The National Lottery Community Fund has urged charities to postpone applications to its £362m Reaching Communities grant programme until April, as it plans to launch a new version of the fund.

The grantmaker updated the funding criteria on its Reaching Communities grant page yesterday, recommending that charities “wait until 1 April 2025 to apply”.

The Reaching Communities programme distributes grants of £20,001 or more to charities in England for a period of up to five years. In 2023/24, the grantmaker awarded a total of £362m through this programme.

On the grantmaker’s website, it says the programme criteria and application form will be updated and that, from April, the NLCF’s Partnerships grant programme – which also offers grants of £20,001 or more over five years – will be combined into the Reaching Communities programme.

In 2023/24, the grantmaker awarded a total of £63.5m to charities through its Partnerships programme.

A spokesperson for the grantmaker said it would launch a new version of Reaching Communities programme on 1 April, which will “fully align to our community-led missions focus” – as outlined in the grantmaker’s strategy.

“We strongly recommend that any new applications are not made until this date,” the spokesperson said.

The NLCF’s website says that in the meantime, the grantmaker will begin prioritising projects that fit best with its new strategy.

It adds that the grantmaker expects continued high demand, meaning applicants have a lower chance of success.

Due to the heightened demand, initial decisions are likely to take about 16 weeks and the grantmaker will not be able to host a feedback call with most unsuccessful applicants, it says.

Unsuccessful applicants will be advised not to apply again for the same project, according to the website.

The NLCF spokesperson said: “Application volumes are very high and sadly we are only able to fund a small proportion of the often excellent project ideas we receive. 

“We would recommend that, before applying, groups consider whether their project aligns well with our current published criteria, as well as at least one of our community-led missions.”