Comic Relief

Comic Relief, founded in 1985 by Richard Curtis, Sir Lenny Henry, and Jane Tewson in response to the Ethiopian famine, is a pioneering UK charity that raises funds and awareness through entertainment, notably its iconic Red Nose Day telethon, channeling over £1.6 billion to combat poverty and injustice. Its mission centers on creating a just world free from poverty by addressing immediate needs and root causes, emphasizing fairness, equity, empowerment of locally-led solutions, anti-racism, and amplifying voices with lived experience. Distinctively, it adheres to the "Golden Pound Principle," directing every donated pound to projects while covering core costs separately, and leverages celebrity-driven public engagement for mass participation.

It funds initiatives tackling poverty and social exclusion, including mental health, gender justice, safe shelter, food insecurity, youth empowerment, violence prevention, homelessness, and climate impacts on vulnerable groups. Beneficiaries are children, young people, women and girls, disabled people, racialised/minoritised communities, and those in UK deprived areas or crisis-hit countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Supported activities span direct services, preventative work, campaigning, capacity building, and movement building for organisations like Women's Aid, Centrepoint, and grassroots food banks.

Eligible applicants include UK-registered charities and community groups (small to medium via Community Fund, under £250k income; medium-large, £100k-£10m for strategic programmes) with no geographic base restriction but UK-wide and select international focus. Grants range from £5,000 (Community Fund) to £50,000-£600,000 over 1-3 years, capped at two-thirds of annual income; capital up to 25%. Applications follow a two-stage process (EOI then full) via online system during open rounds—check website, as no central calls are live post-November 2025; Community Fund (England) closed October 2025. It excludes non-poverty/disadvantage work outside calls, prioritizing community-driven, impactful projects with strong ties and measurable resilience-building outcomes.