Bbc Children In Need

Charity Number: 802052

Annual Expenditure: £36.5M
Geographic Focus: Isle Of Man, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales, Guernsey, Jersey

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: ??36.5 million (2023-24)
  • Success Rate: 17% (1 in 6 applications funded)
  • Decision Time: Faster for grants ?????15,000; slower for larger amounts and October-January submissions
  • Grant Range: ??1,000 - ??40,000 per year
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands, Isle of Man)
  • Projects Supported: Over 1,500 active grants
  • Children Helped: Over 426,000 annually

Contact Details

Website: www.bbcchildreninneed.co.uk/grants

Grants Team Phone: 0345 609 0015

Grants Team Email: pudseygrants@bbc.co.uk

General Email: pudsey@bbc.co.uk

Address: BBC Children in Need, PO Box 648, Salford, M5 0LB

Pre-Application Support: Mandatory pre-application advice sessions must be attended before submitting an Expression of Interest. Contact your local grants team to arrange.

Overview

BBC Children in Need, founded in 1980 and registered as charity 802052 in England and Wales (SC039557 in Scotland), is one of the UK's most prominent children's charities. The organization awards approximately ??36.5 million annually in grants to over 1,500 local charities and projects, directly improving the lives of more than 426,000 disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. Operating under its 2022-2025 Grantmaking Strategy, the charity focuses on sharing power with children and young people, acting flexibly, using its voice to build awareness, and building partnerships to bring communities together. The charity takes a dual approach to funding, supporting both direct work with children and projects that improve their social and physical environments. BBC Children in Need prioritizes smaller, local organizations and emphasizes participatory approaches where children and young people are involved in decision-making.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Project (Main) Grants: ??1,000 - ??40,000 per year

  • Duration: Up to 3 years (maximum ??120,000 over 3 years, though grants at this level are rare)
  • For project-specific costs and activities working directly with disadvantaged children
  • Application method: Rolling basis via two-stage process (Expression of Interest, then full application)
  • Note: Applications ?????15,000 receive faster decisions

Core (Organisational) Costs Grants: ??1,000 - ??40,000 per year

  • Duration: Up to 3 years
  • For essential organizational and administrative spending including management, HR, office expenses, accountancy, communications, monitoring/evaluation, and governance
  • Restricted to organizations with turnover under ??1 million
  • Cannot support full cost recovery models; must specify individual core costs
  • Application method: Rolling basis via two-stage process

Focused Funding Programmes:

  • Youth Social Action Fund
  • We Move Fund
  • Communities for Children (varies by region)

Priority Areas

BBC Children in Need funds organizations supporting children and young people aged 18 and under experiencing disadvantage through:

  • Illness, distress, abuse or neglect
  • Any kind of disability (including barriers to access, isolation, reduced opportunities)
  • Behavioural or psychological difficulties (including mental health challenges)
  • Poverty or deprivation (including financial uncertainty)

The charity prioritizes work that:

  • Makes measurable differences in children's lives to prevent or overcome disadvantage
  • Involves children and young people in planning and delivery
  • Demonstrates strong safeguarding policies and practices
  • Operates at local/grassroots level
  • Shows commitment to ongoing learning and improvement

Recent strategic focus areas include mental health support (??11 million in 2021) and addressing financial uncertainty (??9.8 million in 2021).

What They Don't Fund

Statutory Responsibilities:

  • Work that statutory bodies (schools, local authorities) have a duty to provide
  • Duplication or substitution of statutory services
  • Educational institutions (except special schools)
  • Local government, NHS bodies, hospitals, or prisons

Capital and Infrastructure:

  • Building projects, construction, renovation, or conversion
  • Capital projects of any kind

Scope and Focus Limitations:

  • General awareness-raising or educational work without identified target groups
  • Projects promoting religion
  • Trips or projects abroad
  • Medical treatment or research
  • Pregnancy testing or advice
  • Bursaries, sponsored places, or fees

Financial Restrictions:

  • General appeals or endowment funds
  • Budget shortfalls or debt repayments
  • Work already completed or costs incurred before decision date
  • Pass-through funding to other organizations
  • Unspecified expenditure or percentage-based overhead requests

Application Timing:

  • Higher volume October-January results in slower decisions; avoid if possible
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Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership

Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive (since 2016)

Leads the charity's strategic direction and grantmaking approach.

Fozia, Director of Impact (joined October 2020)

Oversees the charity's impact and grant-making activities. Previously CEO of Bedfordshire and Luton Community Foundation.

Tony, Director of Impact ??? Grants (appointed early 2023)

Leads grants teams and programmes across the UK. Previously held CEO roles at Liverpool CVS and Community and Voluntary Action Tameside.

Nassali, Director for Change and Transformation (joined 2022, promoted 2023)

First Director for Change and Transformation, responsible for managing change programmes and driving strategy implementation.

Board of Trustees

The Trustees are legally responsible for the charity and make final decisions on grant applications.

James Fairclough (joined 2021)

Chairs the Commercial Advisory Group, identifying new commercial partnership opportunities.

