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.  

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. 

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 AppealShow. By giving monthly, you will help to ensure that the obstacles affecting children and young people, 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 local area and supporting children -the beating heart of your community. Your donations will help 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 add 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 your posts.

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. 

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. 

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.