MoneySavingExpert charity fund

Grant-giving to grassroots groups and more

Updated Annually

If you want to empower consumers, put money in their pocket. This site is dedicated to doing just that... but our charity fund does it even more directly. With over £2.2 million donated so far, it's MoneySavingExpert's way of giving back to users.

The money we raise currently goes to support our charity, the MSE Charity, which gives grants of up to £8,000 to groups that provide education, information and support to help people to learn how they can manage their money better.

But that's not all – we also make one-off donations and, in the past, have donated part of our fund to a range of charities nominated by you, MSE users.

The latest MSE Charity funding round is now closed

The MSE Charity's latest round of funding generated such interest that it has closed early, on Thursday 14 September.

The charity received its maximum of 40 applications for grants following the round's opening on Monday 4 September.

The September round focused on the theme of 'life changes' – with grants available to non-profit groups that teach financial skills to people going through big life events, such as bereavement or homelessness.

We'll include info here on the recipients of the grants once we have it. Meanwhile, to read about the groups that received grants totalling just over £55,000 in the last round of funding, see charity grant recipients below.

What is the MSE Charity?

Launched in May 2008, the MSE Charity (registered charity number 1121320) is dedicated to helping people help themselves, by funding activities that make a lasting impact on how people think, behave, and manage their money.

Rather than engaging in any projects itself, the charity offers grants of up to £8,000 to support non-profit organisations, such as social enterprises or registered charities, with specific money education projects. Help is given to a range of projects, from small grassroots groups to more mainstream charities, with the maximum annual income level for an organisation set at £750,000.

The MSE Charity has two themed grant-giving rounds a year and four themes that rotate through a two-year cycle. Its themes are building and developing resilience, life changes, living with long-term challenges, and raising the next generation.

MSE founder Martin Lewis on the MSE Charity's history...

The MSE Charity is now over 10 years old. It was my first foray into the third sector and I've learned much. The MSE Charity is still very much the site's baby, a passion play that allows us to help far more than those who just use the site. It enables us to put money into small projects that may otherwise get ignored, but can have a huge impact on people's lives. Its focus remains on educating people on how to deal with their money and to tackle financial illiteracy.

In the early days MSE and I were the same thing. Now the site has its own independent life, alongside me, which is why I'm delighted it continues to fund the MSE Charity. It was the MSE Charity that educated me into what a privilege having money and being able to put it where it is needed really is. Without it I'm not sure I'd have had the confidence to set up the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute and the other work I do. Thanks MSE Charity.

See more on Martin's personal charity fund work, including his own donations to the MSE Charity, which are separate from MSE's.

Where does the MSE Charity's money come from?

The cash is generated from two sources:

An annual donation from this site. A donation of over £235,000 was made to launch the charity, and substantial donations have continued to be made each year.

All this cash – less some small administrative costs – goes directly to the grant fund. Martin makes a separate personal donation to cover the majority of the running costs of the charity.

Martin also put money into the Martin Lewis Charitable Fund when MoneySavingExpert joined the MoneySupermarket Group – for more information on this, see Martin's blog.

Donations from well-wishers. Anyone who wants to support the charity is more than welcome; for the many who have said they'd like to donate to MoneySavingExpert as it's saved them money, please donate to the charity instead.

How can I make a donation to the MSE Charity?

You can donate online through the MSE Charity's PayPal Giving Fund page.

Any postal donations can be sent to the MSE Charity c/o Moneysupermarket Group, 1 Dean Street, London, W1D 3RB, and if your donation is eligible for Gift Aid, please complete its Gift Aid declaration form.

Who's recently received an MSE grant?

The MSE Charity awarded grants to 10 worthy organisations in its January 2023 round of funding.

This grant-giving was themed on 'raising the next generation', and focused on groups that teach vital financial life skills to children, young people and families.

Here you can read more about the groups that benefited from grants totalling just over £55,000.

The 10 organisations to receive grants
The charity the Beyond Food Foundation operates in central London and was originally set up to support individuals affected by homelessness. However, it now helps a broader range of vulnerable people, with focused young person programmes.

The project we have part-funded is the 'Budget, Buy & Boss It' series of workshops for 12 young people aged 14 to 17. They will develop essential skills through practical guidance, demonstrations, and hands-on activities, looking at cooking skills, budgeting skills, employment and independent-living skills.

Cribs is a registered charity based in Bexleyheath, Kent, which helps children and young people.

We have funded its project to deliver the Christians Against Poverty Money Kids Course to 44 Year 5 classes across 15 schools. This will reach approximately 1,320 children. The course is designed to meet the requirements set out by the curriculum in a fun, engaging way for children aged nine to 11. Topics covered include budgeting, saving and spending, all taught through interactive stories, games and real-life situations.

Elevate Education Business Partnership is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to help nurture the talents and skills of young people to try to improve social mobility, and support the local economy in the Liverpool area.

The project we have funded will engage at least 200 young people aged between eight and 11, who will take part in its Money Marvels programme, which will teach age-appropriate money life skills.

