Donation refusal policy

Policy Statement

Full Fact is a registered charity (no. 1158683) and a non-profit company (no. 06975984), and accepts charitable donations from a variety of private sector supporters.

The Donation Refusal Policy sets out the principles that Full Fact will follow when seeking and accepting gifts from individuals and organisations, and the commitment that it makes to existing and prospective supporters.

Full Fact’s fundraising principles

• As of 2025, we publish the names of all funders who donate over £25,000 a year on our website.
• We intentionally seek out a diverse range of funders.
• We do not and will not accept charitable donations from government (please see Appendix B for our definition of government donations).
• No funders may seek to interfere with Full Fact’s complete editorial independence.
• Funders are not exempt from fact checking.

Full Fact will not accept gifts that:

• Are in conflict with our mission and values or charitable objectives.
• Compromise our commitment to remaining a non-partisan organisation that is not affiliated with any political party or government.
• Are accompanied by restrictions unacceptable to our Trustees, for example, where the funder demands rights to Full Fact’s intellectual property.
• Could cause reputational damage to the charity.
• Are believed to be associated with illegal or criminal sources.
• Come from a donor who does not have the mental ability to decide to donate.

Regulatory Compliance and Best Practice

Full Fact will comply with all relevant legislation, as well as recognised Fundraising Codes of Practice and the Charity Commission’s latest guidance on accepting and refusing donations. Relevant legislation includes:

• The Charities Act 1992: in relation to commercial participators and professional fundraisers.
• The Charities Act 2011: in relation to seeking the views of the Charity Commission on whether to accept or refuse a particular donation, or an order to sanction the trustees’ dealings with charity property.
• The Bribery Act 2010: in relation to bribery offences and requires the Fund to ensure, through due diligence and risk controls, that the receipt of a gift is not in relation to some inappropriate benefit that might be afforded the donor.
• Finance Act 2011: in relation to tainted charity donations.
• Proceeds of Crime Act 2002: in relation to suspected money laundering.
• Terrorism Act 2000: in relation to disclosures of beliefs or suspicions of terrorism offences.
• Data Protection Act 2018: in relation to how the Fund uses donors personal information.

In accordance with Anti-money Laundering legislation, Full Fact will not accept:

• Offers of donations in cash, where for a certain period of time, Full Fact is to receive the interest, but the principal to be returned to the donor at the end of the specified period.
• Donations in foreign currencies, with the provision as above, but the principal to be returned to the donor in the form of a sterling cheque.
• Offers of donations in cash, where the origination of the money is not possible to be traced.

Due Diligence and Risk Assessment Process

The Full Fact team will carry out due diligence on prospective donors, proportionate to the size of the donation. In the case of potentially controversial gifts or donors, Full Fact may choose not to solicit or accept a gift from an organisation or individual. Appendix A sets out a number of risk indicators and factors that Full Fact would consider as part of this decision.

A record of due diligence will be kept for future reference in line with document retention requirements.

Anonymous Donations

Full Fact will notify the Charity Commission of any donation of £25,000 or more which is received anonymously.

Review of Policy

The Policy will be reviewed every two years by the Board of Trustees, or sooner if legislation, best practice or other circumstances indicate this is necessary.