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 partners, 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 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 to raise awareness.
NCVO are 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.
Charity Eligibility Criteria
- UK-registered charity with a Charity Commission, OSCR or NI Charity Commission number, or tax-exempt status.
- Must have a minimum annual income of £5,000 and a maximum income of £1m (as per at least one years filed accounts or one years recorded income on the Charity Commission).
- Charities seeking to raise either £500, £1,000, £2500, £5,000, or £10,000 in public donations (to be doubled by the match funds). Charities are limited to apply for Champion funds which are a maximum of 10% of their annual income.
- Small charities that are looking for funds to support people and communities in the UK.
- Funds may be applied for in relationship 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.
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
2025 Campaign Timeline
- February 17th 2025: Applications open
- April 2nd 2025: Applications close
- May 7th 2025: Offer deadline
- June 23rd – 30th (midday) 2025: 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 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.
Ready to get started today? Join our community of like-minded changemakers
People’s Postcode Lottery manages lotteries for 20 Postcode Trusts and have been avid supporters of small charities for many years. Find out more about how they’re supporting charities thanks to money raised from their lotteries.
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.
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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