Barnabas Fund: what they fund and how to apply
Barnabas Fund, which trades as Barnabas Aid, is a UK Christian charity that raises money to support persecuted and suffering Christians overseas. It channels aid to church and partner projects in more than 60 countries by its own selection. It is not an open grant-maker, so general UK charities cannot apply.
What Barnabas Fund does
Barnabas Fund is an international, interdenominational Christian aid agency. It supports Christians who face discrimination or persecution because of their faith. The charity raises money from supporters in the UK and elsewhere and passes it to national Christians and partner organisations who deliver aid on the ground — food, medical care, education, disaster relief and support for local churches. It reports work in more than 60 countries across Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Alongside the aid work, it runs advocacy and awareness campaigns in the UK. It was founded in 1993 and has its operational base in Swindon.
How much you can apply for
Barnabas Fund is not an open grant-maker, so there is no published grant size for general applicants. It is a fundraising and delivery charity: it collects donations and directs them to its own chosen overseas Christian partners and projects. There is no public grants programme, application form or award range for UK charities.
Who can apply
General UK charities cannot apply. Barnabas Fund selects the churches, communities and partner organisations it supports through its own networks, focused on Christians facing persecution or hardship in specific countries. If you are a UK charity looking for grant funding for your own work, this is not a funder you can approach — use our Grant Finder to find funders that accept applications.
Deadlines and rounds
There are no public application rounds or deadlines, because there is no open application process. Support is directed by the charity to its selected overseas partners rather than awarded through timed funding rounds.
How to apply
There is no application route for general charities. If you want to support the charity’s work, you can donate through its website. If you are researching the charity for due-diligence reasons, note the regulatory position below and check current sources before acting.
Tips
- Do not spend time preparing a grant application — Barnabas Fund does not accept them from general UK charities.
- If your work is UK-based, look instead at open grant-makers via CharityIQ’s Grant Finder.
- Before donating or partnering, check the Charity Commission register and the charity’s own statements: it is under a live statutory inquiry, has been run by interim managers since 18 June 2026, and its annual reporting is currently overdue (checked 11 July 2026).
Official source and last updated
Last updated: July 2026. Primary sources: the charity’s website at barnabasaid.org and the Charity Commission register entry for Barnabas Fund (1092935). Regulatory status confirmed via GOV.UK.
Recent grants
Recent grants are shown below where available (rendered automatically from 360Giving data).
Similar funders
If you are looking for funders in a similar space, you might also consider: Open Doors UK, Release International, and Christian Aid (none currently have a CharityIQ funder profile). Note that support for persecuted Christians is generally delivered by these charities directly, not offered as open grants to UK charities.
Check if your charity is eligible for funders like this — CharityIQ’s free Grant Finder matches your charity to real, published UK funders and cites the source for each. → /grant-finder/
Frequently asked questions
No. Barnabas Fund (trading as Barnabas Aid) is a fundraising and delivery charity, not an open grant-maker. It raises money from supporters and channels it to Christian churches and partner projects overseas that it selects itself. There is no public application form or grants programme for general UK charities.
It supports Christians who face discrimination or persecution because of their faith. It funds practical aid overseas — food, medical care, education, disaster relief and support for local churches — delivered through national Christians and partner organisations in more than 60 countries. It also runs advocacy and awareness work in the UK.
Yes. Barnabas Fund is the registered charity name (charity number 1092935). Barnabas Aid is its operating and campaigning name. You may see either used across its website and materials.
It gives to Christian communities, churches and partner organisations in specific countries, chosen through its own networks rather than open applications. Its focus is on Christians facing hardship or persecution, not on funding unrelated UK charitable work.
Yes. The Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry in September 2024 over governance and financial concerns, restricted the charity's spending, and on 18 June 2026 appointed interim managers to run it in place of its trustees. As at 11 July 2026 the inquiry remains ongoing, and the Charity Commission register also shows the charity's annual reporting is currently overdue. Check the charity's site and the Commission register for the latest position.