North West Leicestershire Community Lottery

Sign up as a good cause on the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery website.

We're creating a community lottery that will put money towards good causes and community funding.

The North West Leicestershire Community Lottery will launch in summer 2024. Operating like any other lottery, customers will be able to buy tickets and be in with a chance of winning cash prizes.

The difference with this lottery is that customers will be able to select a good cause to support when they buy their lottery ticket.

From each £1 ticket, 60p will be given to a local ‘good causes’ – split between a local voluntary or community group for their projects and initiatives (40p), and NWLDC for a community grants programme (20p). 

Similar schemes are run in around 140 councils nationwide, including several in Leicestershire, with the aim of helping good causes raise money within their local community.

We're currently in the process of setting up our community lottery, getting the appropriate licenses from the Gambling Commission and encouraging community organisations to sign up to the scheme.

Join the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery as a good cause

Charities, voluntary groups and non-for-profit organisations can now join the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery.

There is no application fee to join the lottery as a good cause and 40p of each £1 ticket sale from North West Leicestershire Community Lotterywill go towards charities, voluntary organisations and other not-for-profit groups, with the remainder being put towards an NWLDC community fund, prizes, operating costs and VAT.  

Follow the link to the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery website.

Good cause session recording

If you're a good cause in North West Leicestershire but missed the presentation, you can re-watch it below: 

Frequently asked questions

Can we use the funds raised as match funding?

Yes absolutely, you are also able to download a report that can be shared with funders on the funds you have raised via the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery.  

How will the central fund (20p) be distributed? 

As agreed by Cabinet, the initial funds received by the Council from the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery will be used to cover the initial project set up costs incurred. These include website development, licences, the launch, marketing and promotions. Once these costs have been recovered, any further funds generated will be ring fenced and will be reinvested back into the voluntary and community sector.  How these funds will be allocated and/or distributed it yet to be determined.  

If businesses want to contribute a large amount (say £250) and you want them to pay for tickets, can this be done? 

Yes, would consider going down the syndicate route.  Any issues or questions the support team can help.

What is the criteria for applying?

Please see the terms and conditions good cause page here.

Are the ticket sales limited to people in the UK?

Yes 

Is there a minimum time commitment to sign up by or a notice period required if you wanted to leave as a Good Cause? 

You can join at any point, there is no length of time you have to stay on the website and no notice period to leave either.  

Who recruits the players / supporters?

The district council will be promoting the North West Leicestershire Community Lottery scheme as a whole but it is up to you as a 'good cause' to encourage players/supporters. 

Can you pick more than one good cause to support?

Yes but they would need to re-register as another supporter so that the additional good cause take their percentage of a separate £1 ticket. Gatherwell Ltd are looking into how this can be made easier for supporters to support more good causes and will notify groups of any changes.  

Is there ever an instance where a group has received no support and have sold no tickets?

Where ticket sales are low, it is down to the organisation to encourage supporters. However there is a project manager from Gatherwell that can help.  Tips from good causes can be shared.  The District Council also can support the organisations in ways to encourage more ticket sales.  

Can schools apply or do they need to use school lottery only? 

No, schools cannot apply but PTAs of schools/academics can. Please see the criteria here. 

What if you are an organisation outside of the district but support North West Leicestershire residents? 

Any funding raised via the NWL Community Lottery needs to benefit local residents only.  

Can you link from your website or promotional material so it goes automatically to our own Good Cause page and not to the wider list?

Yes through the material and the links you will receive for your page you can direct people/supporters directly to you page to purchase a ticket.  

What additional information is required in order to be approved as a good cause? 

Your organisation will need to provide: a constitution or formal set of rules appropriate to the legal status of the organisation,  an equalities policy or statement in place, a bank account in the name of the organisation, if working with children, young people and/or vulnerable adults then we will need a copy of a safeguarding policy. All information can be submitted to grants@nwleicestershire.gov.uk.