Millennium Commission announces final major grants
Howard Lake | 14 July 2003 | News
The Millennium Commission has today announced today its final tranche of major Lottery grants – 150 new grants totalling over £32 million to build on the success of existing Millennium Projects around the UK.
Grants in the final tranche include £10 million for a new Education Centre for the Eden Project, £145,000 for enhanced children’s play centres in Glasgow, and £1.5 million for a new Millennium Square for the City of Sheffield.
Commenting on the grants, the Rt Hon Tessa Jowell MP, Chair of the Millennium Commission and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, said that she hoped these grants would help demonstrate to the public the benefits that Lottery funding are still delivering in their communities. She used the grants to re-emphasise the Government’s commitment to a merger of the New Opportunities Fund and the Community Fund. She hoped that “the Commission’s work in supporting large projects will be taken forward by the new Lottery Distributor.”
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The Millennium Commission announced its first grants in 1995 and has since provided over £1.3 billion to 200 Millennium Projects across the UK. These have provided access to education, science, the arts and our environment, and many have won awards including some of the most prestigious tourism, building and architectural awards.
The Millennium Commission’s income from the Lottery ceased in August 2001 giving it a total lifetime budget of just over £2.3 billion. It will be wound up in 2006 when its residual duties will be handed over to the new Lottery Distributor.
The Millennium Commission has supported:
- over 100 Awards Schemes which distribute Millennium Awards to individuals for community based projects. Nearly 30,000 people have already received a Millennium Award and there are still Awards available. Further information is available on 0800 06801 2000.
- a UK-wide programme of community festivals which began on New Year’s Eve 1999 and culminated on New Year’s Eve 2000 with celebrations in 32 towns and cities across the UK
- The Millennium Encore Scheme which is enabling at least 50,000 young people across the UK to experience performing arts productions
- The Millennium Experience at Greenwich and the National Programme.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.