The Postcode Lottery has launched a £5million fund for charities to deliver their ‘dream’ goals after previously supporting groundbreaking Alzheimer’s research.
The 2026 Postcode Lottery ‘Dream Fund’ is now open for applications and offers the lump sum to a charity with ambitions for a project it has ‘long dreamed of delivering but never had the opportunity to bring to life’.
In 2023, the Alzheimer’s Society was backed by the £5million Dream Fund – which aimed to develop a simple blood test to diagnose the deadly disease.
The project is hoping to introduce the test to an NHS setting so Alzheimer’s disease can be detected at early stages.
The charity said this would give people a better chance of benefitting from support and treatments.
One in three people born today are expected to receive a dementia diagnosis in their lifetime.
In 2020, the Dream Fund gave more than £1.1million to help reintroduce wild European bison to the UK, allowing the species to return to Britain for the first time in 6,000 years.
Bison now freely roam the West Blean and Thornden Woods in Kent – where the animals play a crucial role in restoring natural woodland ecosystems.
Postcode Lottery Managing Director Clara Govier (right) and Head of Charities Laura Chow (left) with the Dream Fund cheque
Wild Bison now roam in Kent because of the £1.1million injection from the Dream Fund
Across the UK, 56 per cent of species are in decline, 165 are critically endangered and some have all but disappeared – underlining the importance of the fund.
This year’s fund was launched on Wednesday at the Eden Project in Cornwall.
The Postcode Lottery said that it welcomed proposals that demonstrated innovation, ambition and long-term impact.
It added that it wanted ideas that could benefit communities across Britain.
Dame Ellen MacArthur, Founder of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which has been the recipient of the Dream Fund three times, said: ‘Winning the Postcode Lottery Dream Fund has catalysed some of our most important work over the last 15 years.
‘Whether it was partnering with the world’s largest businesses to design out plastic pollution, redesigning denim jeans, or innovating towards a food system that works with nature rather than against it – the Dream Fund has made it possible to pursue ideas that feel too big, until they aren’t.
‘We can’t wait to see what the next Dream Fund winners make possible.’
Clara Govier, Managing Director at the Postcode Lottery, said: ‘Thanks to Postcode Lottery players, the £5million Dream Fund backs ambitious ideas that charities have long dreamed of delivering. At a time when the sector is under real pressure, we want organisations to come together, think bigger and develop solutions that could transform communities across Britain.
‘We’re excited to see the next generation of partnerships and the impact they could create.’
