Crowdfunding for Community Interest Companies (CICs)
by Rebecca Hughes | Jun 19, 2026 | Community & citizenship, Stories
Crowdfunder prides itself on being the home of CIC crowdfunding in the UK. This guide answers the questions CIC directors and managers are actually searching for, from whether crowdfunding is available to you at all, through to fees, match funding, and how you compare to a registered charity.
CIC’s are the thriving heart of communities all over the UK. However, they sit in an awkward spot in the UK funding landscape. Too commercial for some grant programmes, too social for most business finance, and largely invisible on the mainstream crowdfunding platforms built for charities or solo entrepreneurs. That’s why Crowdfunder is the platform for your CIC.
On Crowdfunder, CICs have raised £13,413,000+ from 323,830 donations across 8,000+ projects.
Can a CIC use crowdfunding?
Yes. CICs can use crowdfunding, and on Crowdfunder, you have access to the full suite of fundraising tools: donation-led campaigns, rewards-based crowdfunding, match funding, prize draws, and regular giving.
CICs aren’t charities and that matters for funding
Community Interest Companies are regulated by the Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, not the Charity Commission. That distinction has direct funding consequences: CICs don’t have access to Gift Aid (worth 25p per £1 from eligible taxpayers), and some grant programmes are closed to them for the same reason.
The asset lock, a legal requirement that protects CIC assets for community benefit, does give funders confidence that money won’t be extracted for private gain. But it doesn’t unlock the charity funding world.
What CICs can do on Crowdfunder: run donation and rewards-based crowdfunding campaigns, and access match funding. Zero platform fees apply.
Does a CIC have to pay platform fees on Crowdfunder?
No. CICs pay zero platform fees on Crowdfunder.
On many platforms, CICs are classified as businesses and charged accordingly, typically 5% or more of everything raised. Crowdfunder recognises that CICs are community-benefit organisations, not commercial ventures, and applies the same zero-fee model as it does for registered charities.
ResoluteMinds CIC walked 70+ miles in 24 hours to raise money to open Belfast’s first dedicated wellness hub, a permanent space to support people dealing with addiction and mental health challenges. They smashed their target, and the hub is now becoming a reality.
Payment processing fees still apply (2.4% + 20p (per pledge) on UK/EU cards).
Can CICs get match funding?
Yes, in most cases. Crowdfunder has over £10M in match funding available through partnerships with organisations including Sport England, Aviva, British Gas, and many others. Match funding means every pound your supporters donate is matched by a partner fund, effectively doubling (or more) what you raise.
The impact of match funding is significant: 84% of supporters are more likely to pledge when match funding is available, and the average donation size increases from £40 to £70.
Drink the Seasons! Brewing a Biodiversity Revival raised £59,559, including £25,000 match funding from Aviva Communities Fund.
Can a CIC offer rewards to supporters?
Yes — because CICs are trading entities, you can offer tangible rewards in exchange for pledges: merchandise, services, experiences, early access, memberships. A community café CIC can offer loyalty cards or host dinners. A performing arts CIC can offer tickets or backstage credits. A sports CIC can offer kit, coaching sessions, or season passes.
Registered charities can also offer rewards, but need to monitor the value of benefits given to donors against HMRC thresholds, exceeding them, and Gift Aid is lost on that donation. CICs don’t have Gift Aid to protect, so there’s no benefit threshold to manage and no need to structure your rewards tier with one eye on HMRC rules.
Cook for Good CIC has used Crowdfunder twice to launch community cookbooks, Soup for Good and their current campaign, Salads for Good, letting supporters pre-order a copy as their pledge reward. They have raised nearly £100k between both projects, with all profits going back into tackling food insecurity in Kings Cross.
Registered charities face more restrictions here because of how HMRC treats donor benefits against Gift Aid. CICs don’t have Gift Aid to protect, so you have more freedom to run a genuine rewards model, closer to Kickstarter than JustGiving.
Can CICs run prize draws?
Yes. Crowdfunder’s prize draw product is available to CICs. Unlike lotteries, prize draws fall outside the Gambling Act 2005, provided a free entry route is available. Crowdfunder’s prize draw product builds this in, so your campaign is structured correctly from the outset. Prize draws work especially well for CICs with something tangible to offer as a prize; they lower the barrier to participation, attract supporters beyond your existing network, and create a sense of excitement around your campaign.
Patchwork House is a CIC in Torbay supporting women and children affected by domestic abuse. They’ve run 40 prize draws, raising between £1,000 and £13,000 each time. Their last few hit 573%, 457%, and 392% of the target. It’s become a reliable income stream alongside their main fundraising.
Will donors get Gift Aid on donations to a CIC?
No. If Gift Aid is important to your fundraising model, typically worth an extra 25p per £1 donated from eligible UK taxpayers, it’s worth considering whether charity registration is right for your organisation. Some social enterprises operate with both a CIC and a charitable arm for this reason.
Why use Crowdfunder rather than JustGiving or GoFundMe?
JustGiving is built for charity donation pages and sponsored events. If your CIC is neither of those things, you’ll likely be classified as an individual or business account, pay commercial fees, and lose access to the charity fundraising layer.
JustGiving and GoFundMe have no match funding infrastructure and do not offer rewards-based giving.
Crowdfunder is the only major UK platform that combines non-profit treatment for CICs, rewards-based crowdfunding, a live match funding marketplace, and prize draw functionality in one place. It’s also specifically built for community-impact projects — which is what CICs do.
How to start a CIC crowdfunding campaign
- Go to crowdfunder.co.uk and create an account.
- Start a new project, you’ll need a description, a funding target, a deadline, and at least one image. View our best practice guide for making your project page here.
- Enter your CIC registration number and bank details during setup.
- Go through KYC (Know Your Customer) verification, required for all project owners.
- Once live, our team can help you identify match funding programmes you may be eligible for.
Setup takes around 20 minutes.
Quick answers
Does my CIC need to be registered with Companies House? Yes, you’ll need your CIC registration number during setup.
Are there any restrictions on what CICs can fundraise for? The same community guidelines apply as for any project on Crowdfunder. Your project needs to be for community benefit, which, as a CIC, it is by definition.
Can I run multiple projects as a CIC? Yes. Many CICs run recurring campaigns, separate project pages for different programmes, or repeat prize draws alongside donation campaigns.
What happens if I don’t hit my target? Crowdfunder offers both all-or-nothing and keep-what-you-raise models. You choose which applies to your campaign when you set it up.
For more information on CICs, check the GOV.uk website.