All of our celebrity supporters give their time for free. As a charity, we don’t pay for their contributions to our work – and we’re extremely grateful for everything they do.  

BBC Children in Need exists to fund vital support for children and young people struggling with challenges caused by mental health, poverty, social inequality, family-related issues and other pressing problems.. 

We believe that every child and young person should have the chance to thrive and be the best they can be. 

We use the money raised to support the children and young people who need it most, right across the UK. 

BBC Children in Need currently supports over 1,500 local charities and projects helping children and young people who live with a range of challenges such as poverty, disability or illness, distress, neglect, trauma and other significant obstacles. 

In the last grant year alone, your support helped change the lives of over 426,000 children and young people right here in the UK.  

Since our first major Appeal in 1980, BBC Children in Need has raised over £1 billion to help make life lighter for children and young people in every UK region. 

We raise money by organising an annual fundraising campaign that culminates with the annual BBC Children in Need Appeal Show live on BBC One. 

Each year, people from every corner of the UK come together to support BBC Children in Need and help change young lives – from schools and corporate partners like Asda and McDonald’s to individual fundraisers, colleagues across the BBC and celebrity friends. 

Once we know how much money has been raised and donated as part of the annual Appeal, we set out our grant budget for the year and hold “grant rounds”, where projects can apply to us for funding.  

We receive thousands of applications every year. These are carefully assessed to ensure that the funding will make a real difference to children and young people facing a range of challenges, such as poverty, disability or illness, distress, neglect, trauma or otherwise carrying a burden that is too heavy to manage alone. 

Organisations applying for funding must clearly demonstrate how their project will change the lives of those aged 18 and under for the better. 

We provide grants to projects over a three-year period. Like most responsible charities, we do not hand over the multi-year grants in one lump sum at the beginning of that period. Instead, we release funding to the organisation in installments, monitoring the work being done so that we can feel confident that money donated by the public is being spent wisely, with the greatest possible impact on young lives. 

We have a rigorous decision-making process in place to make sure the grants we award will have a positive impact on the lives of children and young people facing a range of challenges. Our teams carefully assess these applications to confirm that grants will make a real difference to those who need it most. 

Grant applications are reviewed in the Nation or Region in which each project is based. A group of people, either local staff or volunteer committee members, draw on their specialist knowledge of the local context, the non-profit and children’s sectors and BBC Children in Need’s policies and priorities to advise our board of Trustees regarding which projects should receive grants. 

Please look at the Grants section of our website for more information. 

All charities in the UK registered with the Charity Commission have a trust deed – a legal document which governs what they can and can’t do. When the BBC Governors registered BBC Children in Need as a charity, it was to support and help children and young people living with challenges in the UK only. This is our stated purpose, and we have over thirty years’ experience in helping children in the UK who need it most. We look forward to continuing our work within this sector. 

No. All money in our grant reserves is intended for grant making activities and will help to support children and young people. We are committed to ensuring that donations are spent responsibly, and that a rigorous evaluation and decision-making process is in place to make sure this money goes on to have the greatest possible impact on young lives. 

Any money not allocated to projects by the time our annual accounts are finalised (at the end of June) will be paid out in subsequent grant rounds. We have recently invested in our grant making capacity to ensure that we can allocate funding more quickly – and we have therefore significantly reduced the time it takes to award funding. 

As a charity, we are committed to ensuring that money generously donated by the public is spent wisely, and that it goes on to make a real difference to the lives of children and young people experiencing a range of issues and challenges across the UK.  

Like any other organisation, BBC Children in Need incurs necessary costs in the course of its work; running the charity professionally and efficiently, managing grants responsibly and raising funds all costs money. 

For every pound donated to BBC Children in Need, a minimum of 95p goes directly towards changing the lives of children and young people who need it most This includes the grants we make to UK-based projects working with children and young people, the costs of making sure that these grants are properly monitored and evaluated, and the costs of undertaking research and developing initiatives designed to ensure our  positive impact on young lives. 

All other costs not attributable to grant making are funded by investment income, Gift Aid, licensed income, and up to 5p from every pound donated. 

Our 2025 Appeal show will take place on Friday 14th November. 

Our Chief Executive’s salary is £154,044, as published in our latest Annual Report & Accounts.

Check out our fundraising hub for loads of advice, tips and ideas on how to be a fundraiser.

To set-up your monthly donation, please visit our dedicated page today. Thank you for considering supporting us in this way. 

We really appreciate when people choose to think of us on an ongoing basis and not just at the time of our annual appeal show. By giving monthly, you will help to ensure that the obstacles that children and young people face – from poverty, inequality and lack of access to education and mental health challenges – are addressed head on. 

You’ll be contributing to organisations in your community, supporting children who are the beating heart of your community. Helping to ensure that children right across your region have the childhood they deserve – and the support they need to thrive. 

We don’t encourage fundraisers to collect money door-to-door, in the street or in any other public place – and we are unable to supply tins or buckets. Public collections undertaken for, or on behalf of, charities in public places are regulated by law and require a licence from the relevant authorities. 

We would recommend that you arrange a fundraising event rather than a collection, or undertake a collection at a private event or venue with the permission of the owner. 

With a huge volume of amazing supporters who collect donations for us every year, we do not have the resources to authorise and monitor every one of these fundraisers where authorisation would require us to take full responsibility for the activities taking place. 

Annually, BBC Children in Need is supported by thousands of amazing individuals, groups and organisations. We would like to help each and every one of them to maximise their fundraising, but with limited resources, we cannot provide merchandise free of charge. 

There are lots of small items available on the Pudsey shop that can be ordered individually or in bulk. 

Additionally, under the terms of the Gambling Act 2005, a raffle is considered to be a lottery and must be run in accordance with the law. If you’re planning on organising your own raffle, please check the rules on the Gambling Commission website. 

