Due Diligence FAQs 

The due diligence process is part of the overall application process. We ask questions via a form to find out more about your organisation and its governance and finances. We also ask about the project you are applying match-funding for, the beneficiaries it will support and the impact it will have. We use the information provided to make an assessment on how your work meets the strategic aims of The Childhood Trust, and how effective and robust your organisation and finances are. 

Shortlisted applications be sent an email with a link to our due diligence form to complete. There is a tight deadline to complete the form and we cannot extend it. We will review your completed due diligence form alongside your application form. We will be in touch via email if we need any clarifications or to request further information.

The full due diligence form consists of the following sections: 

Primary contact and charity information 

Information provided here will be saved to our database as the main contact and organisation details for your charity. The primary contact is the person we can contact in your charity throughout the campaign process. 

• Contact details for the primary contact at your organisation for the application 

• Your charity name and charity number 

• Any affiliations to a school, religious community, or business 

About your charity and project 

Information in this section will be used to assess your application. Funding is only available for charities to deliver work that supports children and young people (aged 18 years old and under) who live in poverty in London. Poverty refers to living in a low-income household that limits the ability to meet basic material and social needs, including adequate food, warmth, shelter, rest, and participation in essential social activities. This can adversely affect children’s health, wellbeing, and opportunities and is recognised as an unacceptable standard of living for children.   

• A summary about your charity and its work 

• The services/activities your charity will deliver using funding from this campaign 

• How your organisation identified the need for your services in the communities you work with 

• Numbers and age ranges of children and young people the funding from this campaign will support, the percentage of these that live in poverty and which London boroughs they live in 

• The poverty and deprivation measures used to understand the need of your beneficiaries, and how you qualify or evidence that your beneficiaries live in poverty  

• Whether your beneficiaries are actively involved in shaping the development or delivery of your service, and if so, how 

• Whether you are applying for project funding, core funding, or both 

• Which of our impact goals your project will primarily address, of which you will report on 

• Confirmation you will deliver the project and spend the funds within 12 months of the campaign ending 

Governance and finance 

This section covers crucial questions regarding your financial accounts and governance processes and will be used to assess how robust your organisation is. 

• Safeguarding information including, the date your safeguarding policy was last reviewed/updated, name of your designated safeguarding lead, DBS checks, training and how you support a safeguarding culture 

• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI), including whether you have a policy in place and how will you ensure equitable access to your services 

• Whether you have reported any serious issues 

• Financial information on predicted income and expenditure and any expected financial challenges 

Campaign confidence 

This section is here to help us understand if you will need any further support when preparing for the campaign. If your application is successful, you will be invited to attend the Get Campaign Ready event we host prior to each campaign. 

• How confident your organisation is with social media, digital marketing, running a digital fundraising campaign, data collection methods and measuring the impact of your work 

• Any other areas you would like support in to achieve your campaign target

We will email the primary contact given on the due diligence from if we require further information or clarification. If we find any issues that prevent us from processing your application further, we will inform you as soon as possible. 

We are unable to extend deadlines, late or incomplete due diligence forms will not be assessed, and your application will not proceed. 

Key dates, including notification of application outcome are listed on this page.

Yes, all funds raised from Champions for Children and Christmas Challenge (pledges, match-funding and public donations) up to your campaign target must be used according to the initial project and budget outlined in your application form. Any funds raised above your campaign target are unmatched and can be used by your charity as it wishes. 

We may also include a funding condition to ringfence funds according to age-range and geography, if your work includes ages or locations that fall outside of our criteria.