Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the National Lottery on the potential merits of uplifting lottery grants that fund improvements to (a) churches and (b) historic buildings.

National Lottery funding for churches and historic buildings is primarily given via the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). NLHF’s decision-making on grant funding is independent from DCMS.

The Department is working closely with funders in the sector to ensure that opportunities for funding places of worship throughout the UK are maximised. The NLHF already offers grants for places of worship across all the UK and is currently investing £100m over 3 years through National Lottery Heritage Grants and a strategic initiative designed to provide targeted support to build capacity.

On 1 July the UK Government launched a major call for evidence on lottery good causes funding, seeking views from people, organisations and communities across the country on future funding. This is currently live on GOV.UK and will close on 23 September 2026.