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National Lottery

Lottery balls
28p of every £1 spent on the Lottery goes to good causes. Five organizations in Wales distribute the money with strategic direction from the Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage.

Over £1 billion has been raised for good causes in Wales since the first National Lottery draw on 19 November 1994.

28p of every £1 spent on the Lottery goes to the five good causes of:

  • arts and film; 
  • charitable expenditure; 
  • health, education and the environment; 
  • heritage; and  
  • sport.

Distribution of Lottery funding in Wales has not been devolved to the Welsh Government. However, the Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage can influence the strategic direction of the Lottery distributors in Wales. He does this by issuing policy directions. These detail outcomes and priorities that should be delivered in Wales, but do not determine which projects receive funding.

National Lottery Distributors

There are five main organisations in Wales that distribute funds from the National Lottery. Each one has its own programme and funding priorities. The distributors are:

  • The Big Lottery Fund; 
  • The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF); 
  • The Arts Council of Wales (ACW); 
  • Sport Wales; and  
  • National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA).

The Welsh Government is currently reviewing Lottery Distributors' policy directions. Directions have been issued to the Big Lottery Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

More information

You can also access information on by visiting the pages on the right or by visiting the Lottery Good Causes website. 

Visit: Lottery Good Causes website (external link)