The Growing Club Community Interest Company (CIC), based in Lancaster, designs and delivers peer-based training by women, for women. It's enabled over 800 women so far to rediscover confidence and skills to return to work, education, renegotiate positions, and to start and grow sustainable businesses.

We have funded a parents' outreach project, Women and Money Matters, whose aim is to support about 50 parents to discover new ways of thinking about and managing their money, to make healthier decisions for themselves and their families, and to become positive role models for their children. The project will be delivered in partnership with Green Rose CIC, RoseTinted Financial, and TP Financial Solutions.

Life in Community CIC is based in Tipton, a town just north of Birmingham. It empowers people to become actively involved in improving their health, wellbeing and life chances by supporting them to overcome the issues created by generational cycles of poverty.

We have funded the development of a community money advice connect hub, which will offer debt support and advocacy to residents. Two additional volunteers will be trained to become money mentors and help support families. The project will deliver a rolling 12-week workshop programme to parents which will cover budgeting, energy efficiency, price comparison websites, what is good versus bad debt, and cooking on a budget.

New Hope Global is a registered charity whose aim is to improve the quality of life of minority communities in Birmingham and the surrounding areas.

Our funding has enabled it to deliver 20 financial capability workshops delivered in partnership with trainers from the Birmingham Settlement charity. They will provide four hours a week of one-to-one support to those with complex needs, providing welfare and debt advice and money guidance, supporting about 200 people over the funding period.

New Leaf Support is a registered charity which helps victims and their children suffering domestic abuse in the borough of Swale, in Kent.

The project we have funded will support a specific financial confidence workshop as part of its Phoenix gender-neutral self-esteem programme. Coercive and controlling abuse often involves money and access to it, so it is particularly important for clients to gain specific support. It will directly help at least 40 beneficiaries.

The Support And Mentoring Enabling Entrepreneurship (SAMEE) Charity, based in Bournemouth, Dorset, works to enable disabled people to escape poverty and gain further independence through learning self-employment skills.

The project we have funded will enable SAMEE to provide intensive support to deliver personal finance and confidence-building training to 12 young people with learning disabilities. Each learner will develop self-employment and independent money life skills, gaining an accredited Level 1 Steps into Self-Employment Course qualification.

The registered charity Sheppey Matters works for better health and wellbeing outcomes for people of all ages across the Isle of Sheppey, in Kent.

We have funded the delivery of the Mammas (Money And Mind Management Action Support) programme, delivered in several formats to parents. Sessions will address the challenges of the current cost of living crisis – assisting parents to learn strategies for better money management and offering support that touches on the importance of mental and physical health and how this affects many of the behaviours around managing money.

The registered charity West Smethwick Enterprise, which operates in the West Midlands, offers early years and family support services including a supported contact centre and family learning sessions.

Our funding will support the delivery of 20 financial skills and confidence-building sessions over a 12-month period to 50 beneficiaries. Two members of staff from the children's development team will attend Budget Coach Training, put on by the charity Community Money Advice, to improve their financial capability skills. They will then share this learning across the wider team.

Visit the MSE Charity website or discuss it in the MSE Forum.

What other donations has MSE made?

Not only has MoneySavingExpert donated towards the MSE Charity's work, over the years we have also gifted cash to charities nominated by MSE users, and made a string of one-off donations, totalling more than £700,000.

The nominated charities include:

While many of MSE's donations have gone towards helping improve people's financial skills, we've also made a number of one-off donations to high-profile fundraising events and a range of charities large and small, including:

Children in Need
Comic Relief
Red Cross
Unicef
Various charities following natural disasters such as the Myanmar cyclone in 2008, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami in 2004

How much has MSE donated over the years?

Here's the MSE donation history since the site launched in February 2003.

This money comes directly from the site, and doesn't include any donations made by private individuals to the MSE Charity. If you're asking: "How does a free site with no ads make these donations?", read our How this site is financed guide.

Donations between 1 Sep 2019 and 31 Dec 2022

£327,800

Full info
£320,000
to the MSE Charity
Plus one-off donations...

Tetanus vaccines to Unicef – Dec 2019
A donation of £1,800 was given to Unicef to provide tetanus vaccines for 18,000 children.

Tetanus vaccines to Unicef – Dec 2020
A donation of £2,000 was given to Unicef to provide tetanus vaccines for 20,000 children.

Covid-19 donation to the World Health Organisation (WHO) – Dec 2021
We gave £2,000 to the WHO to help prevent and treat Covid-19 around the world.

Emergency support to the Red Cross – Dec 2022
We gave £2,000 to the Red Cross Ukraine Crisis Appeal to help those displaced by the war.

Donations between 22 Jul 2008 and 31 Aug 2019

£1,389,750

Full info
£966,592
to the MSE Charity

Main charities – £319,585 to nominated charities

Re-Cycle received 20% (£63,917)

Help for Heroes received 20% (£63,917)

ShelterBox received 20% (£63,917)

CAP UK received 20% (£63,917)

Samaritans received 20% (£63,917)
Plus one-off donations...

