The Pied Piper Appeal

Registered charity 1011611 · since 1992piedpiperappeal.co.uk·Gloucestershire·Updated 30 October 2026

At a glance

£409k

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2024

From filed accounts

Open to applications

Rolling, no deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

The Pied Piper Appeal's stated geographic focus is Gloucestershire, and its work centres on sick and disabled children and their families, so a project there is the clearest fit.
Its annual report shows £408,556 awarded, but no grant range is stated, so size any request against your own project's needs rather than that total.
Applications are rolling, and special-needs schools send in bids throughout the year; the appeal may visit a school to check a bid's relevance, and trustees decide capital bids and larger donations by majority vote.
Wish Holiday applicants should send a small photograph of the child and a medical support letter, and that programme does not fund holidays outside Europe or siblings over 18 or no longer in education.

Overview

The Pied Piper Appeal is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1011611).

The Pied Piper Appeal is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, whose prime objective is to make a difference to the lives of sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire. It was founded to raise money for a new children's hospital for the county, and it says it has raised over £4 million to help local children. It works in four main ways: funding the Children's Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital and other county hospitals, supporting all of the SEND Schools in Gloucestershire with equipment and resources, sending children with life-limiting illnesses and their families on Wish Holidays, and improving children's experiences at mental health facilities in the county.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The Pied Piper Appeal works to improve the lives and well-being of sick and disabled children in Gloucestershire and to support the whole family. It funds equipment and resources for county hospitals and SEND schools, including transport and sensory equipment, and supports nursing bursaries and staff training. It provides Wish Holidays for children with life-limiting illnesses and their families, and seeks to improve children's experiences in mental health facilities. Its support also includes play equipment and psychological support. Special-needs schools send in bids throughout the year; trustees decide capital bids and larger donations by majority vote, with visits used to assess bid relevance.

Themes

Children's healthcare
SEND schools
Wish holidays
Children's mental health
Nursing bursaries

Geographic Focus

Gloucestershire.

What they don't fund

WISH HOLIDAY PROGRAM only: Holidays outside of Europe; Siblings over 18 years old or not still in education

How to apply

Special-needs schools send in bids throughout the year. The appeal may visit a school to assess the relevance of its bid.

What to send:

Wish Holiday
- A small photograph of your child.
- A medical support letter from a medical professional involved in your child’s care.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

Gloucestershire

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to The Pied Piper Appeal.

Paul FoundationNo public processGave £748k The Sedbury TrustInvitation onlyGave £80,118 The Pople Charitable TrustNo public processGave £229k Barnwood TrustInvitation onlyGave £5.1M Peter Lang Children’s TrustFixed deadlinesGave £375k Gloucester Rugby Charitable FoundationRolling The RL Charitable TrustInvitation onlyGave £45,852 The Gloucestershire Association for DisabilityRolling The Pepper FoundationNo public processGave £433k Pate's Grammar School FoundationNo public processGave £550k

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2020	£302,842	£301,621	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2020
year to 31 December 2021	£348,171	£384,301	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£628,361	£498,889	£251,099	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£859,740	£671,429	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£878,577	£707,370	£408,556	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2022

£251k grants

YE 2024

£409k awarded

Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2022: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 December 2024: grants awarded in the year, as reported in the accounts.

— No grants figure for that year.

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.