The Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest collaborative fundraising campaign which supports a a diverse array of charities working across all charitable sectors within the UK and overseas. It is Big Give’s flagship, annual, seven-day online match funding campaign.

The Christmas Challenge utilises the Big Give’s ‘Pledge Model’ of match funding. This model allows supporters of participating charities to have their donations doubled with match funds provided by the charity’s own supporters (pledgers) and Big Give’s Champion partners.

To take part, a charity must secure a portion of their match funding pot from their pledgers. If eligible, they can be awarded up to the same amount again from a Champion funder, creating a combined match pot which is used to double public donations made through Big Give’s platform during the campaign week.

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be a UK-registered charity with a Charity Commission, OSCR or NI Charity Commission number, or tax-exempt status
• have an annual income of at least £25,000 (as per last filed accounts on the Charity Commission)
• be registered on BigGive.org (free to register)
• seeking to raise at least £2,000 and up to £50,000 in public donations – to be doubled by match funds provided by Big Give’s Champion partners and the charity’s own pledge funders (charities are limited to apply for Champion funds, which are a maximum of 10% of their annual income).

Funds may be applied for in relation to specific projects’, core costs and capital costs.

Want to know more?
Join the Big Give’s Christmas Challenge 2026 Introduction webinar on Wednesday 20th May from 12pm (midday) – 1pm for an overview of how the campaign works, what makes a strong application, and how to approach the pledge collection phase with confidence.

On the 3rd June, 12-1pm they will also be hosting a Securing your pledges webinar filled with practical tips and advice on approaching major donors to become pledgers.

Deadline: Friday 3rd July 2026, 5pm

This fund is not managed by Funding for All. Please click ‘Find out more’ and contact the funder directly for more information.