Small charities are the heartbeat of communities, tackling social challenges and transforming lives with limited resources. Our inaugural, Small Charity Week match funding campaign will help to build the resilience, skills and profile of the small charity sector whilst helping them raise vital, unrestricted funding to further their impact.
How does it work?
Small Charity Week utilises our ‘1:1’ model of match funding. Small charities apply to Big Give and their application is assessed by Big Give and our partner, Global’s Make Some Noise. Successful charities are awarded a sum of match funding which is ring-fenced for their organisation. This match funding is unlocked by public donations given through Big Give’s online fundraising platform during the week of the campaign.
Global’s Make Some Noise, the official charity of Global, the Media and Entertainment Group, funds vital life-changing projects across the UK, delivered by small, local charities, with the aim of making sure that nobody is left facing life’s toughest challenges alone. They work with some of the UK’s best-loved radio stations, raising awareness of key issues affecting UK communities and supporting small charities with their longer-term sustainability through Learning and Development.
NCVO is the membership community for charities, voluntary organisations and community groups in England. NCVO coordinates Small Charity Week, a campaign to empower the UK’s small charities to have an even greater impact on society, and to address the challenges they face.
Our 2025 results
Charity Eligibility Criteria
- UK-registered charities with the Charity Commission, OSCR or NI Charity Commission number. Charities with tax-exempt status will not be eligible. (Find out more about tax-exempt status).
- Have an annual income of at least £5,000 and a maximum income of £1m (as per at least one year’s filed accounts or one year’s recorded income with the Charity Commission, OSCR or NI Charity Commission).
- Charities that are working to support people and communities.
- By “people and communities” we mean charities working to provide shelter and safety, supporting physical and/or mental health, developing life skills, reducing isolation and/or improving inclusion.
- For this year’s Small Charity Week campaign, there will be two streams of funding:
- a) UK (funding managed by Global’s Make Some Noise). Charities in receipt of funding from Global’s Make Some Noise, after June 2025, are not eligible to apply for the campaign.
- b) International (funding managed by Big Give Trust). We will prioritise funding for charities working in countries in the lowest quartile of the United Nations’ Human Development Index (Positions 145 to 193). Charities working internationally must comply with the relevant regulator’s guidance on protecting charities from harm. More info is available in this support article (opens in a new tab).
- Charities seeking to raise at least £500 and up to £10,000 in public donations (to be doubled by match funds provided by our Champion partners).
- Charities are limited to apply for Champion funds, which are a maximum of 10% of their annual income.
- Funds may be applied for in relation to specific projects or core costs. In the latter case, the impact and legacy of the charity’s work as a whole should be included. Capital projects will not be funded.
Charity Application Process
- Log in or sign up
- Once you have access to our charity portal, head to ‘Big Give Campaigns’
- Click on ‘Apply now’ for Small Charity Week
2026 Campaign Timeline
- 5th January 2026: Applications open
- 11th February 2026 (5pm): Applications close
- 6th May 2026: Offer deadline
- 22nd – 29th June 2026 (Starts midday and ends at 5pm): Campaign
Campaign Stage Breakdown
Stage 0: The Raise
Big Give and Global’s Make Some Noise start to secure match-funding commitments from champions.
Stage 1: Initial application
Big Give, NCVO and Global’s Make Some Noise markets the opportunity to charities. The application involves charities completing information on their proposed use of funds.
Stage 2: Vetting and Notification
Big Give and Global’s Make Some Noise completes due diligence checks on all applications. A panel of experts review and assign Champion funding to charity campaigns. The total amount of Champion funding allocated to a charity makes up their match funding pot for the campaign.
Stage 3: Marketing
Big Give, Global’s Make Some Noise and NCVO provide a free suite of resources to help support charities to maximise the opportunity and market the campaign.
Stage 4: Campaign
All donations are doubled until the Champion match funds have been used. Any donations raised over the overall target count as extra, unmatched, unrestricted donations to a charity’s campaign. Charities that don’t reach their target still receive any match funds up to the value of online donations received.
Stage 5: Post-Campaign
Learning and impact assessments are sent out, along with Champion reports and charity reporting requirements.
Get Campaign-ready with our Webinars
Whether you’re new to Big Give or just need a refresher, our webinars are designed to guide you through the application process and show you how to make the most of our match funding campaigns. From key dates to top tips, we cover everything you need to feel confident and campaign-ready.
We also run live sessions throughout the year – so check back here for upcoming webinars you can join, or explore more on our YouTube channel.
Ready to get started today? Join our community of like-minded changemakers
People’s Postcode Lottery was created to raise vital funding for local, national and international charities. Millions of people across Britain play the Postcode Lottery every month and winning postcodes are announced every day. More than £1.4 billion has been raised for good causes since 2005.
£500,000 in funding for Small Charity Week has been raised by Postcode Lottery players and awarded through the following Postcode Trusts: People’s Postcode Trust, Postcode Neighbourhood Trust, Postcode Society Trust, Postcode Places Trust and Postcode Local Trust.
For interested funders
Champion Sign-up Process
- Get in touch with Big Give. We’ll send you a Champion commitment form, and once completed, Big Give and our campaign partners will establish the portfolio of Charities, taking into account your preferences.
Partners of Big Give, who we call Champions.
A Champion can include high-net-worth individuals, foundations, philanthropists, trusts, statutory bodies, companies and more.
The public will be told if matching funds are available or not when they donate. When donating, match funds are reserved for 30 minutes to complete the donation. All donations are matched in real-time, and donors can see how much match funding has been allocated to their donation.
We recognise that exclusions to the Small Charity Week match funding campaign will mean Community Interest Companies (CICs) are unable to apply. As part of our due diligence process, we rely on data from the Charity Commission to review and verify charitable organisations. Unfortunately, we do not currently have a process in place for CICs, as this would require alternative methods for assessing accounts, governance structures, and eligibility. We fully recognise the important work CICs do and are committed to exploring ways to include them in future campaigns.
Funds received during the campaign are restricted to the activity outlined in the application until the charity has hit their target. If a charity receives additional online donations after hitting its target, these funds may be unrestricted. Charities may use the campaign to raise unrestricted funds as long as it meets the eligibility requirements.
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