Charities Board - exploding the myths

Since the National Lottery Charities Board was set up in 1995, a certain amount of misinformation has been circulated about the board. Here we examine some of those myths and give the real facts.

You can also listen to Paul Hensby, Director of Communications, and Robert Blow, Press Officer, talking about the myths by clicking the audio link beside each myth. Real Player is required for this facility.

	Myth: Camelot is responsible for distributing the money to the good causes....
	Fact: Camelot runs the lottery. The National Lottery Charities Board distributes 4.7 pence out of every pound spent on the lottery to charities and voluntary groups helping the disadvantaged and improving the quality of life.
	Myth: The Charities Board gave �78 million to the Royal opera House and �12 million for the purchase of the Churchill papers.
	Fact: These were grants awarded by other lottery distribution bodies. The largest Charities Board grant was for �1.4 million to Youth Clubs UK. The average grant awarded by the Charities Board is around �50,000.
	Myth: The Charities Board doesn't give money to medical research.
	Fact: The Charities Board has awarded over �16 million to medical research projects.
	Myth: The Charities Board only gives money to politically correct causes and ignores more popular, mainstream charities.
	Fact: All applications are judged on merit. Most household name charities have received grants from the Charities Board, and so have smaller groups helping homosexuals, asylum seekers, rent boys, prostitutes and those from minority ethnic communities. Deserving, yes. Politically correct, no.
	Myth: The Charities Board turned down St Dunstan. s - the charity for blind ex-servicemen and -women - because we won't support veterans. organisations.
	Fact: Not true. We have given a substantial number of grants to veterans. charities. St Dunstan's was turned down because it had �44 million in its bank account. The Charities Board does not make rich charities richer.
	Myth: Charities Board grants are a replacement for Government funding.
	Fact: A project which proposes to use a Charities Board grant to replace funding from central or local government or from the National Health service will not be funded by the Board.
	Myth: The Charities Board gave �300,000 to Peruvian Indians to breed fatter guinea pigs.
	Fact: The �300,000 was awarded to encourage farmers in the Andes to use traditional agricultural methods to improve yields and protect the environment. Only �2,000 went to building a pen where guinea pigs, a traditional source of food in the Andes, are bred.
	Myth: The Charities Board awarded a grant to install central heating and showers for pigs on a city farm.
	Fact: The grant allowed greater access for disabled children to see the animals in this city farm on the outskirts of Sheffield. Some of the money was used to improve the pig pens, including heating and washing.
	Myth: Only registered charities will be given grants by the Charities Board.
	Fact: As long as groups can prove they are set up for charitable purposes, they are eligible to apply. So far, 30 per cent of groups awarded grants by the Board were not registered as charities.
	Myth: The Board will only give a grant if the applicant can contribute some of the money.
	Fact: No, the Board gives 100 per cent of the cost of the project.
	Myth: The Board has not given out much money - a lot of it is sitting in its bank account.
	Fact: The Board has awarded over �1.4 billion. It has given grants to the limit of its budget. Some grants are over two or three year projects, and the money is paid out over the life of the project.
	Myth: The Board is sitting on lots of funds and will give a grant to most applicants.
	Fact: Each grant giving committee has to turn down good applications because it has reached the limit of its budget.
	Myth: The Board will not pay for salaries.
	Fact: No, the Board pays for salaries - revenue grants - as well as for buildings and equipment - capital grants.
	Myth: The application form is very complicated and needs professional advisers to complete it.
	Myth: The Board discourages groups from using external advisers to fill in the form. We ensure it is as simple as possible, although it has to provide the information to ensure that correct decisions are made and enable us to monitor where our money has been allocated.
	Myth: It is impossible for small community groups to get small amounts of money.
	Fact: There is a small grants programme, called Awards for All in England and Scotland, which gives grants from �500 to �5000 to community groups with an annual income of less than �15,000. It has a shorter application form. The similar Small grants scheme operates in Wales and Northern Ireland.