Funding: The Big Lottery Fund Values Good Advice with £50 Million Advice Plus Initiative

Advice Plus, the latest BIG funding programme to be rolled out this year, recognises the importance of access to good advice services in helping people to avoid or overcome disadvantage and better their quality of life. Between 2006 and 2009, BIG will channel £50 million through the programme with the aim of creating expert, consistent and sustainable advice services that support a diverse range of people in England.

Advice Plus will focus on voluntary and community sector organisations that support people in accessing the services and benefits they may be entitled to, such as housing, education and health services, or welfare benefits. The programme will also strive to develop sustainable services by seeking to fund projects that link with or develop local, regional and national plans or partnerships.

Sir Clive Booth, Chair of the Big Lottery Fund, said: “Oscar Wilde was famously quoted as saying that the only thing to do with good advice is to pass it on. The pearl of wisdom that I want to pass on, is that for the many people who do not know where to go for advice, or how to get the support they need, BIG is here to help.”

“The Fund has set aside £50 million for individuals and groups who need better access to advice services so that they can get the information, guidance and support they need to improve their lives, wherever they live in England. Advice Plus will not only help people to understand their rights and responsibilities, but also help them to get the most out of the other public services in their area.”

The programme has been devised following extensive public consultation and discussions with the voluntary and community sector and is the first Big Lottery Fund programme to focus exclusively on projects that raise awareness of, increase access to, or improve existing advice services.

Under the Advice Plus programme, Big Lottery Fund is interested in projects that meet one or more of the following outcomes: people have better access to advice services so that they can get the help they need; people who need advice get improved services that help them surmount adverse circumstances; organisations that give advice and organisations that support them have more influence on relevant policy and practice; existing advice organisations get the support that helps them to work more effectively. .

Projects can apply for up to £500,000 in total for capital and revenue projects lasting up to five years. Full eligibility criteria and application packs are available to download from the Big Lottery Fund website from Thursday 29 June.

There will be three rounds of Advice Plus.  The deadline for the first round is noon on 30 October 2006. The deadline for the following two rounds will be October 2007 and October 2008.  

UK-wide, the Big Lottery Fund will distribute through its new programmes and allocations funding worth over £2.6bn between now and April 2009. Regularly updated information on the Big Lottery Fund’s new programmes is available on the Big Lottery's web site.