Archer Project Sheffield: £564million in Gift Aid unclaimed every year, charity says in new campaign

One of Sheffield’s most recognisable charities has revealed how crucial Gift Aid is to its work, as £564million in extra funding goes unclaimed every year.

The Archer Project, a homelessness charity based in Sheffield city centre, has launched a brand new campaign urging supporters to “tick the Gift Aid box” so the city’s most vulnerable do not go without.

“We don’t want to be part of that statistic,” the campaign has said, “The people we support can’t afford for us to miss out on this extra funding.

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“Every single extra penny we can get adds up to make even more of a difference to some of the most vulnerable members of our community. The cost-of-living crisis has had a huge impact, but a small action you can take right now can make a big impact too.”

The Archer Project has become a central cog in Sheffield’s homeless charity network, supporting more than 1,000 individuals and serving 20,963 meals in 2023.

In 2024, recorded numbers of rough sleepers are the highest they’ve been since counting began; it’s 120% higher than 2010, and 61% higher than 2014.

Joe Logan, fundraising manager at The Archer Project, said: “Our charity faces consistently increasing demand as more people come to us for help. Completing a gift aid declaration form lets us stretch every donation to support as many people as possible. It’s such a simple, easy way to boost our Project’s resources.

“£5 runs our washing machine for the day and £10 feeds 5 people for breakfast. It may not seem like a lot, but it really does add up.”

Gift Aid is a scheme available to charities which adds 25p from HMRC to every £1 donated by individuals paying the basic tax rate, boosting donations at no cost to the person making the donation.

The Charities Aid Foundation reports that in the UK a massive £564million of Gift Aid goes unclaimed every year.

The Archer Project has recently moved to a new database, meaning they must start from scratch with their Gift Aid declarations. Even people who have donated to the Project before will need to help the charity ensure they’ve got a declaration on file.

The Project states it receives no government funding and is entirely reliant on donations from people in the community and from local businesses. The extra 25 per cent on any monetary donation would be crucial in its work supporting people experiencing homelessness in Sheffield.