The Big Give has opened applications for its fifth annual Women and Girls Match Fund Campaign, which offers charities supporting women and girls the chance to benefit from doubled donations.

The match funding platform will run the campaign between 8 and 15 October, coinciding with the International Day of the Girl on 11 October.

The campaign will double public donations made to participating charities during this period via the Big Give’s platform, using funding provided by philanthropists, foundations and companies, also known as match-funding champions.

These champions include the Julia Rausing Trust, which has pledged £2m to support women and girls’ charities on the Big Give platform between 2024 and 2026, a pledge that will unlock more than £1m in this year’s campaign.

UK-registered charities that are dedicated to supporting women and girls can apply to participate via Big Give’s platform until 30 May.

Alongside its partner Impact 100, Big Give will select charities to participate and make them an offer before 13 August.

To be eligible, charities must have recorded an annual income of at least £25,000 in their most recent accounts filed with the Charity Commission and must be led by, for and with women and girls. 

The funding platform will prioritise applications from charities led by black and minoritised women and girls, LGBTQI women and girls or disabled women and girls.

Charities can seek to raise a target of £2,500, £5,000 or £10,000 in public donations, which will be matched by Big Give’s match funding champions.

Last year’s campaign raised more than £2.1m for 189 participating charities, attracting 9,377 public donations. The 2024 campaign’s participants included the STORM Family Centre, backed by the model Sabrina Elba and the actor Will Poulter; The Malala Fund UK, founded by the activist and Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai; and Ethiopiaid, whose ambassador is the singer Natalie Imbruglia.

Big Give said this year’s campaign “aims to make an even greater impact”, saying: “Despite their essential work, women and girls’ charities receive just 1.8 per cent of UK grants from trusts and foundations. 

“This chronic underfunding is exacerbated by ongoing economic challenges, intensifying the difficulties faced by these organisations. Big Give’s campaign seeks to close this funding gap by offering vital digital fundraising support through its match funding model.”

Alex Day, director of Big Give, said: “Given the impact our proven match funding model makes to the charities that take part in our campaigns, we encourage any suitable charity to come forward so they can double the difference for the causes they are fighting for.”