The Department for International Development has launched a match funding scheme which will see the government match some donations to international development organisations though the aid budget.

As part of UK Aid Match, launched yesterday, charities working in the field of poverty alleviation in the developing world can request government pound-for-pound match funding before they launch a fundraising campaign. Once the campaign is complete, DFiD will match the funds raised.

The initiative, which will run as a pilot until June 2012, is being billed by the government as giving the public greater say in how development money is spent.

International development secretary Andrew Mitchell said, “By match-funding public donations to development appeals, the government will recognise the public’s choice by directing funds from the aid budget to the international development organisations they support.”

DFiD said that the scheme enjoys “overwhelming support” from development and media organisations, which they discovered in a consultation on the idea earlier in the year.

The match funding will be available to both not-for-profit organisations running projects to reduce poverty in the developing world to outlets promoting appeals for such projects.