BBC Children in Need is set to pause its applications after 15 April as part of an effort to improve its systems and processes.
It will still make grants throughout the year, but will not accept new applications or new expressions of interest until mid-September. During this period, it will continue to consider and process all applications submitted on or before 15 April.
The transition will take place throughout 2025, and it will launch its new grantmaking system by the end of September 2025.
Applicants may receive a decision one to two weeks later than normal.
If the grantees’ application or expression of interest application is successful, the charity will contact them regarding the next steps.
The charity will prioritise considering and processing all applications using its current system before its current portal is closed.
Grantees will be invited to register for a new grantee portal account once the new grantmaking system is ready in September.
Current or previous grantees of Children in Need will not have access to their online account in the grantee portal from 26 July 2025.
The charity will be in touch with all organisations who have an online account to ask them to save any forms or reports that they wish to access in the future.
It will also be in touch with grantees whose end-of-year report is due during the closure period.
If grantees have a report in progress that is unlikely to be submitted before the closure date of 26 July 2025, it asks that grantees keep a local copy of all the information within their report.
More information will be added to the charity’s frequently asked questions page in the coming days.
Grant budget remains unchanged
A BBC Children in Need spokesperson told Civil Society: “We are moving to a new grantmaking system that will allow us to improve applicant and grantee experience, process future expressions of interest more efficiently and will improve the turnaround time for responses to applicants.
“Our grant budget for this year will remain unchanged. We will still be awarding grants all the way through this period and throughout the rest of the year, ensuring we continue to support the children and young people that need it most.
“We are working with our applicants and grantees to minimise this disruption.”
Children in Need’s decision came after two more foundations announced pauses to applications last month.
The Steve Morgan Foundation paused its grant applications indefinitely on 25 February to reconsider its grantmaking approach.
Meanwhile, the Peter Harrison Foundation announced on 4 February that it will close applications from 2 April due to “an unprecedented surge in demand for funding”.
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