Cherrie, Chair of Impact Committee

Supports development and delivery of the charity's grant-making strategy.

Strategic Approach (from leadership)

The charity's strategy emphasizes that it “acts flexibly, ensuring funding and processes are responsive, accessible, and user friendly” and “uses its voice, leveraging its position and assets to build awareness and empathy.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Mandatory Pre-Application Requirement:

All applicants must attend a pre-application advice session before submitting an Expression of Interest, regardless of whether they are new applicants or existing grant holders. Sessions cover local funding priorities and available programmes.

Two-Stage Process:

  • Short form describing your organization and proposed work
  • Submit online when applications reopen (new system launching end of October 2025)
  • No fixed deadlines (rolling basis)
  • Invited applicants receive a link to full application form
  • 120 days to complete from invitation date
  • More detailed information required about project, budget, and impact

Important Timing Consideration:

Avoid submitting October-January if possible, as high application volume during these months results in longer decision times.

Decision Timeline

  • Applications ?????15,000 per year: Faster decisions, quicker start dates if successful
  • Applications >??15,000 per year: Longer decision process; “always more difficult to fund”
  • Emergency Essentials Programme: 10 working days processing time
  • General timeline: Varies significantly; plan submission dates to receive decisions before work must begin

Success Rates

Current Success Rate: 17% (1 in 6 applications funded)

BBC Children in Need explicitly states they “currently are only able to fund 1 in 6 of the applications they receive,” making thorough preparation critical.

Reapplication Policy

If an Expression of Interest is not progressed to full application, applicants must wait a minimum of six months before submitting another Expression of Interest.

Current System Status

Important: BBC Children in Need closed their current online portal on 15 August 2025 and is not accepting new Expressions of Interest until launching their new grantmaking system by the end of October 2025. The new system will include updated policies affecting eligibility. Check website for reopening announcement and updated guidance.

Application Success Factors

Direct Advice from the Funder

On Project Planning:

“Always keep your focus on children and young people ??? think about the differences you want to make that will improve their lives.”

On Budgeting:

“We want to fund your project to succeed and are looking for a realistic budget that has been properly costed. Value for money is not always the same thing as the cheapest. Be as accurate as you can with your costings.”

On What They Look For:

Organizations that “put children and young people at the centre of everything they do, from design to delivery” and are "keen to keep learning about their work so that their ability to make a difference in children and young people's lives can keep on improving."

Critical Application Requirements

Demonstrating Disadvantage:

“You must be able to show that the majority of children your project is benefiting are experiencing disadvantage” through illness, disability, behavioral/psychological difficulties, abuse, neglect, or poverty.

Participation Requirement:

“You must support children and young people to participate in the planning and running of the project.” This is non-negotiable.

Essential Organizational Requirements:

  • Strong safeguarding policy and practice
  • Public liability insurance
  • Up-to-date accounts
  • For Core Grants: turnover under ??1 million

Strategic Advantages

Size Matters:

  • Applications ?????15,000 receive faster decisions
  • The charity explicitly prioritizes smaller, local organizations
  • Most grants awarded are “significantly lower” than the ??40,000 maximum

Evidence of Impact:

“If your project is already running, you should have been able to measure its success so far and be able to tell them what difference it has made to the children and young people using the project.”

Specificity Over Generality:

  • For Core Grants: “We do not fund any unspecified expenditure... We expect organisations to be able to articulate specific Core Costs funding is being requested for”
  • Avoid general awareness work; identify specific target groups

Example Funded Project

A.S.K.I. (Croydon): Three-year project supporting children to have a voice in how services are delivered, involving young people in decision-making and reducing isolation.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

  • Applying for work that duplicates statutory provision
  • Requesting funding for work already started or costs already incurred
  • Submitting during high-volume period (October-January) without time buffer
  • Failing to involve children/young people in project design and delivery
  • Requesting vague percentage-based overheads rather than specific costs
  • Applying with turnover over ??1 million for Core Grants

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Attend the mandatory pre-application session ??? This is required regardless of your history with the funder and provides critical insights into current local priorities.
  • Keep it small and specific ??? Applications ?????15,000 receive faster decisions and are easier to fund. Most successful grants are well below the ??40,000 maximum.
  • Demonstrate genuine participation ??? Children and young people must be involved in planning and running the project. This isn't optional; it's central to the charity's strategy.
  • Only 1 in 6 succeed ??? With a 17% success rate, your application must be exceptionally well-prepared, clearly demonstrate disadvantage, and show measurable impact.
  • Avoid October-January submissions ??? Unless you have significant time flexibility, submit outside this high-volume period to avoid extended decision times.
  • Be precise about disadvantage ??? Show that the majority of children served experience disadvantage through illness, disability, behavioral/psychological difficulties, abuse, neglect, or poverty.
  • Think local and grassroots ??? The charity prioritizes smaller, local organizations. If you're large (over ??1 million turnover), you're ineligible for Core Grants and may face stronger competition for Project Grants.

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