Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Groups

Black led charities

Last year, we found that challenges related to the cost of living were having a much greater impact on black led charities. The same is true for 2025. Black led charities are disproportionately struggling as a result of squeezed organisational finances (80%, vs 69% overall), as well as finding funders to support digital projects (44%, vs 27% overall). In spite of these challenges, black led charities have strong digital skills, with more taking up AI tools and prioritising inclusion in their digital work. Providing digital inclusion support is a higher priority for this group and a higher proportion need funding for this (44%, vs 20% overall).

Our sample

• 66 (8%) of our responses are from black led charities, similar to 2024.

   

• 66% are small and 25% are large (the remainder did not specify). It is worth noting that 20% have an income of under £10,000 and are unlikely to have paid staff.

   

• Much fewer are registered charities (67%, vs 83% overall).

   

• 42% are a social enterprise or community business (vs 22% overall).

   

• Nearly half (48%) are led by people with lived experience of the issue they address. This is much greater than the 28% of our main sample.

Digital stage

• 68% are at an early stage with digital (32% curious and 36% starting out), higher than our main sample (56%).

   

• 32% have a strategy in place for digital (21% advancing and 11% advanced).
• 60% made significant or good progress with digital this year.

   

• 79% see digital as an organisational priority, with 35% saying it is a top organisational priority (higher than the 22% overall).

   

• Strong digital skills include:

   

  • Using digital tools in everyday work (41% excellent, vs 27% overall)

     

  • Using AI tools in everyday work (46% excellent or fair, vs 32% overall)

     

  • Using data to inform decision making and strategy (80% excellent or fair, vs 70% overall)

     

  • Using digital tools in service delivery (34% excellent, vs 18% overall).

     

• However, 80% of black led charities are struggling with squeezed organisational finances and 71% say they have poor or non-existent online fundraising skills. 

Digital services and digital inclusion

• 48% say digital plays a key role in how they organise and deliver services, while 10% offer services that are fully online and 35% use digital behind the scenes.

   

• 64% support clients with digital inclusion to some extent (51%) or a great extent (13%) and 21% say this is an organisational priority (slightly higher than the 16% overall).

Key areas of progress in the last 12 months

• Social media engagement (63%)

   

• Staff and volunteer digital skills (48%)

   

• Revamping our website (43%).

Inclusion in digital services 

• Diversity and inclusion practices are more prominent among black led charities, particularly when compared to our main sample (see our earlier section on ‘digital suppliers, diversity and inclusion’)

   

• Accessibility, diversity and inclusion in digital services is a top priority for the year ahead for 40% of black led charities (vs 28% overall).

   

• When asked about data support needs, 40% want to learn about equitable or community led approaches (e.g. peer research, co-design) (vs 19% overall).

   

• Supporting clients with devices, data or digital skills (digital inclusion) is a priority for 21% of black led charities (vs 16% overall).

When choosing digital suppliers, the following inclusion factors are very important:

• Commitment to diversity and inclusion (62%, vs 42% overall).

   

• Values and ethics (59%, vs 45% overall).

   

• Involvement of people with lived experience (54%, vs 34% overall).

   

• Socially responsible business model (45%, vs 31% overall).

   

• Diversity in their team (40%, vs 17% overall).

   

Black led charities are more likely to say their digital services are (to a great extent): 

• Informed by research with diverse communities (31%, vs 15% of main sample).

   

• Reaching diverse and marginalised communities (34%, vs 20% of main sample).

   

• Monitoring diversity and inclusion (26%, vs 17% of main sample).

Leadership and digital skills

• 78% rate their CEO digital skills as excellent or fair (vs 67% overall).

   

• This year, 31% made progress with CEO/board digital skills (vs 19% overall).

   

• 52% have digital expertise at board level (vs 42% overall), while 48% say the best change their board could make to progress with digital is recruiting a digital trustee.

