Jingle Jam

Charity Number: 1200061

Annual Expenditure: £2.7M

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Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £2.7 million (2024)
  • Lifetime Total: £27.5+ million (since 2011)
  • Success Rate: Less than 5% (8 selected from 170+ applications in 2025)
  • Decision Time: Approximately 10 weeks from Expression of Interest to final decision
  • Grant Range: £269,000 - £470,000 per charity partner
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide, USA-wide, or international multi-country organizations

Contact Details

Website: https://www.jinglejam.co.uk

Email: Available via contact form at https://www.jinglejam.co.uk/contact-us

Charity Application Page: https://www.jinglejam.co.uk/2025-charity-apply

Overview

Jingle Jam (registered charity 1200061) was founded in 2011 by Lewis Brindley and Simon Lane of The Yogscast as a Christmas charity fundraiser. Since then, it has grown into the largest gaming charity event of the year, raising over £27.5 million for partner charities. The charity operates by uniting "the world's best games, creators and their communities to make the world better for children and young people." Each December, Jingle Jam runs a two-week fundraising event (December 1-14) featuring gaming livestreams from over 800 content creators. The organization is run almost entirely by volunteers to ensure maximum funds reach charity partners. In 2024, Jingle Jam distributed £2.7 million to eight charity partners, with the core Jingle Jam community generating over £250,000 for each partner, with charities' own fundraising efforts adding an average of £78,000 more. The charity operates through a competitive annual selection process, choosing partners that align with their focus on supporting children and young people.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Annual Charity Partnership Program: £269,000 - £470,000

Jingle Jam selects 6-8 charity partners annually to receive funds raised during the December event. Partners receive both direct distribution from community donations and support in securing additional content creators, donors, and sponsors. Application process includes:

  • Expression of Interest (EOI) submission (opens late January)
  • Full application for shortlisted charities (March-April)
  • Potential pitch meetings (late April)
  • Announcement of selected partners (typically May)

Strategic Partner Charity Status (Multi-year partnerships)

CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and War Child UK hold strategic partner status through 2026, working closely with Jingle Jam on organizational growth and receiving guaranteed partnership each year.

Priority Areas

Jingle Jam targets four specific focus areas, all within the context of making the world a better place for children and young people:

  1. Mental and Physical Health: Improving the mental and physical health of young people
  2. Inclusion: Supporting neuro-divergent, disabled, LGBT+, and diverse young people
  3. Global Support: Supporting young people affected by global events including poverty, disasters, epidemics, or conflicts
  4. Environmental Futures: Safeguarding the planet's future for young people by combating climate change and protecting animal welfare

The charity aims to select two partners per focus area (8 total partners annually).

What They Don't Fund

  • Local organizations supporting young people in a single region only (must operate UK-wide, USA-wide, or internationally across multiple countries)
  • Organizations whose work does not primarily benefit children and young people
  • Charities not registered in the UK or USA (for primary applicants)
  • Organizations not aligned with the gaming community and content creator ecosystem
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Governance and Leadership

Trustees

Rich Keith (Chair) - CEO of Fourth Floor and games industry veteran. Keith has stated: “Every year selection gets harder, as the quality of applications goes up 15 to 20 percent.”

Wayne Emanuel - Gaming industry leader with experience at King, Rovio, War Child UK, and TikTok

Lewis Brindley - Co-founder of The Yogscast and Jingle Jam

No trustees receive remuneration, payments, or benefits from the charity.

Management Team

  • Harry Marshall (Development Manager)
  • Paul Choi (Development Manager)
  • Daf (Development Manager)
  • Simon Byron (Development Manager)
  • Sarah (Development Manager)
  • Julian Barrell (Charity Manager)

The organization operates with 12 volunteers and no employees receiving benefits over £60,000.

