The Childhood Trust aims to alleviate the impact of poverty on children in London. Through the annual Champions for Children campaign, The Childhood Trust supports charities working to ensure that every child can experience a healthy, happy, and safe childhood that prepares them well for life.
How does it work?
Champions for Children utilises our Pledge Model of match funding. This model allows supporters of participating charities to have their donations doubled with match funds provided by the charity’s own supporters (pledgers) and The Childhood Trust.
To take part, a charity must secure a portion of their match funding pot from their pledgers. Successful charities are awarded a sum of match funding from The Childhood Trust, which is ring-fenced for their organisation. This combined match funding pot is unlocked by public donations given through Big Give’s online fundraising platform during the week of the campaign.
Our 2026 results
Charity Eligibility Criteria
- UK-registered charity with a 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 £25,000 (as per last filed accounts with the Charity Commission), and no more than £10m in income from donations and legacies.
- Charities working with children and young people living in poverty in London (18 and under).
- Deliver projects/initiatives that measurably alleviate the impact of poverty on children in London, and align with The Childhood Trust’s grant-making policy.
- Deliver projects that fall under one of The Childhood Trust’s four impact areas – Physical Health, Mental Wellbeing, Safe Home & Community Environment, and Learning & Work Readiness.
- Charities seeking to raise:
- At least £5000 and up to £100,000 in public donations through the pledge model (to be doubled by match funds provided by The Childhood Trust and the charity’s own pledge funders).
- 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.
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 Champions for Children by The Childhood Trust
2027 Campaign Timeline
- 16th November 2026: Applications open
- 22nd January 2027 (5pm): Applications close
- 12th March 2027: Pledge deadline
- 7th April 2027: Offer deadline
- 1st – 15th June 2027 (midday): Campaign
Campaign Stage Breakdown
Stage 0: The Raise
The Childhood Trust confirm their match funding commitment with Big Give.
Stage 1: Initial application
Big Give markets the opportunity to charities. The application involves charities completing information on their proposed use of funds and setting their overall fundraising target for the campaign.
For example, a charity setting a target of £8,000 would need to secure £2,000 in pledges (25% of the total) from their own supporters. If eligible, The Childhood Trust would then award up to £2,000 in Champion funds, creating a £4,000 combined match funding pot. The charity would seek to raise the equivalent amount in public donations during the campaign week.
Stage 2: Pledge Collection
After submitting their application, charities automatically progress to the next stage – securing pledgers to support their campaign. The deal is whatever a charity raises in pledges, they can receive up to the same amount from The Childhood Trust. This combined total makes up a charities’ match funding pot.
Stage 3: Vetting and Notification
After the application deadline, The Childhood Trust will contact applicants to complete a due diligence process. Applying charities will be considered on the basis of how well their application aligns with The Childhood Trust’s impact strategy, robustness of organisational practices, as well as pledges being successfully secured. Successful applicants will be made an offer of funding by The Childhood Trust. The combined amount of pledges and Champion funds make up the charities’ match funding pot.
Stage 4: Marketing
The Childhood Trust provides a suite of resources and an in-person workshop to support charities with maximising the opportunity.
Stage 5: Campaign
All donations to participating charities are doubled. Pledge funds are used to match online donations first. When these are exhausted, the Champion funds are used to match online donations. Charities that don’t reach their target still receive any match funds up to the value of online donations received.
Stage 6: Post – Campaign
Funds are disbursed to participating charities. Charities need to secure payment of pledges. All funds from the campaign must be spent within 12 months of the campaign and in accordance with the plan outlined in the charity’s application. Charities are required to report on the impact of these funds after the 12 month delivery period. Guidance on reporting requirements will be shared with charities after the campaign ends.
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.
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The Childhood Trust is London’s child poverty charity, dedicated to alleviating the impact of poverty on children and young people living in the capital. Find out more about their work.
For interested funders
Champion Sign-up Process
- Get in touch with Big Give. We’ll send you a Champion commitment form, and once completed, we’ll help you curate your portfolio of charities.
Funders, who we call Champions, and Pledgers.
A Champion can include high-net-worth individuals, foundations, philanthropists, trusts, statutory bodies, companies and more. (The Childhood Trust is one of Big Give’s Champions and matches all donations for this campaign).
A Pledger can be anyone in the charity’s network. This may include a trustee, foundation, trust, company, volunteer, high-net-worth individual and others.
We know that you understand the needs of the children and young people in your community and what is needed to combat the longer-term impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the funds raised throughout this campaign can be allocated to core or project costs and must be spent within 12 months of receiving them. See The Childhood Trust’s Grant-Making Policy for more information about some exceptions. Charities participating in the Champions for Children campaign are required to complete our reporting at 12 months post-campaign.
Funding is for costs that will be incurred within 12 months of the campaign. With this in mind, The Childhood Trust expects its funds to be spent by June 2025.
Match funding incentivises donors to support your charity, and having strong relationships with your donor base will help you to be successful throughout the campaign.
- Step 1: Identify overall campaign target: this will be broken down into 3 parts; Pledgers (25%), The Childhood Trust matched donations (25%), and own fundraising contribution (50%)
- Step 2: Contact your trusted supporters to be your Pledgers. Any amount they pledge towards your total target will be matched by The Childhood Trust following a successful campaign.
- Step 3: Receive ongoing support from The Childhood Trust to maximise your campaign. Every penny you raise during campaign week will be matched by your Pledgers and The Childhood Trust.
Example: If a charity is seeking to raise a total of £8,000 towards their project and raises £4,000 (in online donations via Big Give), these donations will be doubled by the match funding pot made up of pledge funds (£2,000) and The Childhood Trust’s champion funds (£2,000).
Funds received during the campaign are restricted to the information 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 improving mental health as part of their core mission may use the campaign to raise unrestricted funds as long as it meets the eligibility requirements.
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