   

• 69% say they most need their CEO to develop a clear vision for what they can achieve with digital in order to move forward. Black led charities also want their CEOs to keep up to date with emerging trends, tech and AI tools (56%) and develop a clear vision and plan to improve data (53%).

Barriers to digital progress

Financial challenges are continuing to have a greater impact on black led charities:

• Squeezed organisational finances: 80% of black led charities say this is their biggest barrier. This has increased from 75% in 2024 and is 20% higher than the 69% overall.

   

• Finding funds to invest in infrastructure, systems and tools is the biggest barrier for 75% of black led charities (vs 64% overall and up from 65% in 2024).

   

• Lack of headspace and capacity affects 62% of black led charities, similar to 2024.

   

• Our equipment, hardware and devices (e.g. laptops) affects 32% of black led charities, compared to 21% overall.

Digital priorities for the year ahead

1. Grow our reach (70%).

    

2. Attracting funding or donations (63%).

    

3. Digital communications and fundraising (58%).

    

4. Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (53%).

Use of AI

• 74% are using AI tools, with 46% at the exploring stage, 28% actively adopting AI tools in everyday work and none using AI strategically.

   

• In day-to-day work, black led charities are mainly using AI for generating ideas, fostering creativity and problem solving (50%, vs 35% overall).

   

• Organisationally, black led charities are using AI for grant fundraising (42%, vs 36% overall), administration and project management (37%), communications and fundraising (33%), and impact and evaluation (26%).

AI skills, mindset and support needs

• 73% believe that AI developments are relevant to them (vs 74% overall). However, only 37% are responding to the opportunities and challenges of this and 58% are worried about the implications of using AI.

   

• 56% say their CEO has excellent or fair AI skills and knowledge (vs 47% overall).

   

• Black led charities are learning about AI from events, workshops and webinars (48%), as well as testing AI tools in everyday work (45%).

   

• 58% want to learn more about assessing AI risks (bias, safeguarding) and using AI tools responsibly (vs 51% overall).

   

• 44% want more insights about how their communities are using AI (vs 25% overall).

   

• 40% are developing an AI policy.

   

• A higher proportion of black led charities are avoiding AI in areas where it could cause harm (47%, vs 36% overall).

   

• Key barriers to moving forward with AI for black led charities are:

   

  • Data privacy, GDPR and security concerns (50%)

     

  • Limited digital skills and technical expertise (48%)

     

  • Lack of training or support to upskill ourselves (43%).

     

• 35% are seeking funding for AI (vs 13% overall).

   

• Black led charities say that co-ordinated AI investment from funders would make the biggest difference to sector adoption (53%, vs 35% overall).

Funding

• 36% accessed funding for digital costs in the last 12 months (vs 40% overall) and  24% from grantmaking trusts and foundations (vs 30% overall).

   

• Funding needs:
   
  • Capacity/headspace for organisational development (68%)

     

  • Core staff or cover staff time to spend on digital/data (63%)

     

  • Training for staff and volunteers on digital or data (56%)

     

  • Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (53%)

     

  • IT and infrastructure upgrades (51%, vs 35% overall).

     

• A greater proportion of black led charities most need funding for:

   

  • Providing digital inclusion support (44%, vs 20% overall)

     

  • AI development and licences (36%, vs 23% overall).

     

• Funding barriers: The challenge of finding a funder for a digital project is disproportionately affecting 44% of black led charities, compared to 27% of charities overall and 28% of small charities. The same results were uncovered last year. 

LGBTQIA+ charities

In 2024, LGBTQIA+ led charities had similar digital skills levels and funding needs to our main sample. In 2025, this looks to be changing. They are more likely to struggle with including digital costs in funding applications, online fundraising and have significantly adapted their use of social media. Accessibility, diversity and inclusion is a higher priority for the next year. This group is particularly cautious of adopting AI fully due to concerns around bias and discrimination.

Our sample

• 57 (9%) of our responses are from LGBTQIA+ led charities.

   

• 76% are small and 20% are large (the remainder did not specify).

