Pretoria - Social welfare organisations have been invited to submit applications for Lotto funding in the charities sector before 25 March 2011.
The National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (NLDTF) said the mandate for the current members of the Distributing Agency for Charities expires in 2011, and the members are committed to adjudicating as many applications as possible during their tenure.
"Of the three sectors that receive funding from the proceeds of the National Lottery, the Charities Sector receives the largest share (45 percent), Arts, Culture and National Heritage receives 28 percent and Sports and Recreation receives 22 percent," said Chairperson of the National Lotteries Board, Professor Alfred Nevhutanda.
In considering and adjudicating applications, the Charities Distributing Agency will focus on three areas:
* Expansion of home based care services in rural, underprivileged and poor communities, which assist those who are vulnerable or sick
* Provision of educational facilities that enhance literacy through early childhood and adult literacy programmes and vocational training
* Social welfare and development
Nevhutanda pointed out that these priority areas are in line with the directions proclaimed by Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies, in July 2010, which emphasise that funding from the National Lottery must be used in responding to South Africa's developmental needs.
"The Distributing Agency and all of us at the NLDTF wish to see that more welfare and non-profit organisations apply for funding and that they comply with the application guidelines so that we increase the number of beneficiaries that receive funding through this call.
"Each year, a significant number of applications are rejected because they are submitted incomplete or later than the set deadline. We urge potential applicants to try to get their applications to us as early as possible so that the Distributing Agency can start to review and adjudicate them timeously," Nevhutanda said.
Application forms and guidelines for applicants can be obtained from the website (www.nlb.org.za/application.asp), through the post or from the NLB Information Centre in Hatfield, Pretoria. The telephone number for inquiries is 08600 65383.
