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About Us

What does Comic Relief do?

Comic Relief is a major charity based in the UK which strives to create a just world, free from poverty. We’ll do just about anything to see that vision become a reality and our mission is to drive positive change through the power of entertainment. 

Since we first set up shop 25 years ago, we’ve been doing three main things…

We raise millions of pounds through two big fundraising campaigns – Red Nose Day and Sport Relief.

We spend that money in the best possible way to tackle the root causes of poverty and social injustice.

We use the power of our brand to raise awareness of the issues that we care most about. 

Over the years we’ve inspired a lot of people who don’t normally ‘do’ charity to, well, do charity.  The support we’ve had from so many friends has always blown us away – and still does today.

So there you go, that’s us in a nutshell. But if you’d like to find out even more about what we do and why we do it, take a look at our Vision & Mission and How We Create Change sections.

When is the next Red Nose Day and Sport Relief?

The next Red Nose Day takes place on Friday 18 March 2011, so wherever you’ll be that day – at school, work or home – make sure you do something funny for money! To find out more, visit rednoseday.com

As for Sport Relief, it happens every other year. So the next one is scheduled to take place in March 2012.

If you’d like to receive email updates about Red Nose Day, Sport Relief or the work we do throughout the year, sign up to our email alert service. You’ll then be the first to know about all of our latest news.

Where does money raised by Comic Relief go?

All the money raised by the public is spent by Comic Relief to help poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and the world’s poorest countries.

You can find out about this work in our How We Help section.

Getting Involved

How can I fundraise for Comic Relief?

Well, we do have two rather special fundraising events – Red Nose Day and Sport Relief. They take place in alternate years (Red Nose Day is next in March 2011 and Sport Relief is here again in 2012).

To discover how you can get involved in these campaigns and do some incredible fundraising

I represent a school/early years/youth group – how can we get involved?

We’d love for you to get involved, and there are many ways to do so. Firstly, you could fundraise as part of Red Nose Day and Sport Relief. To help your school or group do this, and to help children and young people learn about what they’re fundraising for, we’ll provide you with lots of tailor-made schools and early years resources.

Comic Relief also works throughout the year to tackle the root causes of injustice and poverty. We can provide you with information and resources to help children and young people learn about important global issues - giving them the opportunity to make a difference and voice their opinions.

For further inspiration and ideas, check out our Schools and Youth section.

I work for an organisation that would like to work with Comic Relief ...

We work with a really wide range of organisations – big and small. To see how you might get involved with us, visit Our Partners pages. Or if you’re after the personal touch, drop our Corporate Team an email at partners@comicrelief.com. They’ll be happy to discuss potential partnership opportunities with you.

I want to organise a Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile in my town...

At the moment, applications for organising a Sainsbury’s Sport Relief Mile in 2012 are not open. However, if you email events@sportrelief.com with some details about your event, we’ll make sure we let you know when our application system is up and running again.

I live abroad and want to get involved with Comic Relief/Sport Relief/Red Nose Day…

Fantastic! Even if you live thousands of miles away from the UK, you can still do your bit. Just email us at international@comicrelief.com with a bit of info about yourself and we’ll respond with ideas on how you can get involved.

Apply for Grant

How can my organisation apply for a grant?

Comic Relief helps some of the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world turn their lives around by giving grants to charitable projects who support them.

To learn how your organisation can apply for such a grant, visit our Apply for a Grant section.  There you’ll find online guidelines for our UK and international grants programmes and application forms.

Alternatively, if you’d like to discover more about how our grants are used to change lives, head to our How We Help section.

Working and volunteering for Comic Relief

How do I get a job at Comic Relief?

All of our current vacancies are advertised on our website: http://www.comicrelief.com/jobs so keep an eye on this and follow the instructions of how to apply if you are interested in any of the roles.

You can be kept up-to-date on new vacancies by signing up for email job alerts on our website: http://jobs.comicrelief.com/register

How can I volunteer at Comic Relief?

