The Big Lottery Fund has substantially invested in infrastructure organizations in the past through programs like BASIS and Transforming Local Infrastructure. However, there is a "postcode lottery" with substantial local variations and divergent views on the value of infrastructure. Going forward, the Big Lottery Fund will not provide large, multi-year grants to infrastructure organizations directly but will instead focus on providing expert support like online resources, diagnostic assessments, and facilitating peer-to-peer learning between local support providers.

1. Infrastructure: the Big Lottery
Fund’s perspective
Dan Paskins, Senior Policy and
Learning Manager, Big Lottery Fund

2. The story so far...
• Substantial investment in the past through
BASIS
• Co-ordinated with and additional to
government
• Transforming Local Infrastructure
• Building Capabilities for Impact and
Legacy discussion paper
• Lots of ways in which infrastructure
supports BIG

3. Initial reflections from
Building Capabilities
• NOT a comprehensive analysis
• “Postcode lottery” – substantial local
variations
• Divergent views about the value of
infrastructure
• Small ‘below the radar’ + new groups
• Lots of innovation
• Key role of local government

4. Things which BIG won’t do
in future
• Important areas which we can’t fund –
influencing local authorities; support for
delivering public services
• Large, multi year grants to infrastructure
organisations
• Funding mapping exercises, toolkits...

5. Assist
• Expert support for local and specialist
support providers
• More peer to peer support to share
learning
• Online ‘support menu’
• Diagnostic assessments
• Bulk of funding ‘demand-led’

6. Questions for the discussion
a) Important to demonstrate your impact to
frontline voluntary organisations (do they
understand the value of infrastructure?)
b) If there was one thing BIG could do to
help your organisation, what would it be?
c) If there were no infrastructure
organisations in your area, what would
be different for BIG?