UK charities
There are approximately 164,000 registered charities in the UK - these range from small, local community groups to large national and multinational household name charities, grantmaking trusts and foundations, schools and hospitals for the public benefit.
Sub-sector analysis is a vital part of mapping, comparing and assessing the UK voluntary sector. Cat's research in this area spans 9 years of working on Charities Aid Foundation's Charity Trends publication tracking the top 500 fundraising charities in the UK, as well as in-depth sub-sector analyses of the Armed Forces and Maritime charities.
Small Charities Data
A new digital data resource for and about small charities (2020/21)
Small Charities Data is a new digital research hub that brings together the latest and best available data on small charities in the UK. The project is funded by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, in partnership with a steering group from the Small Charities Coalition, the FSI, NCVO, 360Giving, LocalGiving, Locality, and Sheffield Hallam University. Other data providers have also contributed data to this project including CharityBase and New Philanthropy Capital (NPC).
The research lead for the project was Dr. Cat Walker of The Researchery and the digital lead was Harry Robbins of Outlandish. The project took over a year to bring together the data from different sources, standardise definitions and conduct new analyses.
Small charities make up 96% of the charity sector in the UK and do vital work in communities the length and breadth of the country – but very few are household names. A small charity does not mean a small impact, however: A 2018 study led by Sheffield Hallam University found that small charities have a distinctive social value that makes their work different from large charities and other sectors. This site showcases and celebrates this difference, sharing new insights, such as:
79% of small charities have lost funding since the start of the COVID-19 crisis
Government income to small charities has declined by 20% in real terms over a five-year period
Data partners for Small Charities Data.
Christmas, Charities and Coronavirus
How the pandemic is affecting the UK not-for-profit sector this festive season
A new survey of charities carried out by The Big Give, in conjunction with The Researchery, has found that many UK charities are “teetering on the edge of collapse” due to decreased donations and increased demand this festive season.
Almost a third (32%) of charities across the sector have already experienced a “double whammy” of decreased voluntary income and increased demand for services since the pandemic. Homelessness/refuge and mental health charities will experience a particular crunch this Christmas.
Navigating Change
A Review of the UK Maritime Charity sub-sector (2017)
“Seafarers are still among the
least visible of UK
workforces and continue to face
many needs unique to their
occupation”
While much research has been carried out in to the needs of the Armed Forces community, very few studies have attempted to bring together research on the needs of the maritime sector as a whole, covering the Royal Navy and Royal Marines, Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleets.
This report updates a 2007 report: ‘Supporting Seafarers and their families: Challenges for the Future’. Both reports were commissioned by the Maritime Charities Group. The last ten years have seen large upheavals in UK society. Economic recession and austerity measures have impacted the level of provision of state-sponsored support for individuals in need, increasing the pressure on charities via reduced funding and increased demand. At the same time, Strategic Defence Reviews and changes in global trade and UK fishing have also impacted maritime workforces and their families.
The findings from the updated research programme provide a new picture of the current and future landscapes, against which maritime charities can assess their priorities, and plan their services and future financial commitments. Key findings include:
The population of seafarers and their families is larger and declining more slowly than previously thought
Seafarers from the Merchant Navy and Fishing Fleet need more support focused on them
Overall the sector has a healthy bank balance although this is largely sitting in charities serving the Royal Navy and Royal Marines
Charity Trends
and the Top 500 charities
For many years, working with the Charities Aid Foundation, we produced an index of the top 500 charities annually - their income, expenditure, and general performance. This publication had various names, starting with "Dimensions of the Voluntary Sector" and later morphing into "Charity Trends". This annual analysis allowed us to track charities year-on-year - both individually for benchmarking purposes and en masse to judge how the whole sector was doing. As such it was an indispensable annual report.
Some of this work has been carried through to the updated Foundation Giving Trends, currently published by the Association of Charitable Foundations, analysing the top 300 UK grant-making foundations.
UK Armed Forces Charities (2014)
Despite the attention given to our armed forces during the centenary of the First World War, new data shows signs that the number of armed forces charities and the amount of money donated to them are in decline. This Directory of Social Change report explores the complex world of armed forces charities - over 2000 of them, and concludes that this sub-sector is efficient, effective and under threat...