If you are interested in volunteering at our office in Vauxhall, Central London, and can spare at least two days a week, we’d love to hear from you! Just visit comicrelief.com/jobs/volunteer for further information and an application form.

I work for a call centre and would like to offer our services on the night of Red Nose Day or Sport Relief. How do I do this?

Call centres are absolutely vital in getting public donations to us. So if your company has a UK-based call centre which your own volunteers can staff and provides a minimum of 70 phone lines on a ‘one number’ system, we’d love to hear from you.

Simply email us at callcentres@comicrelief.com. Or if you’d like further information about our work with call centres, visit – yes, you’ve guessed it – our Call Centres section.

Making a donation

How can I make a donation or pay in fundraising money?

There are lots of different ways to make a donation to Comic Relief. Just pick the way that’s easiest for you!

Online – simply click here and away you go.

On the phone – call 03457 910 910 and use your debit or credit card. Standard geographic charges from landlines and mobiles will apply. Calls from mobiles may cost more.

At any bank – use the giro slip at the bottom of your Red Nose Day or Sport Relief sponsorship form, found in your fundraising kit.  Comic Relief giro slips are also available behind the counter at most bank branches whilst Red Nose Day and Sport Relief take place.

At any post office – you can make a donation all year round by paying your money into one of our Freepay Accounts –  Red Nose Day (Freepay account 5550) or Sport Relief (Freepay account 6777).

At a building society – whilst Red Nose Day and Sport Relief are taking place, you can pay in your donation at most building societies. Just ask to pay into the Red Nose Day or Sport Relief account.

By post – simply send in a cheque or postal order (made payable to either Red Nose Day or Sport Relief) and a giro slip if you have one to Ernst & Young, PO Box 51543, London SE1 2UG.

Can I set up a standing order for Comic Relief?

Yes you can. You can make regular donations to Comic Relief by requesting a regular giving form from fundraising@comicrelief.com. Alternatively, you can request a form by writing to us at Comic Relief, Marketing Team, 89 Albert Embankment, London SE1 7TP. Please remember to let us know your address.

Gift Aid

What is Gift Aid and how can it mean more money for Comic Relief?

If you pay UK tax and let us know, the Government will give Comic Relief at least 25% on top of your donation. It won’t cost you a penny.

If you make a personal donation to Comic Relief, you will be asked to declare whether you would like us to claim Gift Aid. This will be either by:

  • ticking the Gift Aid box on the donation page online
  • by saying ‘yes' to the Gift Aid question whilst donating via the phone
  • asking your sponsors to tick the Gift Aid box on your sponsorship form
  • ticking the appropriate box on the Red Nose Day or Sport Relief giro slip (when paying in your money at a Bank or if you send it with your cheque to Ernst & Young)

To say Yes to Gift Aid, you will need to have paid UK tax in the current tax year that’s at least equal to the 25% we will claim. We also need your full name and home address.

In addition, following the 2008 Budget, the Government will pay Transitional Relief of 3 pence on every pound for every Gift Aid donation made from 6th April 2008 until 5th April 2011. This means we can clian in total an extra 28% on top of your donation if you Gift Aid it.

Please note, Gift Aid cannot apply to CAF cards (as the tax has already been reclaimed).

What if I am a higher rate taxpayer?

What if I am a higher rate taxpayer? The charity reclaims the tax on your donation only at the basic rate, even if you are a higher rate taxpayer. If you are a higher rate taxpayer, you can claim the difference between the higher rate of tax and the basic rate of tax of 20% on your Self Assessment return.

Can I withdraw a declaration?

If, for any reason, you decide that your donation should not be Gift Aided, you have 30 days from the date of your declaration to tell us to withdraw it.

Where can I get further information on Gift Aid?

Visit HM Revenue & Customs website www.hmrc.gov.uk/individuals/giving/gift-aid.htm. Alternatively, contact your local Tax Office.