   

• 37% are a social enterprise or community business (vs 22% overall).

   

• Half (53%) are led by people with lived experience of the issue they address (vs 28% overall). It is worth highlighting intersectionality here, given that 42% are also led by neurodivergent people (vs 12% overall), 32% by disabled and d/Deaf people (vs 11% overall) and 21% are black led (vs 12% overall).

   

Digital stage

• 54% are at an early stage with digital (25% curious and 29% starting out), while 46% have a digital strategy (30% advancing and 16% advanced), similar to our main sample despite a high proportion of LGBTQIA+ led charities being small (76%, vs 65% overall).

   

• 70% made significant or good progress with digital this year, focusing on:
   
  • Social media engagement (70%, vs 59% overall)

     

  • Revamping our website (48%)

     

  • Digital communications (45%).

     

• Similar to all charities, 40% say that recruiting a digital trustee would help them progress with digital and 63% say they most need their CEO to develop a clear vision for what they can achieve with digital in order to move forward.

   

• 53% say digital plays a key role in how they organise and deliver services, while 13% offer services that are fully online and 31% use digital in a limited way. Current diversity and inclusion practices align with our main sample.

   

• 76% see digital as an organisational priority, with 24% saying it is a high priority. 

Social media

• 65% of LGBTQIA+ charities stopped using X (formerly Twitter) this year (vs 51% overall) and 11% have also reduced their use of Meta platforms.

   

• 42% have changed their social media strategy (vs 25% overall).

   

• 29% have changed how they post content and 18% have spent more time tackling misinformation (vs 5% overall).

   

Barriers to digital progress

1. Squeezed organisational finances (70%).

    

2. Finding funds to invest in infrastructure, systems and tools (70%).

    

3. Lack of headspace and capacity (61%).

Skills

• The majority have fair or excellent skills in terms of using digital tools in everyday work (91%) and making the most of their website (70%).

   

• LGBTQIA+ charities struggle more than other charities with poor or no skills in:

   

• Using digital tools in service delivery (34%, vs 23% overall)

   

• Collect, manage and analyse data (46%, vs 27% overall)

   

• Use data to inform decision making and strategy (37%, vs 29% overall)

   

• Online fundraising (82%, vs 62% overall).

Digital priorities for the year ahead

1. Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (60%).

    

2. Attracting funding or donations (53%).

    

3. Improve/use our data to improve services or operations (53%).

    

4. Digital communications and fundraising (51%).

    

5. Accessibility, diversity and inclusion in digital services (40%, vs 28% overall).

    

Use of AI

• 72% are using AI tools, with 46% at the exploring stage, 20% actively adopting AI tools in everyday work and 6% using AI strategically.

   

• Organisationally, LGBTQIA+ led charities are using AI for administration and project management (59%), grant fundraising (32%) and communications (30%).

   

• Half (49%) feel they are responding to AI opportunities and challenges.

   

• 64% are worried about the implications of using AI (vs 60% overall).

   

AI skills and support needs

• 47% say their CEO has fair or excellent AI skills and knowledge, while 36% say the same of their board.

   

• Most want to learn more about assessing AI risks (bias, safeguarding) and using AI tools responsibly (59%, vs 51% overall).

   

• Barriers to adopting AI tools are distinct for LGBTQIA+ led charities:

   

  • Data privacy, GDPR and security concerns (53%, vs 43% overall)

     

  • The potential for bias and discrimination (49%, vs 32% overall)

     

  • Ethical and human rights concerns (49%, vs 29% overall).

Funding

• Half (51%) say their funding has not included digital costs in the last 12 months (vs 38% overall and 45% of small charities).

   

• The biggest barrier they face is a lack of time to dedicate to applying for funding for digital costs (46%, vs 37% overall), followed by grants being too small to include digital costs (27%, vs 16% overall).

   

• Funding needs:
   
  • Core staff or cover staff time to spend on digital/data (67%)

     

  • Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (56%)

     

  • Capacity/headspace for organisational development (52%).

