Major Gifts & Foundations

Help accelerate our mission.

Gifts from individuals, trusts and foundations are vital in enabling us to provide vital services, care and treatment to best meet the needs of our community in these challenging times. We are here for people as well as animals.


A gift of £1000, or greater, will help us to carry out our valuable work supporting animals and their owners in Sussex. It will enable us to provide the facilities, services and care, including veterinary treatment in some cases, to support animals and their owners. Together, we can ensure your gift has the maximum impact to empower people and give animals the best life possible.

Some examples of projects where a gift or a grant has had a major impact:

  • Our volunteering induction programme
  • Cat neutering and microchipping, and rabbit vaccination events
  • Specialist care for our exotic birds
  • Facility improvements for our equines, alpacas and tortoises.

Work with us


If you are interested in finding out more about us, please get in touch. We will work with you to find the project you are most passionate about and will keep you updated on the impact of your generosity.

Major gifts & foundations FAQs

How do I make a major gift?

Major gifts may be made in a number of different ways including making a single gift, setting up a regular donation, through a gift in kind or your charitable Trust or Foundation, or via matched giving.

Contact our Philanthropy Managers to discuss your options at partnerships@raystede.org or call us on 01825 840747.

Will my gift be restricted or unrestricted?

That is entirely up to you. If you prefer to restrict your donation to a particular area of our work, we would be more than happy to chat to you about our current projects, which include the creation of a Bunny Bonding facility and the redevelopment of our Cattery and Kennels. Various biodiversity and environmental projects are also being planned such as more native tree planting and the creation of further accessible pathways across our 43-acre site.

Am I eligible for tax relief?

Every £1,000 you donate could be worth £1,250 to Raystede. If you are a UK taxpayer, we can claim Gift Aid on your donations.

What if I am a higher rate tax payer?

If you are a higher rate taxpayer (40% and above) you could be entitled to a tax rebate on your donation to the value of the difference between the basic and higher rate of tax. For instance, a donation of £1,000 from a UK taxpayer is worth an additional £250 to the Charity with Gift Aid. However, as a higher rate taxpayer, you are entitled to claim the difference between what we claim at 20% basic rate of tax and your own tax rate. Therefore, on a donation of £1,000 you too could claim £250 from HMRC. Please contact HMRC or your accountant for more information.

Help keep our animals warm and safe this winter

As the cold weather sets in, our animals need your help more than ever. Winter is a challenging time for our animals who have often been mistreated, neglected or abandoned.

But, with your help they will spend Christmas in the care of our amazing animal welfare team.

Donate