Funding social development overview - Funding arts, culture and heritage

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The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) has played an invaluable developmental role in the area of arts and culture. It has also prevented the collapse of initiatives that are of high artistic merit but have insufficient commercial appeal to survive without assistance. Overall, the NLDTF has been part of the emergence of an increasingly diverse arts and culture environment that begins to express our mixture of origins and traditions.

Funding from the NLDTF is also allocated to various forms of national heritage - our natural heritage, historical heritage and buildings that reflect our heritage.

In the first decade the NLDTF has allocated more than R3 billion to arts, culture and national heritage organisations.

Under current regulations, 28% of the total pool of NLDTF funds must be allocated to non-profit entities in the Arts, Culture and National Heritage Sector. We welcome applications from organisations of all sizes, from national bodies to local clubs and schools that meet the funding requirements.

The first allocation from the NLDTF to this sector was made in 2001, when R48 million was shared by 139 beneficiaries. By 2010, total allocations to this sector amounted to R1 230 million and the number of beneficiaries was 188.

The Arts, Culture and National Heritage Distributing Agency is required to allocate at least 50% of the available funds to organisations involved in the following activities:

• Protecting and promoting traditional knowledge and cultural expressions.
• Promoting arts and crafts produced by groups of women and disabled people.
• Developing and preserving cultural heritage sites as a way to generate revenue and develop communities.

More generally, applications are welcome from organisations that help to:

• Enable people across the country enjoy a range of art activities.
• Make the arts accessible to more people.
• Improve art facilities so people may better enjoy participating in the arts.
• Provide arts facilities outside major cultural centres.
• Promote art forms that are not adequately supported.
• Preserve and promote awareness of culture and historical, natural or architectural heritage.

Allocations to beneficiaries in Arts, Culture and Heritage Sector

*The figures are for financial years which run from 1 April to 31 March of the following year. They have been listed under the calendar year in which the financial year ends. The allocation cycle starts with a call for applications which can be made in any month. In some years the allocation cycle starts early in the year and is completed at the point when the statistics are compiled. In other years the allocation cycle starts much later and is far from complete at year-end. It then continues into the next year and is counted into that year. This is a major factor in the large year-to-year variation in allocations and numbers of beneficiaries.