of National Lottery funding, with a vision of a dynamic and creative arts sector for Wales. It aims to create the climate and conditions that motivate and develop the artistic talents of the nation and that produce a diverse range of artistic experiences that stimulate, provoke and inspire audiences at home and abroad.

Awards for All is a programme for small local groups in the UK and combines funds from each of the lottery distributors. Awards for All fund projects that bring people together to take part in and enjoy a wide range of community activities. It funds projects that help to improve people’s lives, encourage more people to get involved in their local community or boost skills and creativity. Projects are in the area of arts, sports, heritage, charitable or community activity. Grants range from GBP300 in England (GBP500 elsewhere) to GBP10,000.

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more about our diverse heritage. From museums and historic buildings to parks and nature reserves to celebrating traditions, customs and history, the HLF has awarded over £3.94 billion to projects that open up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy.

HLF helps groups and organisations of all sizes with projects that aim to conserve and enhance the UK's diverse heritage, encourage more people to be involved in their heritage and make sure that everyone can learn about, have access to and enjoy their heritage.

NESTA offers tailored support to enable individuals, groups and organisations to explore new ideas, develop new products and services, or experiment with new ways of nurturing creativity in science, technology and the arts for commercial and social benefit. NESTA's funding can range from GBP500 to GBP85,000 upwards, depending on the funding programme. Its funding supports early stage investment, innovation and creativity.

The UK Film Council is the lead agency for film in the UK ensuring that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are effectively represented at home and abroad. Its invest Government grant-in-aid and National Lottery money in film development and production; training; international development and export promotion; distribution and exhibition; and education. Our aim is to deliver lasting benefits to the industry and the public. The UK Film Council uses National Lottery money to develop new filmmakers, fund exciting British films such as ‘Touching the Void’ and ‘Vera Drake’, and give audiences the opportunity to see the best of world cinema.

Scottish Screen develops, encourages and promotes film, television and new media in Scotland. Funded by the Scottish Executive and through the National Lottery, our mission is to establish Scotland as a major screen production centre and project our culture to the world.

Sport England’s vision is to make England an active and successful sporting nation. Sport England funds projects that help people get involved in sport and physical activity. This includes refurbishing existing facilities or building new ones and developing programmes and initiatives that use sport and activity to support community cohesion, improve health and raise education levels. Decisions about funding are made locally by the nine regional sports boards. Eligible projects will be assessed against the priorities laid out in each region's sports plan and the National Framework for Sport.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have their own Sports Councils, distributing National Lottery funds for sport.

The Sports Council for Wales is the main adviser on sporting matters to the Welsh Assembly Government and are responsible for distributing funds from the National Lottery to sport in Wales. Sports Council for Wales’ main focus is to persuade people who take little or no exercise to become more active and to encourage people, young and old, to take part in a range of physical activities to improve their health and fitness. The Sports Council for Wales funds projects that develop grassroots sport and physical activity projects or help in the achievement of excellence.

sportscotland is the national agency dedicated to promoting sporting opportunities for all Scots at all levels, whatever their interest and ability. sportscotland's Lottery Fund distributes National Lottery money to sport in Scotland. The Fund backs a variety of initiatives from supporting Scotland's talented athletes to providing sports facilities. Programmes support local sporting communities and sport in Scotland as a whole. They do not replace existing funding for sport, but are designed to bring extra benefits.

Sports Council for Northern Ireland funds capital sports projects, Northern Ireland’s most talented sportspeople to perform successfully in international competitions and sporting events hosted in Northern Ireland.

UK Sport is the Government agency responsible for maximising British success in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, through investing in talented athletes. It targets Lottery funding at athletes capable of delivering medal-winning performances. UK Sport supports the UK’s top sportsmen and women, and those on the performance pathway, to train and compete against the best athletes in the world, by funding sports national governing bodies and direct to athletes through personal awards. It also distributes funds to sporting and other organisations to bid for and stage world class events in the UK.