FAQs - Use of funds raised

UK Aid Match can be used to (i) fund specific projects that deliver results by improving the lives of poor people in developing countries, or (ii) provide unrestricted funding to organisations that have a primary purpose of poverty reduction in developing countries.

Funds provided by DFID under UK Aid Match must be used for the same purpose as the funds which are raised from public donations.  So if an appeal is for a specific project or projects, then funds from the UK Aid Match grant must be used to finance the same project.

Applicants must be able to explain what results the funding aims to achieve, how the results of the funding and its impact on poor people will be measured, and how value for money will be maximised. See the specific questions on this in the application form.

We will award UK Aid Match grants to organisations working in DFID’s focus countries or in countries that are in the bottom 50 of the Human Development Index (HDI) – i.e. the world’s poorest countries. (Note: We will accept applications for activities in countries that are in the bottom 50 of the 2009 HDI or the 2010 HDI.)

• Country list [PDF - 19 KB]opens in a new window

DFID will match fund, pound for pound, donations that are given by members of the public to an appeal. In cases where an appeal is expected to raise more than £5 million, DFID will discuss with the recipient organisation how best to agree a match funding commitment.

DFID also runs a number of other NGO funding schemes which do not involve match funding. If your organisation is seeking funding, but does not intend to run a public appeal using a communications partner, we suggest you apply to these alternative schemes.

• Alternative DFID funding schemes

DFID will provide funding through a grant for up to 3 year period from the close of the appeal. DFID will not disburse any funding longer than 36 months after the closure of the appeal.

Below is a list of activities DFID cannot support through UK Aid Match. This list covers activities that we are often asked about, but it is not exhaustive:

Capital expenditure

Major capital expenditure will not be supported (e.g. construction or purchase of buildings, land, vehicles, etc). If any capital expenditure is included (e.g. project related equipment and vehicles), it must be fully justified as contributing to the sustainable outcome of the initiative.

Discrimination

We will not consider initiatives that discriminate between individuals or groups of people on any grounds including race, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age.

Scholarships

We will not fund educational scholarships.

‘Stand alone’ activities

We will not fund stand alone initiatives which are not part of a wider programme, e.g. one-off conferences, training events. Nor can we support initiatives dealing purely with the overseas transportation of goods and supplies.

Civil disobedience

We will not provide support to projects which actively encourage civil disobedience.

Partisan political stance

We will not fund activities which take a partisan political stance, or initiatives which involve direct lobbying of the UK government or of international organisations of which the UK is a member, or which involve lobbying for or against activities of particular companies, individuals or institutions

Proselytising

We will not fund project activities which promote particular religious beliefs, or provide unrestricted funding to organisations whose primary purpose includes the promotion of particular religious beliefs.

Response to acute humanitarian disasters

UK Aid Match is not appropriate for appeals aiming to raise money for disasters which require an immediate response as it is not possible to process applications and agree communications plans and log-frames in the time available when raising funds for immediate response. However, disaster response/humanitarian operations which do not require an immediate response can be considered for match funding. If you want to make an application for an appeal for disaster response/humanitarian work, we suggest that you discuss this with the UK Aid Match Team.