Merlin’s Magic Wand

Registered charity 1124081 · since 2008merlinsmagicwand.org·International·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Merlin's Magic Wand suits organisations that work directly with children facing serious illness, disability or adversity, and its only stated application route, Magical Days Out, is for children aged 2 to 18.
The annual report gives no readable grants figure and the grant range is not stated, so approach it for days out, activities or themed spaces rather than a cash sum.
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis, so there is no deadline to wait for, but the application must come from the department directly supporting the child and be sent from two organisation-affiliated email addresses.
Do not apply if you are a mainstream school with a special education programme, if you cannot confirm that your organisation exclusively supports eligible children, or if the family or child has been supported before, because repeat applications are not accepted.

Overview

Merlin’s Magic Wand is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1124081).

Merlin's Magic Wand is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales that supports children facing serious illness, disability or adversity. It believes every child deserves to laugh, enjoy and cherish memorable experiences, and its mission is to enable them to access the magic of Merlin. It works through three programmes: Magical Days Out, Magic On Tour and Magic Spaces.

What they fund

Priority Areas

Merlin’s Magic Wand supports children facing illness, disabilities or adversity, using play and Merlin experiences to create joy and lasting memories. Its work is delivered through three programmes. Magical Days Out provide single-day admission tickets at a Merlin attraction for eligible children and their immediate family. Magic On Tour brings Merlin attraction teams into schools, hospices and hospitals for in-person or virtual activities. Magic Spaces creates attraction-themed areas in hospitals, treatment centres, orphanages, special educational needs schools and hospices. For Magical Days Out, applications are made by organisations that directly support eligible children, including special education schools, medical departments, children’s services, registered charities and community groups. The approach combines the attractions’ teams and partner organisations to reach children and families around the world.

Themes

Serious illness
Disability
Adversity
Play experiences

Geographic Focus

Worldwide.

What they don't fund

Magical Days Out only:
- We only accept applications from registered organisations
- We only accept applications that relate to children between the ages of 2 and 18
- Mainstream schools with a special education programme are not eligible
- Organisations applying must provide direct support to children who meet our eligibility criteria and focus on children aged 2 to 18 years
- If we are unable to confirm that your organisation exclusively supports eligible children, we reserve the right to cancel your application
- We only arrange days out at attractions within the Merlin Group of Attractions
- We do not accept repeat applications
- We only accept applications from those families/households or children that we have not previously supported/have not visited us before

How to apply

Parents or guardians ask an eligible professional or organisation to apply on the child’s behalf; the application is submitted by an organisation that can confirm the child’s eligibility.

Who can apply:

Magical Days Out
- Applications must be submitted by an organisation that can confirm the child’s eligibility.
- Organisations applying must provide direct support to children who meet our eligibility criteria and focus on children aged 2 to 18 years. This includes: Special education schools; Medical departments; Children’s services; Registered charities or community groups.
- Special Education Needs schools or schools focused on social, emotional, or mental health needs (SEN/SEMH). Mainstream schools with a special education programme are not eligible.
- The department directly supporting the child must submit the application (e.g., Child Protective Services).
- Applications must come from the specific department working with the child (e.g., Pediatric Oncology), not from general administration.
- The main contact listed on the organisation’s website must submit the application.

What to send:

Magical Days Out
- Two organisation-affiliated email addresses (no personal domains such as @gmail, @yahoo, etc.).
- The organisation’s official website.
- Charity registration number, if applicable.
- In some cases, additional documentation to support the application may be requested, such as hospital letters and diagnostic reports, Educational Health and Care Plans (EHCP), or letters from child services or local authorities.

Applying again: Magical Days Out: We do not accept repeat applications; we only accept applications from families/households or children that we have not previously supported or that have not visited us before.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

International

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Merlin’s Magic Wand.

20th International Geographical Congress FundFixed deadlinesGave £3,500 Académie du Vin FoundationRollingGave £23,858 Action for A-TFixed deadlinesGave £116k Advance Movement UKInvitation only A. G. Leventis FoundationFixed deadlines Ahavas Chesed TrustNo public processGave £566k A J H Ashby Will TrustRolling Allan & Nesta Ferguson Charitable TrustRollingGave £1.8M Al - Medina TrustNo public process Altaf and Sheela Gatrad Charity FoundationRollingGave £65,914

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2020	£681,768	£522,848	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021	£796,409	£735,089	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£1,301,203	£1,403,902	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£1,704,771	£1,607,054	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£2,442,343	£2,493,566	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024

— No grants figure for those years.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.