WIREDGOV

The deadline for communities across the UK who want a chance to win a Big Lottery Fund grant of up to £50,000 is fast approaching. There is less than a month left to enter The People’s Millions TV competition with the aim of securing funds to help make a difference to the lives of people and communities.

Entries to the TV contest, which can award funding for anything from youth and environmental projects to schemes that improve employment prospects or help people in need, must be received by noon on 16 May 2014. Now in its ninth year, People’s Million’s run by the Big Lottery Fund and ITV, gives the public the chance to choose which local projects receive National Lottery good cause funding.

This year there are four awards of up to £50,000 on offer in each of the 19 ITV regional news areas across the UK, with the prize-fund amounting to a total of £3.8 million between 76 projects. 

Later in the year, shortlisted projects will be screened on local ITV regional news where viewers will be able to cast their vote for the projects they want to win the National Lottery good cause cash.

Peter Ainsworth, Chair of Big Lottery Fund said: “The People’s Millions has had such a positive impact on the lives of so many people across the UK. This year we are looking for ideas and projects which are new, inspired and have the ability to make lives better I urge anyone who has a great idea and wants to make a difference in their community to download a form today.”

Entry packs are available at www.peoplesmillions.org.uk and the deadline for completed entries is 12 noon on Friday 16 May 2014. Applications are welcome from voluntary and community groups, local authorities, schools, statutory health bodies and branches of organisations or partnerships.

To date the competition has awarded £31.3 million of National Lottery cash to 599 projects since it was launched in 2005.

The People’s Millions 2014 Diary Dates
• 12 noon 16 May 2014: Application deadline
• May - July: Big Lottery Fund checks applications and draws up shortlist and reserve list
• Late October 2014: Shortlist announcement
• 24 - 26 November 2014: Voting Week with finalists featured on TV for public vote

Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888    Out of Hours contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available at:www.biglotteryfund.org.uk

Notes to editors

ITV broadcast regions in The People’s Millions: ITV Anglia East; ITV Anglia West; ITV Central East; ITV Central West; ITV Granada; ITV London; ITV Meridian East; ITV Meridian West; ITV Tyne Tees; ITV Westcountry East; ITV Westcountry West, ITV Yorkshire North; ITV Yorkshire South; STV West; STV East; STV North; STV Borders ; UTV; and ITV Wales.

• The People’s Millions is a Big Lottery Fund initiative in partnership with ITV 
• Through The People’s Millions BIG will be making 76 awards of between £20,000 and £50,000 to new projects that will improve local places or the lives of people in the community.
• The People’s Millions has given the public the chance to vote on which local projects should receive National Lottery good-cause funding since its launch in 2005.
• New and existing voluntary or community organisations, schools, local authorities and health bodies are all eligible to apply. 
• Telephone voting numbers – as with previous years, ITV and the Big Lottery Fund will use a low cost telephone number. ITV and BIG do not make a profit from the voting telephone numbers.
• The Big Lottery Fund is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
• The Fund is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since its inception in 2004 it has awarded close to £6bn.
• In the year ending 31 March 2013, 28% of total National Lottery revenue was returned to the Good Causes. Since the National Lottery began in 1994, £31 billion has been raised and more than 400,000 grants awarded.