£30 Million Government Fund Open for VCSE Gambling Harms Prevention

The UK Government has opened a new £30 million funding programme inviting voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to submit Expressions of Interest to help prevent gambling-related harms in England. This is part of a wider public health initiative funded through a new statutory levy on gambling operators, which began in April 2025.

What Is the Fund About?
The VCSE Gambling Harms Prevention & Resilience Fund aims to strengthen the sector’s role in preventing gambling-related harm by supporting organisations to deliver effective programmes, build evidence and innovate. It represents a public health-led approach to prevention, backed by funding raised through the statutory levy on gambling operators — the first time this independent, sustainable funding mechanism has been used for this purpose. 

Overall, levy revenue is expected to raise over £100 million, which will be allocated to:

• Research (20%)
• Prevention (30%)
• Treatment and support (50%)

This fund focuses on the prevention workstream.

Funding Strands and What They Support

The programme will be delivered through three main strands:

• Core Prevention Delivery Fund
  Supporting direct prevention activities to reduce gambling harms in communities.

• Innovation & Evidence Fund
  Backing new, adapted or emerging approaches to prevention that help build an evidence base on “what works.”

• VCSE Resilience and Systems Capacity Fund
  Strengthening organisational capacity — for example, workforce development, partnerships, data systems and sustainable delivery. 

The fund can support a wide range of activities including awareness work, education, social action, campaigns, training, support for affected people and tools such as gambling blocking software.

Who Can Apply?

The fund is open to VCSE organisations working to prevent gambling-related harm in England. Applicants must:

• Be a registered third sector organisation
• Intend to deliver prevention activities under one or more specified categories
• Present a robust theory of change showing how activities will contribute to building an evidence-based prevention approach
• Demonstrate a commitment to achieving industry-free funding status through to 2030, as part of an ongoing shift away from industry contributions. 

As part of this commitment, organisations will be required to sign a Declaration of Interest provided by Government

Important Timelines

• Expression of Interest deadline: 9 January 2026 (12 noon)
• Full fund expected to open for applications: 12 January 2026
• Funding decisions and awards are anticipated to follow in early spring 2026, with payments expected from April 2026 onwards. 

This means there’s a short window now to submit an expression of interest if your organisation is planning to take part in this new funding opportunity

Why This Matters

For many years, voluntary and community organisations have delivered vital services addressing gambling harm on limited or short-term funding. This new fund — supported by statutory levy money — seeks not only to support existing prevention work, but also to scale effective programmes, trial new approaches and help the sector build lasting capacity to support people and communities. 

By placing prevention at the heart of the funding strategy, the Government aims to reduce harm before it escalates, build evidence on effective approaches and strengthen the resilience of the VCSE sector across England.

How to Find the Official Source and Apply

The official Expression of Interest and full details are available on the UK Government’s Find a Grant portal:

 Expression of Interest — Gambling Harms Prevention Levy Funding for the Voluntary Sector (GOV.UK) Find out more here