Voluntary sector will receive at least 80 per cent of funds and an extra £45m for the recession

The Big Lottery Fund is providing an extra £45m to help charities through the recession and has pledged to give at least 80 per cent of its funds to voluntary and community groups rather than the current 60 to 70 per cent.

The news came in its announcement today of its funding strategy for the for the next six years. The strategy follows its Big Thinking consultation, which asked stakeholders and the public how its budget for new funding programmes should be spent.

The extra £45m, which will be distributed in the current financial year, includes an extra £20m for the Reaching Communities scheme in England, £7m for its Basis programme, which works to increase capacity in the sector, £5m for its Awards for All, which gives grants of between £300 and £10,000 to grassroots groups, and between £1m and £3m each for programmes in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The new BLF strategy says future funding will be focused on projects that reduce isolation, empower communities and help people through "key transitions" such as redundancy and bereavement. It says the fund "will be unashamedly assertive in taking risks to address unpopular or challenging issues that have been neglected by other funders".