Frequently asked questions

The Aviva Community Fund has become the Communities Fund and is now part of the Aviva Foundation – bringing our charitable funding in the UK together in one place.  

The Aviva Foundation now offers two distinct funding routes so we can support a wide range of organisations: 

• The Communities Fund – supports small, local organisations with an annual income of up to £1 million. This fund backs projects and organisations that help people to take control of their financial wellbeing or protect the places they love in a changing climate. 

• The Financial Futures Fund – supports larger charities with an income of £1 million or more, delivering bold, long-term solutions to help people build financial resilience. 

This change means we can increase our funding, build stronger relationships with charities, and focus our support where it’s needed most.  

We’ve introduced clearer distinctions between our funding programmes: 

• We’ve updated the income threshold for the Communities Fund to support organisations with an annual income of no more than £1 million (previously £2 million). This helps us focus more on smaller charities and manage applications more effectively. 

• Organisations with income above £1m may be eligible for the Financial Futures Fund. 

• For the Communities Fund, organisations can receive up to £25,000 in match funding per calendar year (previously £50,000). This can be split across a maximum of two projects. This change helps us share our support more widely – so more organisations and communities can benefit. 

Our funding comes primarily from unclaimed assets on Aviva’s shareholder registry – shares and dividends where no owner can be found. Rather than sitting idle, these funds are used for public benefit through the Aviva Foundation, alongside other donations. 

We’ve listened to feedback from charities and want to make the process simpler and more transparent. We receive far more applications than we can fund, so these changes help: 

• Reduce the time charities spend applying. 

• Provide a clear distinction between our programmes. 

• Ensure funding is targeted where it can make the greatest impact. 

• For the Communities Fund, applications are assessed against published criteria by Crowdfunder. 

• For the Financial Futures Fund, applications are reviewed by an Advisory Panel against our funding priorities. Shortlisted organisations are invited to an interview, and recommendations are then submitted to the Aviva Foundation Decision Panel for final approval. 

For queries on the Communities Fund, please contact communitiesfund@aviva.com  

For queries on the Financial Futures Fund, please contact financialfutures@aviva.com