UK: Social enterprises benefits from the national lottery

Previously many social enterprises – such as cooperatives – were unable to access grants from the national lottery fund designed for community benefit because of their organisational structure. Only organisations whose legal structure was defined as ?charitable, philanthropic or benevolent? were eligible for funding, and this excluded most social enterprises because they are set up as businesses. The new Act places more emphasis on what the money will be used for rather than on the structure of the organisation receiving it. The activities-focused definition of ?charitable expenditure? in Clause 19 of the new Act gives the lottery much greater scope to fund the full range of social enterprises which deliver public benefit. The new National Lottery Act will receive Royal Assent ? the last step before it becomes law ? in July 2006 www.socialenterprise.org.uk