# Surge in donations sees CAF distribute record £958m

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/09/02/surge-in-donations-sees-caf-distribute-record-958m/
- Published: 2021-09-02T08:30:38+01:00
- Author: Melanie May

**Charities Aid Foundation has paid out more than £958 million to good causes around
the world in the past year, as donations from private philanthropists and businesses
have risen.**

CAF’s Trustees’ Report for 2020/21 reveals that donations increased by 43%, or more
than £300 million, with the funds entrusted to CAF topping £1 billion for the first
time. As a result tens of thousands of charities in more than 100 countries have
been supported.

The [Trustees’ annual report](https://www.cafonline.org/about-us/governance/annual-reports)
highlights:

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 * Donations into CAF increased by over £300 million to more than £1 billion
 * Donations into CAF America increased by 71% to £364m
 * More than £100 million of pandemic response funding was generated by an innovative
   three-way partnership with the UK’s insurance and long-term savings industry’s
   Covid-19 Support Fund, the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport’s
   Community Match Challenge, and CAF. As part of this, the CAF Resilience Fund 
   of £40m was created to support charities working with the UK’s most vulnerable
   populations
 * CAF Bank, which serves UK charities and social enterprises, increased committed
   loans to £164.7m
 * Venturesome, CAF’s pioneering social investment arm, supported 117 organisations
   with £5.6m of loans and 15 more with £663,000 of grants through new, blended 
   finance packages.

Neil Heslop, OBE, 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 £1 billion donated into our care, demonstrates that the philanthropists
> and businesses that 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. Those charities have been 
> the frontline heroes in this pandemic and many have survived and thrived because
> of CAF’s partners. We are immensely grateful to have played our part during this
> difficult time.”

CAF launched its [Resilience Fund in 2020](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/10/20/caf-launches-20m-charity-resilience-fund/)
to help charitable organisations in England supporting those hardest hit by the 
pandemic. By February this year it had [distributed its first £10m](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/02/05/caf-resilience-fund-distributes-first-10m/).

2019-20 was also a record year for giving, with CAF distributing [a then record of £702m](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/08/28/caf-pays-out-record-702m-to-charities/).

 * **[CAF to grow cross-border giving services with launch of international network](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/11/03/caf-to-grow-cross-border-giving-services-with-launch-of-international-network/)**(
   3 November 2021)
 * **[35% plan to do something charitable this Christmas](https://fundraising.co.uk/2021/12/20/35-plan-to-do-something-charitable-this-christmas/)**(
   20 December 2021)
 * **[Majority of sector leaders believe charities will be expected to fill public service gaps over next 5 years](https://fundraising.co.uk/2022/02/09/majority-of-sector-leaders-believe-charities-will-be-expected-to-fill-public-service-gaps-over-next-5-years/)**(
   9 February 2022)