New free portal unlocks Third Sector Trends data
Howard Lake | 22 September 2026 | News
Community Foundation North East has launched an interactive online data portal giving free public access to findings from Third Sector Trends, the largest and longest-running study of the voluntary sector in England and Wales.
Third Sector Trends began in 2010 and is repeated every three years. The 2025 sweep, which closed on 30 September and drew a nationally representative sample of more than 8,680 responses, resulted in five national-level reports covering relationships, people, energy, finance, and regional dynamics, as well as variations in sector structure and practice across different types of area.
What the portal offers
The new site uses data visualisation tools to bring the study’s key findings to life across England and Wales, with a particular focus on North East England, including a breakdown for the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority.
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Users can select areas of interest, such as employee numbers, volunteers, purpose, beneficiaries served, or social impact, and explore the results through graphs, maps, and infographics drawn from data gathered since the triennial surveys began in 2010.
Widening access beyond the written reports
Findings from Third Sector Trends have previously been shared entirely through written research reports. Professor Tony Chapman of St Chad’s College, Durham University, who directs the study, told UK Fundraising the reports “tend to be rather long and arduous for the casual reader”, and that the Community Foundation’s new portal “works really well” in widening access to the findings. The initiative was led by Hannah Mackay-Christie at Community Foundation North East.
Rob Williamson OBE DL, Chief Executive, Community Foundation North East, said:
“The Third Sector Trends Study provides unrivalled, large-scale, longitudinal data on charities and community organisations. Our new interactive web content allows people to look at different characteristics and statistics in our area and across England and Wales. It’s a treasure trove for the sector, for funders, for researchers and for policy-makers, who need to take heed of the economic as well as the social value of what charities and community organisations do across the country.”
Third Sector Trends was established by Northern Rock Foundation in 2008. Community Foundation North East and St Chad’s College, Durham University are now responsible for its legacy and continuation, drawing on a dataset of 205,000 organisations to complement, rather than replicate, findings from the NCVO UK Civil Society Almanac, the Charity Commission, and 360 Giving. The 2025-26 phase is funded by Community Foundation North East, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England and Wales, the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, and Millfield House Foundation.
The portal is available at the Community Foundation’s website, and the full Third Sector Trends reports, area studies, and methodology can be found on St Chad’s College’s website.
- Third Sector Trends in England and Wales tracks charities’ financial health (21 January 2026)
- Political pressure to limit campaigning unlikely to be effective with work essential to charity survival (1 November 2023)
- Final Third Sector Trends report focuses on people, places, & policy (30 May 2023)
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.