Mail Force Charity Cio

Charity Number: 1189196

Annual Expenditure: £1.6M

Stay updated on changes from Mail Force Charity Cio and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: £1,626,000 (expenditure 2024)
  • Success Rate: Not applicable - invitation only
  • Decision Time: Campaign-dependent
  • Grant Range: £50,000 - £1,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: UK-wide and international humanitarian causes
  • Application Process: No public application process - campaign-driven selection

Contact Details

Address: Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, Kensington, London W8 5TT

Phone: 020 3615 0000

Email: admin@mailforcecharity.co.uk

Website: www.mailforcecharity.co.uk

Charity Numbers: 1189196 (England & Wales), SC050218 (Scotland)

Overview

Mail Force Charity CIO was established in April 2020 during the first UK COVID-19 lockdown as a fundraising charity launched by the Daily Mail and General Trust plc. In its first year, the charity raised £25 million in cash and equipment through public appeals via Daily Mail campaigns. The charity operates on a campaign-by-campaign basis, identifying priority causes and selecting partner organizations to receive grants rather than accepting applications from potential beneficiaries. Initial campaigns focused on providing PPE to NHS and care workers, then expanded to providing over 26,000 laptops to disadvantaged schoolchildren during lockdown. The Ukraine Appeal became “the fastest newspaper fundraiser in world history,” raising £10 million. The charity's primary purpose is to raise funds from Daily Mail readers and distribute those funds through grants to carefully selected charitable organizations working on causes aligned with their campaigns. Mail Force won the Public Service Prize at the British Journalism Awards in 2020 for their PPE campaign.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Mail Force operates through time-limited fundraising campaigns focused on urgent humanitarian needs. Grants are made to established charitable organizations working on the campaign's specific focus area. Previous campaigns have included:

  • Healthcare Emergency Response: PPE provision for NHS and care workers (2020)
  • Educational Equity: Laptops and digital devices for disadvantaged schoolchildren (2020-2021)
  • Ukraine Humanitarian Crisis: Emergency aid, refugee support, mine clearing, and trauma services (2022)

Grant amounts have ranged from £50,000 to £1,000,000 depending on the organization's capacity and the scope of work.

Priority Areas

Mail Force's funding priorities are determined by Daily Mail editorial campaigns and respond to urgent national or international crises. Past priorities have included:

  • Emergency health equipment and protective supplies for frontline healthcare workers
  • Digital inclusion and educational technology for disadvantaged children
  • Humanitarian aid for refugees and victims of war
  • Mine clearance and reconstruction in conflict zones
  • Trauma support and therapeutic services for vulnerable populations

The charity focuses on causes that resonate with Daily Mail readership and have clear, measurable impact.

What They Don't Fund

Mail Force does not:

  • Accept unsolicited grant applications from organizations
  • Fund ongoing operational costs unrelated to specific campaigns
  • Support causes outside their active fundraising campaigns
  • Fund individual applicants (only grants to organizations)
  • Support projects that do not align with Daily Mail editorial focus
Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for Mail Force Charity Cio?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save hours and increase your success rate.

Learn more >

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

Andrew Lane (Chair) - Partner at Forsters LLP specializing in private client law, Non-Executive Director of Daily Mail and General Trust plc, and Trustee of the Pension Fund of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. In the charity's foreword, Lane stated that “Mail Force Charity has surpassed all expectations by raising a total of £25m in cash and equipment for PPE and Computers for Kids.”

Penny Elliott - Consultant in Private Client legal team

Charles Penney - Senior Adviser at Addleshaw Goddard LLP

Hamish Webb - Events and sponsorships manager for Mail Newspapers

James Welsh - Deputy CEO of dmg media

The board consists of five independent trustees who, while appointed by DMGT, independently decide how the charity operates and what it does. The charity has 50 volunteers and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator, committed to ensuring all fundraising is “legal, open, honest and respectful.”

How to Apply to Mail Force Charity Cio

How to Apply

Mail Force does not have a public application process. Organizations cannot apply for grants from Mail Force Charity.

Mail Force operates as a fundraising intermediary that raises money from Daily Mail readers through newspaper campaigns and then distributes those funds to pre-selected charitable organizations. Grant recipients are identified and selected by the trustees based on:

  • Alignment with the current fundraising campaign's focus
  • Established track record and credibility in the relevant sector
  • Capacity to deploy funds effectively and rapidly
  • Geographic reach and ability to serve beneficiaries in target areas
  • Accountability and reporting capabilities

All grants distributed by Mail Force have been linked to specific Daily Mail newspaper appeals, with recipients announced through the newspaper and the charity's website.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable - grants are not made in response to applications but rather as part of campaign-driven trustee decisions.

Success Rates

Not applicable - there is no application process.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable - there is no application process.

Application Success Factors

Since Mail Force does not accept applications, this section focuses on what the charity has demonstrated through their grant-making patterns:

Organizations Most Likely to Receive Grants:

  1. Established national or international charities - All documented recipients (UNHCR, Care International, Refugee Council, Halo Trust, AMAR International, Salvation Army, Mencap) are well-known organizations with strong track records
  1. Organizations working on crisis response - Grants have focused on urgent humanitarian needs requiring rapid deployment of funds
  1. Charities with clear accountability - Recipients can demonstrate impact and provide reporting on fund usage
  1. Organizations aligned with current campaigns - Each grant has been tied to a specific Daily Mail fundraising appeal

Recent Grant Recipients and Amounts:

  • UNHCR: £1,000,000 for emergency aid and shelter (Ukraine Appeal)
  • Care International: £500,000 for emergency relief in Ukraine
  • Refugee Council: £500,000 for therapeutic services for traumatized Ukrainian families
  • Refugees at Home: £338,497 to support placement of Ukrainian refugees
  • Halo Trust: £250,000 for mine clearing equipment
  • AMAR International Charitable Foundation: £250,000 for food and clothing for special needs schools in Ukraine
  • Mercy and Health Foundation: grant amount not specified for GP services for Ukrainian refugees

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No application process exists - Mail Force proactively selects grant recipients; organizations cannot apply
  • Campaign-driven model - Grants are tied to specific Daily Mail fundraising campaigns focused on urgent humanitarian needs
  • Large, established organizations preferred - All documented recipients are major national or international charities with proven track records
  • Crisis response focus - Funding responds to immediate emergencies (pandemic, refugee crises) rather than ongoing programs
  • Not suitable for most grant seekers - This funder is fundamentally different from traditional grant-makers and should not be included in standard funding pipelines
  • Media visibility factor - As a newspaper-driven initiative, grants support work that can be communicated effectively to Daily Mail readers
  • Rapid deployment required - Recipients must be able to mobilize funds quickly in response to urgent needs

Similar Funders

These funders have a similar focus and geographic reach:

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get 2 free AI applicationsLearn More

References

Spotted something that needs correcting? Let us know