Start of charity fund donation
£200 each to St Giles Trust, iT4Communities, Foal Farm, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Citizens Advice, NCH (now Action for Children), £100 to Sightsavers International (total: £1,300).

Comic Relief – Mar 2009
To celebrate Comic Relief 2009, 50p was donated per new recipient of the weekly email for a specified period, meaning a £10,000 donation (once rounded to the nearest £1,000).

Haiti Earthquake Appeal – Feb 2010
To help the Disasters Emergency Committee Haiti Earthquake Appeal, 50p was donated per new recipient of the weekly email for a specified period, meaning a £15,322 donation.

Gift of Sight (Sightsavers) – Dec 2010
A donation of £1,705 was given to Sightsavers for the Gift of Sight for 100 people.

Financial Education – Jun 2011
Donation of £35,000 to the All Party Parliamentary Group supporting financial education in schools. See Martin's blog.

Gift of Sight (Sightsavers) – Dec 2011
A donation of £1,705 was given to Sightsavers for the Gift of Sight for 100 people.

Polio vaccines to Unicef – Dec 2012
A donation of £1,150 was given to Unicef for 10,000 polio vaccines.

Comic Relief – Mar 2013
To celebrate Comic Relief 2013, £1 was given for every new member of our Cheap Energy Club for a specified period, meaning a donation of £22,000 once rounded to the nearest £1,000.

Tetanus vaccines to Unicef – Dec 2013
A donation of £1,375 was given to Unicef for 30,000 tetanus vaccines.

Polio vaccines to Unicef – Dec 2014
A donation of £1,650 was given to Unicef for 15,000 polio vaccines.

Red Cross – Sep 2015
To help the Europe refugee crisis, 50p was donated per new recipient of the weekly email for a specified period, which we rounded up to make a £6,000 donation.

Tetanus vaccines to Unicef – Dec 2015
A donation of £2,040 was given to Unicef for 40,000 tetanus vaccines.

UK Athletics – Feb 2016
A donation of £325 was made.

Unicef – Jan 2018
A donation of £2,001 was made.

Unicef – Dec 2018
A donation of £2,000 was made to pay for health checks for 800 Syrian children.

Donations between 1 Sep 2006 and 21 Jul 2008

£404,084

Full info
£254,016
to the MSE Charity

Main charities – £111,918 to nominated charities

Cancer Research UK received 20% (£22,383)

Re-Cycle received 20% (£22,383)

Tools for Self Reliance received 20% (£22,383)

Different Strokes received 20% (£22,383)

Usable Websites received 20% (£22,383)
Plus one-off donations...

Festive donation
£3,000 went to Children in Crisis as part of this site's Christmas festive donation.

Children in Need
In the run-up to Children in Need 2007, 50p was donated per new recipient of the weekly email for a specified period, meaning an overall donation of £8,200.

Comic Relief
To celebrate Comic Relief, 50p was donated per new recipient of the weekly email in the run-up, meaning a £7,700 donation.

Myanmar Cyclone Appeal
A total of £7,500 was donated as part of the '50p donation for every new recipient of the weekly email' appeal.

Charities Aid Foundation
£1,100 was given to this charity, which provides low-cost banking, financial and training services to other charities.

Govan Law Centre
Received two donations, £9,000 and £1,000, for providing legal support to the bank charges campaign.

National Eczema Society
Received a donation of £50.

JustGiving – cimaracing
Received a donation of £100.

Oxfam
Received a donation of £500.

Donations between 25 Jun 2005 and 31 Aug 2006

£87,248

Full info
Main charities – £78,248 to nominated charities

Samaritans received 26% (£20,344.59)

Re-Cycle received 22% (£17,214.65)

Send a Cow (now Ripple Effect) received 20% (£15,649.68)

CAP Debt Counselling received 18% (£14,084.72)

WaterAid received 14% (£10,954.78)
Plus one-off donations...

South-East Asian Earthquake Appeal – 19 Oct 2005

A total of £2,000 was donated as part of the '50p donation for every new recipient of the weekly email' drive.

World Vision – A MoneySavers' Well – 20 Dec 2005
£2,000 was donated via World Vision to build a well in a desolate part of Africa, providing clean water for 10 villages.

World Vision – Solar Panels for Senegal – 28 Feb 2006
A total of £5,000 was donated as part of the '50p donation for every new recipient of the weekly email' drive to fit solar panels for a health clinic in Senegal. So many people signed up that cash was spare to fund health centre equipment, sewing machines, school toys and classroom equipment.

Donations between 12 May 2004 and 24 Jun 2005

£39,680

Full info
Main charities – £29,000 to nominated charities

Breast Cancer Now received 26% (£7,540)

Alzheimer's Society received 20% (£5,800)

Whizz-Kidz received 20% (£5,800)

Re-Cycle received 17% (£4,930)

Kidscape received 17% (£4,930)
Plus a one-off donation...

Tsunami Emergency Appeal donation of £10,680 – 9 Jan 2005

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: brokenlink@moneysavingexpert.com

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