Research commissioned by the Charity Commission notes that a quarter of charities say they've been impacted by polarisation and division in society. The effects include vandalism, protests, changes in the level of support or having to stop or change their services. Not surprisingly charities promoting causes such as human rights, or religious and racial harmony are most likely to say they have been impacted. 

Public trust in charities remains high though at 57%, a figure which has remained constant since 2020.

The research showed over this year 48% of people said they had donated money, 50% said they had donated goods, and 15% said they had raised funds, with 70% of people having done any one of those things. 

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The 2026 report by Charity Finance Group notes that charity banking remains a significant operational challenge.

Losing time to administrative processes takes time away from core charity purposes at a time when demand for charity services is especially high.

Rising banking costs alongside branch closures and loss of local access to knowledgeable staff are being keenly felt within the charity world.

There have been some improvements however. The challenge of changing signatories on an account is noted by 53% of repondents, down from 75% in 2024.

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The Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme allowed historic religious sites to reclaim VAT costs on their repairs and alterations. The replacement scheme from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport is targetted at areas of greatest socio-economic need.

 The Churches’ Legislation Advisory Service told the Culture Media and Sport Committee's recent Protecting Built Heritage Inquiry of the impact on volunteers who care for so many of these buildings. 

When considering financial support for built heritage, the inquiry recommends that 'the government sets out a clear, cohesive and long-term strategy for funding built heritage, aligning the various funding streams administered by the DCMS, Historic England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other bodies so that they operate as a more coherent system'.

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