Who we are
The National Funding Scheme is a UK registered charity — no. 1149800 in England and Wales and SC045106 in Scotland — that exists for one purpose: to help other charitable organisations raise more money, more easily.
We operate the DONATE™ platform: a single system for raffles, auctions, campaigns, text giving, online donations and contactless tap-to-donate terminals. Since launching in the early 2010s we have processed millions of pounds in donations for thousands of charitable organisations across the UK — from national institutions to village churches, schools and PTAs.
Because we are a charity ourselves, our incentives are different from commercial fundraising platforms. We price to cover our costs, publish our fees openly, and put an interactive comparison of every major UK platform — including ourselves — on our own website. We welcome the scrutiny.
How we're regulated
Trust matters when a platform handles charitable money. The National Funding Scheme is:
- A registered charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (no. 1149800) and the Scottish Charity Regulator, OSCR (SC045106) — with public accounts filed annually.
- Licensed by the Gambling Commission, which is what allows us to run fully compliant online charity raffles and lotteries on behalf of good causes — something most fundraising platforms cannot offer.
- Registered with the Fundraising Regulator, committed to the Code of Fundraising Practice.
- PCI-compliant in all payment processing, with donations handled through regulated payment providers, and UK GDPR compliant in how donor data is collected and used.
What we believe
Fundraising should be affordable for every cause. No setup fees and no lock-in — organisations of any size get the same platform.
Gift Aid should be effortless. We collect declarations and administer claims to HMRC automatically, adding up to 25% to eligible donations without paperwork for the charity — see how digital Gift Aid works.
Giving should meet donors where they are. In person by tap-to-donate, by text message, online by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay or PayPal — one platform, every channel.
Transparency beats marketing. Our pricing page and platform comparison tool show exactly where every penny goes.
Where to find us
Our registered office is at 1 Golden Court, Richmond, Surrey TW9 1EU. The easiest ways to reach the team are the contact page or hello@nationalfundingscheme.org.
If you're a journalist, researcher or regulator looking for formal records: our charity registrations can be verified on the Charity Commission register and the OSCR register.
Ready to fundraise with us?
Whether you're a registered charity, a school, a community group or an individual fundraiser, you can be up and running in minutes.