Below is a summarised message from Arts Council England:

We’re working hard to restore full service – here’s what you need to know.

We want to give you a clear update on what’s happening with our grants platform, Grantium, and how it affects applications for National Lottery Project Grants (NLPG).

We are still facing ongoing technical issues with Grantium. While we are able to continue making payments to all grant recipients, we’ve taken the difficult but necessary step of temporarily pausing applications to NLPG. We know how frustrating this is and are deeply sorry for the disruption.

Our aim is to reopen applications no later than mid-September. In the meantime, we’re building a bespoke digital application route to handle the high volume of NLPG submissions, and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way.

What’s happening now?

• Payments to all funded organisations and individuals are continuing.
• We’ve extended deadlines and provided alternative application routes for other programmes affected, such as:
  • Creative Foundations Fund
  • Libraries Development Framework
  • Libraries Improvement Fund
• A dedicated team is working on a fix for NLPG to ensure it returns stronger and more resilient.

What caused this?

On 23 July, Grantium stopped functioning during a planned update and a simultaneous spike in log-ins from applicants. We immediately launched an investigation.

• Independent analysts found no evidence of cybercrime.
• The issue is linked to Grantium’s infrastructure limitations under high traffic, especially during critical system updates.
• While we’ve stabilised payments and smaller programme applications, NLPG requires a more robust fix, which is currently underway.

A message from CEO Darren Henley:

“We know this pause to NLPG is deeply frustrating news for those planning to apply. I want to apologise most sincerely to everyone affected.

We’re focused on solutions and our top priority is getting NLPG back open. Long-term, we’re committed to transforming our application process to be simpler and more user-friendly.

We’re very sorry. Please be assured we have a plan and we’re committed to a resolution.”

Need more information?

We’ve put together a detailed Q&A to answer your most pressing questions, including:

• What’s happened with your application portal, Grantium?
• Was this a cyber security incident?
• I have a question that isn’t covered – how can I get in touch?