    
    
    
    

Disabled and d/Deaf led charities

In 2024, the digital progress, priorities and funding needs for disabled and d/Deaf charities were consistent with and similar to the main sample of charities. This year, we can see some variation. Despite a high proportion being small and facing challenges around squeezed organisational finances, disabled and d/Deaf led charities are making good progress with digital. However, AI skills are slightly lower and most need their CEO to develop a vision for digital. This group is more likely to prioritise diversity and inclusion in their organisation. 

Our sample

• 72 (11%) of our responses are from disabled or d/Deaf led charities.

   

• 82% are small and 13% are large (the remainder did not specify). This is significantly higher than the 65% of small charities in our main sample, which are typically at an early stage with digital.

   

• 65% are led by people with lived experience of the issue they address (vs 28% overall) and 68% also say that disabled or d/Deaf people are a key target group.

   

• There is also a strong overlap with people who are neurodivergent, with 47% being led by this group and 38% saying this is a key target group (vs 12% overall).

Digital stage

• 60% are at an early stage with digital (28% curious and 32% starting out), similar to our main sample (56%), despite a high proportion of small charities.

   

• 40% have a strategy in place for digital (25% advancing and 15% advanced).

   

• 83% see digital as an organisational priority (vs 75% overall).

   

• 62% made significant or good progress with digital this year focusing on:

   

  • Social media engagement (56%)

     

  • Revamping our website (44%)

     

  • Staff and volunteer digital skills (41%).

     

• 63% rate their CEO digital skills as excellent or fair (vs 67% overall), but a high proportion say they need their CEO skills to improve by developing a clearer vision for digital (75%, vs 64% overall) and data (57%, vs 44% overall), as well as by keeping up to date with emerging trends, tech and AI tools (52%, vs 41% overall).

Digital services

• 49% say digital plays a key role in how they organise and deliver services, while 14% offer services that are fully online and 31% use digital behind the scenes.

   

• 54% support clients with digital inclusion and 26% say this is an organisational priority (slightly higher than the 16% overall).

   

• When choosing suppliers, the following inclusion factors are very important:

   

  • Commitment to diversity and inclusion (66%, vs 42% overall)

     

  • How they involve people with lived experience (58%, vs 34% overall)

     

  • Their values and ethics (55%, vs 45% overall)

     

  • Socially responsible business model (42%, vs 31% overall)

     

  • Commitment to environmental principles (33%, vs 21% overall)

     

  • Diversity in their team (31%, vs 17% overall).

     

• Digital services are also more likely to be (to a great extent):
   
  • Co-designed with users/people with lived experience (39%, vs 24% overall)

     

  • Reaching diverse and marginalised communities (28%, vs 20% overall)

     

  • Informed by research with diverse communities (25%, vs 15% overall).

Digital priorities for the year ahead

1. Digital communications and fundraising (60%).

    

2. Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (60%, vs 49% overall).

    

3. Attracting funding or donations (56%).

    

4. Accessibility, diversity and inclusion in digital services (53%, vs 28% overall).

    

5. Improve/use our data to improve services or operations (50%, vs 39% overall).

In addition, communications and fundraising priorities include building online presence and social media engagement (71%), as well as growing reach (66%).

Barriers to digital progress

1. Squeezed organisational finances (73%).

    

2. Finding funds to invest in infrastructure, systems and tools (70%, vs 64% overall).

    

3. Lack of headspace and capacity (66%, vs 63% overall).

    

4. Lack of technical expertise or someone to lead on digital (45%, vs 41% overall).

    

5. We don’t have a CRM/rely on disjointed spreadsheets (41%, vs 27% overall).

AI use

• 76% are using AI tools, with 57% at the exploring stage, 19% actively adopting AI tools in everyday work and none using AI strategically.

   

• However, 40% say they don’t know how to get started with AI.

   

• Organisationally, AI is being adopted for administration and project management (38%), communications (36%) and grant fundraising (32%).

