No joy for grantseekers
The CAF UK Local Giving Report reveals that charities find applying for funding soul destroying. Participants identified the six most common words to describe applying for funding as: “challenging”, “difficult”, “frustrating”, “exhausting”, “time-consuming” and “stressful”.
Read more: Charities describe applying for funding as ‘soul destroying’ in new report
Shared community spaces to benefit from new Queen Elizabeth Trust
A new charity launched in honour of Queen Elizabeth II is set to invest £40 million into revitalising community spaces across the UK. Backed by the British Government and supported by King Charles as patron, the Queen Elizabeth Trust aims to help local communities breathe new life into neighbourhood hubs, green spaces and underused buildings.
Read more: Queen Elizabeth Trust launches with £40m government backing
Place-based philanthropy the key to local growth
The UK Government has unveiled a new £1 million plan aimed at growing place-based philanthropy, encouraging wealthy donors to invest more directly in the communities that matter to them. Through its new “Our Place to Give” roadmap, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport hopes to strengthen partnerships between philanthropists, local organisations and community foundations, with a focus on tackling geographic inequality and supporting grassroots change.
Read more: Government publishes £1m ‘roadmap’ to boost place-based philanthropy
Big givers change the face of philanthropy
Charity founder Chris Hohn has become the first British person to donate more than £1bn in a year, topping the 2026 rankings with gifts totalling £1.44bn – almost 17% of his personal wealth, according to the latest Sunday Times Giving List. He’s not alone. The UK’s 100 wealthiest philanthropists collectively gave nearly £5bn to charitable causes, an increase of £1.25bn on last year, the Times says.
Read more: Charity founder becomes first Brit to donate more than £1bn in a year
Communities funded to help shape the future of AI
The National Lottery Community Fund has announced a new £3 million initiative to help charities and communities shape the future of AI, rather than simply adapt to it.
The program will fund community organisations to track AI’s impact at a local level and support the development of AI tools designed around real-world needs and lived experience.
Read more: Major funder launches £3m project to develop charity-led AI tools
Magenta Book update
The UK government has unveiled the biggest overhaul of its evaluation framework in more than five years, shifting the focus from measuring past results to learning how to improve programmes in real time. Led by the Evaluation Task Force, the update to the Magenta Book – the UK government’s guide to evaluation best practice – marks a significant step forward for evidence-based policymaking.
Read more: Major shift in government evaluation as Magenta Book is updated
More charities set to benefit as Lloyds Bank Foundation boosts support
The new Lloyd’s Bank Foundation’s nine-year strategy has a clear aim of helping “more community organisations than ever before”. The foundation, which awarded £20.3m of funding in total in 2024 to 662 charities, aims to have impact in every parliamentary constituency in England and Wales by 2030.
Read more: Lloyds Bank Foundation plans to back ‘more organisations than ever’ in new strategy
Scottish funding system is ‘not fit for purpose’: SCVO
SCVO, Scotland’s charity membership body, has identified a funding system which is overly bureaucratic, unstable, and competitive. SCVO says that without change there is a significant risk of organisations closing down.
Read more: Scottish funding system ‘not fit for purpose’, charity body says
Regulator reminds trustees of due diligence responsibilities in grantmaking
The Charity Commission has reminded grantmaking charities that robust due diligence is more than a box-ticking exercise. The commission's updated advice urges trustees to ensure grants align with their organisation’s charitable purposes, while carefully managing risks and conflicts of interest.
Read more: Regulator issues due diligence reminder to grantmaking charities
