The Covid-19 pandemic prompted a 43% rise in donations to good causes by businesses and philanthropists, according to latest figures.

The Charities Aid Foundation’s annual Trustees Report for 2020/21 reveals there was a £300m uplift in donations, taking the total of funding to over £1bn.

More than £100m of the funding was generated through a partnership between CAF, the UK insurance industry’s Covid-19 Support Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s Community Match Challenge.

In addition, the charity and social enterprise specialist CAF Bank committed £164.7m worth of loans.

Meanwhile, Venturesome, CAF’s social investment arm supported 117 organisations with £5.6m in loans and 15 more with £663,000 grants via blended finance packages.

We are proud to have helped distribute a record £958m to good causes around the world.

The donations reflect the remarkable generosity of private philanthropists and businesses in their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Learn more in our Trustees' Report.

— Charities Aid Foundation (@Caf) September 1, 2021

“The Charities Aid Foundation exists to accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all,” said CAF chief executive Neil Heslop.

“This remarkable year of generosity, with more than £1 billion donated into our care, demonstrates that the philanthropists and businesses that we partner with share this ambition.

“Together, we enable charities to do more life-changing work with lasting benefits and true impact where it matters most. We collaborate across sectors and borders, with governments and fellow funders seeking innovation so civil society may thrive.

“The donors we are privileged to work with have been inspired by charities’ remarkable response to the pandemic in communities everywhere. Those charities have been the frontline heroes in this pandemic, and many have survived and thrived because of CAF’s partners. We are immensely grateful to have played our part during this difficult time.”

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