The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) doubled the amount it raised for its core costs last year as its overall income declined by £10m.
In the year to March 2025, DEC began targeted fundraising specifically for its core costs, raising £300,000 in the first year.
DEC reported this week that it raised £600,000 to cover its operational expenses in 2025-26 from strategic donors including trusts and foundations, philanthropists, and corporate partners, surpassed its core costs fundraising target.
“Moving to a model where we fundraise for our core costs means that more public donations can go directly to aid response for DEC appeals”, its 2025-26 accounts read.
The charity’s total income, including gift aid and bank interest, declined from £50.8m the year before to £40.8m in 2025-26.
Of this total, the ongoing the Myanmar Earthquake Appeal, launched April 2025, raised £20.8m and its Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, launched October 2024, raised £15.5m.
Meanwhile, programme responses for two of the DEC’s largest ever appeals ended last summer, with the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal closing in August 2025, and the Turkey Syria Earthquake Appeal in July 2025.
Total expenditure for 2025-26 amounted to £48.2m, a decrease from 2024-25’s total of £61.8m.
This included £39.3m (2025: £54.7m) of appeal funds committed to DEC member charities for use towards humanitarian programmes and for collective initiative projects; £6.6m (2025: £5.4m) in costs of raising funds, and £2.3m (2025: £1.7m) of other costs.
The charity spent £423,000 on staff costs, an increase of almost £100,000 on the previous year’s amount.
