The National Lottery Community Fund has launched the Solidarity Fund to support charities and not-for-profit organisations in England that address the causes of inequality, including poverty, disadvantage, and discrimination.

Organisations can apply for grants ranging from £1 million to £5 million for projects lasting between 5 and 10 years.

To be eligible, organisations must be led by, and accountable to, people with lived experience of the issues you’re trying to change.

Funded activities include:

• Helping people build power in their communities, such as supporting local people to lead and take action on issues that matter to them.

• Bringing communities together to address inequality, for example, helping different groups build relationships and collaborate on shared challenges.

• Supporting communities to share knowledge and influence public conversations, including publishing ideas, leading research, or sharing stories to reshape the understanding of inequality.

In its first year, the Fund aims to support 10 organisations.

Eligible costs may include:

• Staff costs, including sessional workers

• Development work (e.g. staff training, governance, IT upgrades, and sharing learning)

• Transport

• Utilities and running costs

• Volunteer expenses

• Learning and evaluation

• Equipment

• Minor capital costs for land or building work (these should not form a significant portion of the funding request)

• Translation and interpretation costs for non-English speakers

There is no closing date; applications can be submitted at any time.