Frequently asked questions

We are an independent charity. When a national emergency strikes the UK, we raise money and get it to survivors fast.

We launch a UK-wide appeal within hours. We then work with charities and local partners to share the money quickly and fairly, so it reaches the people who need it.

We were set up after Grenfell and the 2017 terror attacks in London and Manchester. The Charity Commission recommended a single charity to coordinate national fundraising and distribution. We launched in November 2019.

A national emergency is a major incident of national significance, even when the need is local. It could be a terror attack, a major fire, a pandemic, or a flood or storm.

A national emergency creates immediate need that is not being met. People across the country want to help, and the money they give can change survivors' lives.

Our corporate patrons and donations from the public fund our work.

We give the public one trusted place to donate when a national emergency strikes. When we launch an appeal, we work with charities across the UK so the money reaches survivors fast and fairly.

We work closely with UK Community Foundations (UKCF) and its network of 47 community foundations. Together we make grants to individuals and to local charities in the areas affected. We also work with national charities so that no one is left behind, wherever they live in the UK.

Smaller emergencies still attract public donations, but rarely at the scale of a national emergency. Local charities and groups are well placed to raise and share funds in their own communities.

We back that local response. We work with our partners, including UKCF and its community foundations, to help direct support to local appeals.

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) raises funds for people affected by major emergencies overseas. We respond to emergencies here in the UK: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

When a major incident happens, our Board of Trustees asks four questions:

• Is the emergency of national significance?
• Are there unmet needs that an appeal could help with?
• Are people likely to want to give?
• Is launching an appeal the right thing to do?

If the answer to all four is yes, we launch an appeal within hours.

We launched the Coronavirus Appeal on 18 March 2020 to support people across the UK whose lives were hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The appeal awarded more than 14,500 grants to 15,000 grassroots charities and groups across the UK. They ran food banks, doorstep meal services, mental health support lines, and much more.

The Coronavirus Appeal raised more than £99 million. Almost all of it has reached people in need.

More than £75 million reached 15,000 grassroots charities and groups across the UK, through UKCF and its network of 47 community foundations. A further £16 million was shared through ten national charity partners.

You can donate online in a few minutes. When we are running an appeal, your donation goes to survivors of that emergency. Between appeals, your donation keeps us ready to respond and to support survivors when the next emergency comes.

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Give to an appeal, and your money supports survivors of that emergency, shared through our local and national partners. Give between appeals, and your money keeps us ready to launch fast and helps survivors be heard.

Yes, if you pay UK tax. Gift Aid lets us claim an extra 25p for every £1 you give, at no extra cost to you. You add Gift Aid when you donate. You need to have paid enough UK Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in the year to cover what all the charities you support claim on your gifts.

Yes. You can run your own fundraiser and give what you raise to the trust. See Fundraise for us to start.

Contact us to talk about becoming a corporate patron. We will explain how it works and what your support makes possible.

Contact us to talk about becoming a charity partner.