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Local Legends FAQs

Who can nominate a charity?

UK employees of a Virgin Company can nominate a UK registered charity or CIC where they currently volunteer (see eligibility criteria).

What are the timings for this round of Local Legends?

Nominations will be open for six weeks from Monday 19th January to Monday 2nd March 2026. Nominators will be contacted by Monday 9th March 2026 if their nominated charity has been invited to submit an application. Charities will have six weeks to apply and the window for applications will close on Monday 20th April 2026. Charities will be notified via email by Monday 11th May 2026 if they have been shortlisted.

The independent panel meeting will take place during June 2026, where decisions will be made about which charities will receive the £5,000 funding grants. All shortlisted applicants (and their nominators) will be informed if the charity will receive a grant by the end of June 2026.

Grant administration will be completed and payments will be made in July 2026. Local Legends Grant Impact Reports will be collected in July 2027.

The organisation I volunteer for isn’t a charity, can I nominate them?

The current round of funding is for UK registered charities and Community Interest Companies (CICs) (registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales/Office of the Scottish Charity Register/Charity Commission for Northern Ireland or as a CIC with Companies House). If you have feedback about other types of organisations that should be eligible in the future, let us know.

I used to volunteer for a charity and don’t at the moment, can I still nominate them?

Unfortunately, this round of funding is for charities where employees have an ongoing, current volunteering relationship.

I am fundraising to support an individual who is also supported through a charity, can I nominate them?

Unfortunately, the Local Legends Fund cannot support individuals, however you can nominate the charity (as long as they are a registered UK charity and you are volunteering for them).

Can my charity apply for less than £5,000?

No, grants are set at £5,000 per project. However, we'd love your feedback for future rounds!

The charity I volunteer for needs non-financial support. Do you offer this?

We cannot guarantee this but we would love to hear from you if you have suggestions for non-financial support Virgin could offer the charity where you volunteer.

I volunteer for more than one charity. Can I nominate more than one?

Yes, as long as the charities meet the eligibility criteria, you are welcome to nominate more than one. Please bear in mind, our Panel (making the final decision) will want to share the love, so you may not want to nominate all of them in the same round.

I volunteer with other Virgin employees for the same charity. Can we all nominate the charity?

We want to hear about all the amazing volunteering going on around the group and you are all welcome to nominate. Please bear in mind it’s unlikely that multiple nominations for the same charity will all be successful.

Can I apply again if my nomination is not successful?

Yes, you can apply again in future rounds, but please make sure to check eligibility criteria ahead of each round to ensure that your charity is eligible for this round of funding.

Will the charity trustees have to provide any information?

Yes, as part of the application process we request ID verification checks for all trustees of the charity. Charities will be asked to provide the name, email and mobile number of all trustees when completing the application. A link will then be sent to each trustee to verify their ID via Creditsafe / Credas and a guide on how to complete this will be provided. Delays and/or missing trustee info could result in an application not going to panel.

What’s Next?