Individuals could get lottery funding

2011-06-21 22:39

Johannesburg - Making it easier for small organisations and even individuals to apply for National Lottery funding were some of the resolutions passed at a conference in Midrand on Tuesday.

Other resolutions adopted at the National Lotteries Development Trust Fund (NLDTF) indaba included setting different criteria for smaller organisations that sought funding and developing of a code of conduct for the fund.

National Lotteries Board (NLB) chairperson Professor Alfred Nevhutanda said further investigation was needed on how individuals could access funding.

Currently only organisations could apply but the resolution envisages, for example, an impoverished but talented person obtaining funding to develop their talent, be it in sport or art.

Board spokesperson Shershan Naidoo said funding of grandmothers looking after orphaned children was another consideration behind the resolution.

"The NLDTF will never be the same again. The people have spoken," Nevhutanda said.

The indaba follows a series of provincial workshops.

Nevhutanda said work would begin on the resolutions, which would then possibly be a part of the national lotteries amendment bill expected to be passed later this year.

CEO of the NLB Vevek Ram, which administers the fund, said on Monday that between April 1 2000 and March 31 this year, total revenue for the lottery was R15.9bn.

Of this, some R11bn had been paid out to beneficiaries.

- SAPA