A more than 40 per cent surge in donations resulted in the Charities Aid Foundation distributing a record £958m to charities in 2020/21, new figures show.
The amount passed to good causes through CAF accounts rose by £300m in the year to the end of April 2021 compared with the previous year, according to the charity’s latest accounts, which were published yesterday.
CAF said total funds entrusted to it had passed £1bn for the first time.
The charity works with private philanthropists, businesses and governments in the UK, US and Canada to send funds to charities working across hundreds of causes around the world.
Many donations are made immediately to the donors’ cause of choice, but others use their CAF accounts to grow their funds for future donation to their chosen organisations.
Total spending in 2020/21 increased from £689m in the previous year to £931m, including £811m in donations to charities.
CAF said tens of thousands of charities in more than 100 countries have been supported to deliver lasting benefits in communities around the world as a result.
More than £100m of pandemic response funding was generated by a three-way partnership with the UK’s insurance and long-term savings industry’s Covid-19 Support Fund and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport’s Community Match Challenge, said CAF.
CAF Bank, which serves UK charities and social enterprises, provided loans of £164.7m, while Venturesome, CAF’s social investment arm, supported 117 organisations with £5.6m of loans.
Neil Heslop, chief executive of CAF, said: “The Charities Aid Foundation exists to accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all. This remarkable year of generosity, with more than £1bn donated into our care, demonstrates that the philanthropists and businesses we partner with share this ambition.
“Together, we enable charities to do more life-changing work with lasting benefits and true impact where it matters most. We collaborate across sectors and borders, with governments and fellow funders seeking innovation so civil society may thrive.
“The donors we are privileged to work with have been inspired by charities’ remarkable response to the pandemic in communities everywhere.”