The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) distributed more than £1.20 billion on behalf of individuals and businesses in its last financial year, increasing from £1.15 billion the previous year. The Trustees Report for 2024/25 highlights how these funds supported the work of hundreds of thousands of charities around the world.
CAF works at the centre of the giving world, collaborating with corporate and individual donors to enable them to give more effectively, strategically and impactfully.
Last year, private and corporate clients in the UK, US and Canada entrusted more than £1.34 billion to CAF to help charities to do more of their life-changing work where and when it matters most. These contributions increased by £188 million compared to the previous year. Harnessing its expertise in global grantmaking, CAF America supported charities around the world with grants totalling £676 million.
In the UK, CAF Bank provides specialist banking to help charities and social enterprises manage their finances, so they can continue to support the causes and communities that matter to them. The bank’s lending continued to grow, advancing £41.5 million in loans to help charities and social purpose organisations improve their sustainability and further their impact.
Neil Heslop OBE, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said:
“It is one of the privileges of working at CAF that we get to play a part in thousands of individual stories of giving, just a handful of which are highlighted in this Annual Report. These stories remind us that distributing over a billion pounds to charities is the result of the generosity of others and their individual connections to causes the world over.”
“Thanks to the generosity of the donors we work with and the dedication of the charities they support, it is heartening that this has been a record year for CAF. But philanthropy and charitable giving have never been more needed. Against a backdrop of global political and economic uncertainty, retrenchment in international aid and other fiscal constraints, securing greater and more impactful philanthropy – and its encouragement – is now essential.”