Big Lottery Fund announces £5.5 million partnership with Comic Relief

15th May 2017

The Big Lottery Fund has announced a new £5.5 million partnership with Comic Relief.

Using £5m from the Big Lottery Fund and £500,000 raised through public donations to Red Nose Day, the partnership will provide grants to projects working to improve the health of mothers, babies and children and the lives of people living in urban slums in Africa.

These grants will serve a real need in some of the world’s most disadvantaged communities. In Africa, on average one in nine children dies before their fifth birthday, mainly from easily preventable diseases. More than 280,000 women die each year of preventable or easily treatable pregnancy related complications. And today, about 330 million people live in slums and informal settlements throughout the continent.

“We are really pleased to be jointly supporting work that will make a massive difference to the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the world,” said Dawn Austwick, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund.

As well as bringing change to the lives of vulnerable people across some of the poorest communities in Africa, this new funding partnership between the Big Lottery Fund and Comic Relief aims to better understand the wider benefits collaboration can have on the sector.

“By working together we hope to increase learning about good grant making, and share these findings with the sector,” said Kevin Cahill, Chief Executive of Comic Relief.

“The ultimate aim is to ensure that funding gets to where it is most needed and is as effective as possible in making a true and lasting impact on people’s lives.”