Small Charites Data is a digital research hub that brings together the latest and best available data on small charities in the UK. We want to make evidence on small charities accessible and usable for anyone interested in the voluntary sector.
We draw on data from a wide range of sources, like government, regulators, membership bodies and infrastructure organisations in the charity sector, independent funders, academics researchers, and many others.
What is a small charity?
A small charity is a voluntary or community organisation with a total annual income of less than £1m. 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.
For comparison, in places, we have included ‘larger charities’ which have a total annual income of over £1m.
For more detail on how we have defined small charities in this project and where this varies between sources, see our sources page.
Why does size matter?
A small charity does not mean a small impact.
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. We think those differences are worth protecting and celebrating, which is why we built this site.
Who put this site together?
This site was created and funded by Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, an independent grantmaker.
The resource was developed in partnership with a steering group from the Small Charities Coalition, the FSI, NCVO, 360Giving, LocalGiving, Locality, and Sheffield Hallam University. More information on each of the partners can be found here.
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.