Applications open for £5 million Postcode Lottery Dream Fund 2026
Howard Lake | 30 March 2026 | News
The People’s Postcode Lottery has opened applications for its 2026 Dream Fund, offering a single £5 million award to help bring an ambitious, collaborative project to life.
Announcing the launch at Anthropy UK, Clara Govier, Managing Director (Chair) of People’s Postcode Lottery, described the fund as a catalyst for “game-changing ideas” capable of transforming communities across Britain.
Now in its 15th year, the Dream Fund continues its tradition of supporting large-scale, cross-sector collaborations that push beyond what individual charities or organisations can achieve alone. Since it began, the fund has backed wide-ranging projects — from reintroducing wild bison to restore natural woodland ecosystems to improving early diagnosis of dementia through innovative blood tests.
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Govier highlighted that these initiatives demonstrate what is possible when partners think beyond conventional boundaries. She said:
“Some ideas feel ‘too big’ until they aren’t. That’s why the Dream Fund exists — to give organisations the freedom to think bigger, partner more creatively, and take forward ideas that might otherwise sit on the shelf.”
The 2026 Dream Fund invites partnerships led by registered charities and involving at least two organisations, with projects designed to create long-term social or environmental impact. One project will receive the full £5 million award to deliver its vision over multiple years.
The call for entries follows a panel discussion at Anthropy UK featuring Dame Ellen MacArthur and Kate Lee, both previous Dream Fund recipients, alongside Govier and chaired by Iain Anderson FRSA. Together, they reflected on how the Dream Fund’s backing has propelled pioneering collaborations from concept to reality.
The Dream Fund forms part of the Postcode Lottery’s broader commitment to community transformation through its network of funded charities. Its structure encourages organisations to collaborate across sectors, from conservation and health research to education and social inclusion, to tackle pressing challenges at scale.
Applications for the 2026 Dream Fund are now open.
Interested organisations are encouraged to submit “bold, innovative ideas with potential for lasting impact and genuine collaboration”.
WATCH: Dreams Can Come True
- £3 million 2019 Dream Fund opens for applications (2 September 2019)
- People’s Postcode Lottery offers £1 million Dream Fund (2 September 2014)
- People’s Postcode Lottery launches £3 million Postcode Recovery Fund (1 October 2020)
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.