This match funding campaign is open to charities that are working to improve the lives of vulnerable, disadvantaged or underrepresented women and girls in England and Scotland.

The inaugural Women & Girls Match Fund raised £2m for 119 women and girls charities between in March 2022. The Christmas Challenge is a further opportunity for charities to access the £1m funding pot this year.

The Christmas Challenge is the UK’s biggest digital match funding campaign and gives donors the chance to double their donations. The campaign will run from midday on Tuesday 29 November to midday Tuesday 6 December 2022. Last year it raised a record-breaking £24.1m for 928 charities.

The match funds come from two sources. Charities secure some of these (Pledges) over the summer. The funds are then boosted by funds from a Big Give Champion (ie. DCMS Tampon Tax funding) which contributes to the match fund pot. The collective pot is used to double donations from online supporters when the campaign is live.

For Women and Girls charities in England and Scotland, with an annual income of less than £1m, the Big Give can act as a Pledger for your campaign and offer Pledge funding of up to £12,500. This will be topped up with funds from DCMS of up to £12,500 and means you can access up to £25,000 in match funds from the Big Give and DCMS. In other words, the Big Give will provide all of the match funds for your Christmas Challenge campaign.

Evidence shows that donors are more likely to give, and to give more, in match funding campaigns. The Big Give offers a free suite of resources, training and guidance to support all participating charities. 

The closing date for organisations to apply to participate in the Christmas Challenge is 5pm on Friday 1 July 2022.

For more information, the eligibility criteria, and to apply, visit the Christmas Challenge page on The Big Give website.