The CommunityFund.
Money that can’t legally go to one named cause, and money that a nominated cause never claimed — pooled and put to work across UK schools, charities and community groups.
What it is
The Community Fund is where two kinds of money land when it can’t be routed to a single named cause:
- Commission from FCA-regulated products. For insurance, the rules that govern regulated financial products mean commission can’t be earmarked as an inducement tied to a specific named beneficiary. It still funds causes — just not one you pick at the point of switching.
- Lapsed pledges. Pledging to an organisation that has not registered with us is not open yet. When it is, a pledge will give that organisation 90 days from the day the switch is confirmed to claim it, and anything unclaimed at the end of that will be swept into the Community Fund rather than sitting unclaimed indefinitely.
Where it goes
Supporters whose money is directed to the fund can choose a category to put it toward — Well-being, Environment & Climate, Community, or Education — or leave it general/unrestricted. Every pound in the fund still reaches UK schools, charities and community groups; the category is about what kind of cause it supports, not whether it reaches one.
Why it exists
Two different problems, one answer. A supporter shouldn’t lose their switch’s impact because the cause they pledged to never got around to registering. And a regulated product shouldn’t be sold on the promise of funding a specific charity, which the rules for that product type don’t allow. Pooling both into one fund means neither problem means the money simply doesn’t go anywhere.