Unfortunately, we cannot currently provide free merchandise for you to sell at your event. Many of our supporters opt to purchase items instead, individually or in bulk. You’ll be able to do this through our online shop. 

We also have special deposit scheme arrangements in place for schools. You’ll find details of this in our Schools section. 

That’s great news, and we’d love for you to be involved! Check out our fundraising hub for loads of advice, tips and ideas on how to be a fundraiser. 

Alternatively, if you’re interested in becoming a corporate partner and nominating BBC Children in Need as your official charity, please email us at [email protected] and a member of our dedicated team will be in touch ASAP. 

Businesses are required by company law to have a written agreement with us if they plan to sell goods or services– or to run promotions for the Appeal. Contact us via the above email for more details. 

The Fundraising Regulator provides comprehensive guidance on issues such as fundraising laws, public events, fundraising with children, insurance and risk. You can access their guidance for supporters by visiting the Fundraising Regulator website. 

When planning a fundraising event, please also refer to the NSPCC’s information on safeguarding children and the NSPCC Fundraising best practice guidelines. 

You can fundraise at any age. However, certain activities come with minimum age requirements. For example: 

• To gather donations using a collection box, you must be 16 years of age or over
  • For licensed lotteries, children under the age of 16 cannot sell tickets
  • Children under 16 cannot be given the responsibility of counting money to provide a final total for your fundraising
  • To skydive, you must be 16 or over 

In order to undertake any fundraising activities, all children under 16 need to have written consent from a parent or guardian. 

Unfortunately we can’t arrange for celebrities to attend external events, but, if he is available, Pudsey would love to make an appearance! Please contact your local BBC Children in Need office for details.  

Please be aware that Pudsey gets a lot of requests, so please get in touch as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. 

We’re proud of your donations – and we want you to be proud too! The easiest way to receive a Thank You Certificate is to request one here. 

Alternatively, you can send the original paying-in slip or cheque for your fundraising, with your name and address included,, to 

BBC Children in Need 

MediaCityUK 

Salford 

M50 2BH 

This year, we are asking people to let us know what they are doing for BBC Children in Need by completing an online form. If you could fill this out with your story and adding your permission, we will be able to share this information with regional BBC colleagues. This will enable BBC TV, Radio and social media to pick it up. 

Unfortunately, we cannot promote individual fundraising events., However, please feel free to post on our Facebook page or tag us in posts on X, Instagram or TikTok. 

We have a range of different videos that you could show. They are available on our YouTube channel or throughout this website. 

Any money donated through external online fundraising platforms is paid directly to the charity at regular intervals. This is cost effective for the charity and makes collecting money easier for you.

There are a range of options online – including JustGiving and Facebook Donate – with each offering different features depending on your need.  

Yes – as long as you let your supporters know that the money is being split, how that split will be arranged and which charities will be receiving the funds. 

As the long-time face of our charity, Pudsey is a trademark copyrighted by the BBC. Because of this, anyone using his logo must have a formal licensing agreement. 

There are lots of ways to send in your donations, but please don’t send cash by post! Instead, please use one of these other options. 

Gift Aid is an easy way to increase the impact of your donations; further details are available from the HMRC website.

If you would like to leave a gift to BBC Children in Need in your Will, please contact a solicitor specialising in this area. You will be able to source a solicitor here. 

In preparing your will, you will need to include the following details. 

The official name of the charity is:
BBC Children in Need 

Our address is: 

BBC Children in Need 

MediaCityUK 

Salford 

M50 2BH 

Our registered charity number in England and Wales: 802052, in Scotland: SC039557. 

We are incredibly grateful for these donations. By supporting BBC Children in Need with a gift in your Will, you’ll be helping the Charity to confidently plan and fund further initiatives, making a vital difference to the lives of the UK’s children and young people who need it most. 

Yes – you can absolutely claim Gift Aid on behalf of BBC Children in Need. Please encourage donors to tick the Gift Aid box on your sponsorship form when they make a contribution or when you collect money together. 

To claim Gift Aid on your fundraising, we must have the first name (or initials), last name, full home address and postcode of each individual donor/ sponsor. 

Without these details, we legally cannot claim Gift Aid – so be sure to follow up with your supporters; for every £10, you could add £2.50 to your target using this method, at no cost to you or your donors. 

We do not use Gift Aid information for marketing purposes. 

Please see our frequently asked questions section dedicated to shop enquiries.

Alternatively please email [email protected] or call us on 0345 609 0015.

For full details, see our full privacy policy which lays out our information management process. 

BBC Children in Need recognises that receiving feedback from everyone with whom our charity interacts – through both compliments and complaints – is an important part of developing as an organisation. 

To make a complaint, please read our Complaints Procedure. 

Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, BBC Children in Need is currently funding around 550 local charities and projects across the UK supporting children and young people affected by poverty and a lack of access to resources –, to a total value of £35.2 million. 

As part of this, we fund over 180 organisations specifically supporting children affected by food insecurity to the value of £10.2m. These include breakfast clubs, lunch clubs and afterschool clubs – as well as playschemes and holiday clubs outside of school term-time. These projects work in communities right across the UK to provide food, support and advice, helping children and young people when they need it most. 

We are aware of a message circulating on social media and messaging apps resulting in individuals making an inadvertent donation to BBC Children in Need. If you have been affected, please contact [email protected]. 

We mostly use models in our photography to respect the privacy of the children we support. When we do feature real children, we take great care to protect their identities, including changing names if requested. Occasionally, with explicit permission from both the children and their caregivers, we use photos of children we have supported.

Please click the “unsubscribe” button in any email from us, or get in touch via [email protected] to let us know you no longer want to hear from us.