How to Apply to Jingle Jam

How to Apply

Applications for charity partnerships open annually with a two-stage process:

Stage 1: Expression of Interest (EOI)

  • Opens: Late January (January 31st for 2025)
  • Closes: Late February (February 21st at 5pm GMT for 2025)
  • Submitted via online form on Jingle Jam website
  • EOIs received after the deadline will not be considered

Stage 2: Full Application

  • Opens: Mid-March (March 17th for 2025)
  • Only sent to charities shortlisted from EOI submissions
  • Deadline: Early April (April 4th at 5pm GMT for 2025)
  • May require pitch meetings during late April

Geographic Eligibility Requirements:

  • UK-registered organization operating UK-wide or across multiple UK regions
  • USA-registered organization operating or delivering services USA-wide
  • UK or international organization operating in multiple countries

Decision Timeline

  • Late January: EOI submissions open
  • Late February: EOI deadline
  • Mid-March: Shortlisted charities notified and receive full application form
  • Early April: Full application deadline
  • Late April: Potential pitch meetings with finalists
  • May: Selected charity partners announced publicly
  • December 1-14: Jingle Jam fundraising event

Total timeline from initial EOI to decision: Approximately 10-12 weeks

Success Rates

For the 2025 charity partnership selection, more than 170 organizations applied to become one of eight charity partners, representing a success rate of less than 5% (4.7%). According to Chair Rich Keith, “Every year selection gets harder, as the quality of applications goes up 15 to 20 percent.”

The competition is highly selective due to:

  • Growing awareness of the opportunity among UK charities
  • Significant funding amounts (£250,000+ per partner)
  • Additional benefits of content creator partnerships and audience engagement

Reapplication Policy

Organizations can reapply in subsequent years if unsuccessful. Several 2025 selected charities (The Trevor Project, Autistica, Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal) were returning partners, indicating that previous participation doesn't preclude future selection. The charity actively encourages strong candidates to reapply if not selected initially.

Application Success Factors

Based on Jingle Jam's stated priorities and successful applications:

1. Impact Quality Over Organization Size

"It's the quality of the impact that Jingle Jam is looking for, not whether a charity is small or large." Focus on demonstrating measurable outcomes and clear impact rather than organizational capacity.

2. Strong Alignment with Focus Areas

Selected charities should clearly align with one of the four focus areas, with Jingle Jam aiming for two charities per area. Applications should explicitly connect their work to how they make the world better for children and young people.

3. Gaming Community Connection

While charities don't need to be directly involved with video games, Jingle Jam looks for “how they can align with the games industry and gamers themselves.” Successful 2024-2025 partners include causes naturally resonant with gaming audiences (mental health, LGBTQ+ inclusion, environmental conservation).

4. Measurable Outcomes Focus

"Jingle Jam's focus is on understanding the impact and being able to measure the outcomes of the funding." Applications should include clear metrics and evaluation frameworks for how funds will be used.

5. Capacity to Engage Content Creators

In 2024, charity partners' own fundraising efforts (recruiting their own content creators and donors) added an average of £78,000 beyond the core Jingle Jam community distribution. Demonstrating ability to activate gaming communities and content creators strengthens applications.

6. Recent Successful Examples

2025 first-time partners include:

  • WWF: Environmental focus, strong brand recognition in gaming community
  • Become: Supporting care-experienced young people, clear youth focus
  • Make-A-Wish: Direct impact on children's lives, emotionally compelling mission

2024-2025 strategic partners demonstrate ideal alignment:

  • CALM (£470,000 in 2024): Mental health crisis intervention for young people
  • War Child UK: Supporting children affected by conflict globally

7. Geographic Reach

All successful applicants operate at scale (UK-wide, USA-wide, or internationally), not at local/regional level.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Highly competitive: With less than 5% success rate (8 from 170+ applications), applications must be exceptional and precisely aligned with focus areas
  • Youth focus is non-negotiable: All work must clearly benefit children and young people; this is the fundamental selection criterion
  • Gaming community alignment matters: Consider how your cause resonates with gamers, content creators, and the gaming industry, even if you're not a gaming charity
  • Demonstrate measurable impact: Jingle Jam prioritizes understanding outcomes, so include clear metrics and evaluation plans
  • Geographic scale required: Local or single-region organizations are not eligible; must operate at national or international scale
  • Apply early in the year: EOI opens late January with February deadline, requiring preparation in advance
  • Build for long-term partnership: Strategic partners CALM and War Child demonstrate that strong performance can lead to multi-year relationships worth £470,000+ annually
  • Leverage the platform beyond core funds: Successful partners raise an additional £78,000 on average by activating their own networks during the event

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