How to find local charities near me
There are several ways to find and support local charities, from the UK Government’s charity register to the charity section on the GoFundMe website. While it feels great to support a charity in any way, there is something special about making a difference through local charities in your own community. You might be thinking: how can I support a charity near me? Well, this post is here to tell you how to support those around you. Helping a local charity can mean going beyond a one-time donation and getting to know your community on a deeper level. You might also gain a better understanding of the organisation and its mission. There are currently 185,296 charities and linked affiliates operating in England and Wales as of June 2026, so plenty to choose from. Find a cause close to your heart and start a GoFundMe to get raising today.
How to find local charities near you
There are a number of easy and quick ways to find charities near you supporting a wealth of different things, from homelessness to animal help. The charity register is particularly useful for searching for smaller, more local charities that may not have much of a presence online. And, if you want to start raising money for a charity near you, we’ve got tips on ways to raise money here.
The UK Government’s charity register
The UK Government’s charity register is an easy way to find charities registered near you. You can search by charity name, number or date of registration, but also where the charity operates. It’s easy to search for charities here on the register by constituency. On the charity register, you can also find information on the name and address of the charity, the trustees, the work and aims and also the charity’s finances. Along with the charity register for England and Wales, there are also registers for Scotland and Northern Ireland. As well as searching, you can also use these websites to check if a charity is registered and verify its legitimacy before donating to or fundraising for it.
GoFundMe’s charity fundraising
Using GoFundMe’s charity fundraising can also help to inspire you on local charities in your area. If you know of a charity in your area, you can search for it on the site to see what fundraisers are running. But also, if you search by location, you can find any charities that have that location in their name. GoFundMe can be used to raise money for any of the thousands of registered charities in the UK, and donations are transferred directly to the charity on your behalf.
Contact local charities directly
If you’re inspired by the work of a larger charity, it’s also an option to contact them and ask how they operate in that area. Most larger charities will have an email address on site or a contact form, so why not drop them a message to ask if they have any location-specific operations in your area?
Search for local charities in moments with our easy-to-use online directory
So, you’ve decided that you want to search for local charities near you? There’s a way that GoFundMe can help with this with our list of charities.
This charity directory will help you find some of the most prominent charities operating in different areas across the UK.
1. Shelter
Shelter is a housing charity operating across the UK. They help to support people who are struggling with housing issues and can provide advice on things like renters’ rights. They offer one-on-one personalised advice on housing and homelessness issues, can offer legal advice and attend court and have a free emergency helpline. They also campaign for housing justice.
2. Milestones Trust
Milestones Trust supports adults with learning disabilities or mental health needs. They focus on helping people who need support with their mental health to develop skills and coping strategies to lead a stable life, along with services that support those with learning disabilities, including advocacy or helping to find appropriate accommodation.
3. Midlands Air Ambulance Charity
The Midlands Air Ambulance Charity operates three air ambulances, providing a lifesaving service to those who are ever in a position to need it. It costs £288 on average for each trip to critical care and millions of pounds a year to maintain them.
4. East Anglia Children’s Hospices
East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices or EACH support families who have children suffering from life-threatening or life-altering conditions across Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Essex. They offer services for children like sensory rooms, specialist play, art therapy and hydrotherapy and put the family first.
5. Cornwall Hospice Care
Cornwall Hospice Care operates two hospices: Mount Edgcumbe Hospice in St Austell and St Julia’s Hospice in Hayle. They provide their care free of charge to people who need it and also have services such as occupational therapy.
6. Yorkshire Cancer Research
Yorkshire Cancer Research is a charity based in Harrogate, North Yorkshire and helps to fund cancer research for people in Yorkshire and beyond. Late diagnosis of cancer, in particular, is a problem in the county, so they help to fund early screening services like urine tests, kidney screenings and lung checks. They also fund research into treatment options and new cancer services.
7. Stepping Stone
Stepping Stone provides support and short-term accommodation to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in the Northwest of England. They aim to make the transition into independent living as easy as possible, offering floating and on-site support services to help people develop the confidence, skills and knowledge they will need to secure and maintain permanent, independent accommodation.
8. St Joseph’s Hospice
St Joseph’s Hospice is based in East London and aims to provide palliative care to those in the community who need it. They aim to provide support in a physical, mental, spiritual or social way. They’ve got a 24/7 advice and support line, day services and counselling available to those who may be entering the palliative care system. Their core boroughs are City, Tower Hamlets, Newham and Hackney, but they can also provide services to people in Islington, Haringey, Waltham Forest and Enfield, reaching around 2.1 million people.
9. Perthyn
Perthyn provides care to people with learning disabilities across both Wales and England. This includes Cardiff, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Powys, Swansea, Shropshire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire. They help people to live fulfilling and active lives, empowering people to minimise the effect their disability has. They’ve been established since 1995.
10. National Animal Welfare Trust
The National Animal Welfare Trust helps to rescue animals and find them new, loving homes across the south of England, with five rehoming centres in Cornwall, Essex, Hertfordshire, Berkshire and Bedfordshire, and five charity shops in Bedford, Watford, Hayle, Hemel Hempstead and Woburn Sands. They also offer support and advice to pet owners and services like paddock hire, which are fully enclosed areas where dogs can go to exercise.
Support local charities easily with GoFundMe
Besides donating to a charity’s website or volunteering locally, why not spearhead your own fundraising efforts and make a difference in a unique way? Here are just a few people who took action and helped charities in their own communities.
Milk&You
EE and BT have teamed up to raise money for Milk&You, a charity which supports parents through pregnancy and breastfeeding. They provide support through home visits and groups, messaging services and programmes like baby banks and breast pump loans. Currently, more than £5k has been raised through this fundraiser.
The Speedomick Foundation
Speedo Mick has donned his Speedos, traversed the UK to raise money for charity and has his own foundation. Recent fundraising events include a walk from John O’Groats to Land’s End and a trek across the Arctic. Overall, he’s raised over £1,000,000 for charity, walking thousands of miles and attending hundreds of football matches while wearing his famous Speedos.
Running Manchester Marathon for Clatterbridge
Josh decided to raise money for The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity after his dad, Jonathan, lost his battle with leukaemia.
The charity is dedicated to research and helping patients at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool, where Jonathan had his treatment. Josh wrote on his fundraiser: “I hope that this fundraiser will help Clatterbridge in giving other families the chance to see their loved one’s fight and overcome Cancer as well as say Thank You for the care they have provided.” They’ve raised more than £12,262 so far.
Charities near me: Make a difference in your community
GoFundMe makes it simple to start raising funds for your chosen charity. We offer plenty of charity fundraising tips on our blog and a platform that makes it quick and easy to set up your fundraiser. Not to mention 24/7 customer support from real people, and direct funds transfers to your chosen charity. When you’re ready, sign up to create your charity fundraiser on GoFundMe and begin making an even bigger difference in your community.
As you can see from this article, raising money for a local charity makes a direct impact in your community. Every penny makes a difference to organisations addressing issues locally and it’s so easy to raise money for them in a safe, secure way on GoFundMe. Our charity feature means that you can raise money for any registered charity and funds will be directly transferred to them, taking out a lot of work for you. You can read about how it works and how to start charity fundraising.
Then the fun starts and you can take on challenges, host fundraising events and really get people passionate about your good cause.