   

• 42% feel they are responding to AI opportunities and challenges, in line with our overall responses, but only 57% feel AI developments are relevant (vs 74% overall).

   

• 66% are worried about the implications of using AI (vs 60% overall).

   

• Barriers to AI adoption include:

   

  • Limited digital skills and technical expertise (52%, vs 43% overall)

     

  • Lack of training or support to upskill ourselves (43%)

     

  • We don’t know how to get started (40%, vs 28% overall)

     

  • Issues with factual accuracy in AI-generated answers (40%, vs 33% overall).

     

Funding 

• 38% have accessed some funding for digital costs this year (30% from grantmaking trusts and foundations), in line with our overall sample.

   

• Funding needs include:

   

  • Capacity/headspace for organisational development (69%, vs 59% overall)

     

  • Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (43%, vs 46% overall)

     

  • Core staff or cover staff time to spend on digital/data (61%, vs 59% overall)

     

  • Training for staff and volunteers on digital or data (51%, vs 50% overall).

Funding barriers

• We don’t have time to dedicate to this (45%, vs 37% overall).

   

• Funders only cover limited core costs (digital costs are lower priority to include) (40%, vs 31% overall).

   

• We cannot find a funder who will support our digital project (33%, vs 27% overall).

   

• The grants we apply for are too small to include digital costs (27%, vs 16% overall).

Neurodivergent led organisations

In 2025, we have a larger sample of 76 charities led by neurodivergent people. In 2024, this group was much further ahead with digital. This year, digital skills and capacity are fairly similar to our main sample. This group is taking more steps to ensure inclusion in digital services. Demand for funding is higher, with more seeking digital funding. 

Digital stage

• 62% are in the early stages with digital (vs 56% overall and 68% of small charities). While 38% have a strategy in place, 78% see digital as an organisational priority.

   

• Key areas of progress this year include social media engagement (65%), a website revamp (57%) and staff and volunteer digital skills (44%).
  
  
  

Barriers to digital progress

1. Squeezed organisational finances (71%).

    

2. Lack of headspace and capacity (65%).

    

3. Finding funds to invest in infrastructure, systems and tools (68%).

    

4. Poor resourcing and budgeting for digital (43%).

    

5. We don’t have a CRM/rely on disjointed spreadsheets (41%, vs 27% overall).

Digital priorities for the year ahead

1. Digital communications and fundraising (61%, vs 51% overall).

    

2. Attracting funding or donations (59%, vs 52% overall).

    

3. Develop our strategy (for digital, data or AI) (55%, vs 49% overall).

    

4. Grow staff/volunteer digital skills (45%, vs 43% overall).

    

5. Improve/use our data to improve services or operations (45%, vs 39% overall).

    

6. Accessibility, diversity and inclusion in digital services (43%, vs 28% overall).

    

Focus on inclusion

• Digital services are more likely to be developed by diverse teams (29%, vs 15% overall) and be inclusive of users (40%, vs 33% overall).

   

• Digital suppliers are chosen on the basis of their commitment to diversity and inclusion (61%, vs 42% overall), how they involve people with lived experience (49%, vs 34% overall) and diversity in their team (28%, vs 17% overall).

AI use and barriers

• 78% are using AI in their organisation, including for administration (51%) and grant fundraising (45%). Only 38% feel they are responding to AI opportunities and challenges.

   

• 65% are worried about the implications of AI and 47% say they are avoiding AI in areas where it could cause harm (vs 36% overall). 

Funding

• 44% accessed funding for digital costs this year (vs 40% overall).

   

• Key funding barriers include time (38%), not being able to find a funder to support their digital project (35%) and grants being too small (34%, vs 16% overall).

   

• Funding needs are core staff or cover staff time to spend on digital/data (70%, vs 59% overall) and capacity/headspace for organisational development (67%, vs 59% overall). In addition, 25% need funding to move forward with AI (vs 13% overall).