Charities are invited to apply to take part on the Big Give match funding campaign the Christmas Challenge.

Applications have now opened and close on 1 July for charities to take part in the campaign, which runs from #Giving Tuesday on 29 November to 7 December.

During the week of fundraising activity, the campaigns’ grant making partners, including the Big Lottery Fund, Weston Foundation and The Childhood Trust, match fund donations from the public.

Up to £25,000 of match funding is available to charities taking part from the Big Give’s partners.

Last year’s campaign raised a record £24.1m for charities, up by a fifth on the previous year. More than 79,000 donations were made, an increase of almost 8,000 on 2020’s figures.

Organisers say the annual match funding campaign is especially important due to the cost-of-living crisis, which is impacting on people’s ability to donate coupled with an increase in demand for services.

“With the challenging economic circumstances forecast for the year ahead, we know how important it is for charities to make compelling asks to their supporters,” said Big Give director Alex Day.

“We know that more people give, and people give more when their donations are matched. That’s why we are delighted to announce we’re expecting our biggest ever match funding commitment from our Champion funders. We are looking forward to continuing to support a wide range of charities and raising tens of millions of pounds for great causes again this year.”



According to the Big Give more than eight in ten (84%) of people say they are more likely to give if match funding is offered.

In addition, donors give more when match funding is involved; the average donation made through the Big Give is £333, compared to £132 for unmatched gifts. One in three donors say they gave a larger gift as matching was applied to their donation.

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