National Lottery Community Fund names 60 English neighborhoods to share £175 million Community Wealth Fund

The National Lottery Community Fund has named the 60 neighborhoods in England that will share its £175 million Community Wealth Fund, in a release dated November 3, 2026. When we reported on its separate Community Power Fund last month, the funder had said only that the list would come in November. It has now also published the method behind the choice, which shows how far it traded strict ranking of need for a spread across the country.

How the money divides

The fund's program page puts each area's share at £2.55 million over 10 years. Of that, £1.5 million is for the community to spend, and £1.05 million goes to one lead organization for its support work and running costs. The Dormant Assets Scheme and the funder each supply £87.5 million.

Sixty shares come to £153 million, by our arithmetic, which leaves £22 million of the total. The funder's method summary mentions capacity-building support alongside each share, but the pages we read do not itemize that sum. When the government set out the design in September 2025, it spoke of £1 million to £2.5 million per community. By our reading, the £1.5 million residents control sits inside that range, and the full £2.55 million sits just above it.

Real community power means local people having the authority, resources and time to shape the decisions that affect their lives

How 60 places were chosen

The funder's method summary starts with the Index of Multiple Deprivation and the Community Needs Index. Together they mark 197 small statistical areas in England as "double disadvantaged," a test devised by Local Trust. The full report says England has 6,856 such areas. A longlist of 107 went to regional and England-wide panels, and the funder's England Committee made the final decision.

Need did not settle everything. Each region's share came from a formula weighted 80% to need and 20% to population. Neighborhoods already due the second phase of Pride in Place, a separate government program offering up to £20 million per place, were left out because the funder feared overloading local groups. That left some regions short, so the longlist had to look beyond the 197. The funder reports that 55 of the final 60 meet the test.

Forty of the 60 ranked highest among eligible areas in their region. Panels chose the other 20 after weighing wider evidence on equity, variety and local context. Setting aside two in London, the funder says, the other 18 still ranked between 77th and 229th of the 6,856.

The report calls London the clearest case for the population weighting, saying the measures may not fully capture need there. The panels' choices also widened the list: picking strictly by score would have covered 35 local authorities, and the final 60 cover 44.

Who can bid, and when

The funder will back one non-profit in each area, and registered charities, charitable incorporated organizations, not-for-profit companies, community interest companies and community benefit societies can apply if their income has averaged at least £200,000 a year over the last three years. The funder will consider partnerships where no single group qualifies. Groups working in or based in an area, with strong local ties, get first priority. The successful group runs the money and helps residents choose decision makers, but the funder says the community decides how to invest it.

The area list sets round one for January 13 to February 24, 2027, covering 24 areas. Round two, with 21, opens in September 2027, and round three, with 15, in January 2028. Each later window lasts six weeks. The funder notes that its boundaries differ from those of wards and councils.