Charities
As demands on charities continue to grow, strong financial management and governance matter more than ever.
Banking that understands charities
Charities play a crucial role in delivering essential services, supporting communities and tackling social challenges across the UK. They are continually balancing financial sustainability with mission delivery, often alongside income that naturally rises and falls throughout the year. Many are also exploring ways to streamline banking costs, especially around cash handling and cheque processing to ensure more of their resources go directly to their work.
Unity exists to make this easier. We provide the clarity, expertise, and values‑aligned banking that helps charities operate efficiently, reduce friction, and stay focused on the work that matters most.
Whether you’re providing front line support, managing community assets, delivering specialist services or driving social change, you need a bank that understands the unique financial pressures and opportunities facing the sector.
Recognised as the best
We’ve been recognised as the best overall bank in the Charity Finance Banking Survey 2026!
Each year, Charity Finance magazine invites organisations to rate their banks on the things that matter most: service quality, sector understanding, relationship support, digital experience and responsible banking practices. The survey provides an independent benchmark of how well banks are meeting the needs of charities and not‑for‑profit organisations.
Our 2026 results
First place
- Best Overall Bank
- Best for Relationship Managers – for the second year running
- Best for Sector Knowledge – for the second year running
- Best for Interest Rates
2nd place
- Second in Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Credentials
- Second in Telephone Service
- Second in Internet Banking
- Second in Branch Services
These results highlight the strength of our relationship‑led approach and our specialist understanding of the charity and not‑for‑profit landscape. With more than half of our customers operating in the sector, we work closely with organisations to navigate regulatory requirements, governance expectations and operational challenges.
To read the full survey results see page 44 onwards of the May 2026 edition of Charity Finance Magazine.
Are you ready for SORP 2026?
The upcoming Charity Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) changes will shape how charities report, govern and demonstrate their impact. Our handy guide helps you understand what’s changing and what your organisation can do now to feel prepared and confident.
How we support charities
Charities need a bank that understand their structures, governance and long‑term goals, and who can offer specialist insight, dependable relationship support and a smooth, straightforward switching experience.
Seamless switching
Our new-accounts team is experienced in charity applications, helping organisations get set up smoothly and confidently.
We understand regulatory requirements, what trustees need, and how to make onboarding as smooth as possible.
The account switch process is guaranteed to take 7 working days or less, and is covered by the Current Account Switch Guarantee.
Sector expertise
We have a dedicated Charities Team with deep knowledge of the sector, giving you direct access to people who understand your organisation.
Charities with £2m+ turnover get a dedicated Relationship Manager who will work closely with you to understand your needs and provide practical, long term support.
Ethical by design
We judge our success in two ways: how well we do as a bank, and how much good our lending creates.
This is called our “double bottom line” approach, and ensures your money supports social impact while being managed with financial strength and stability.
In 2025, we were recognised as the UK’s top Ethical Business Current Account by Good With Money.
Governance support
We’ve launched a subsidised pilot programme with Governance 360 to support charities in strengthening governance processes and oversight arrangements ahead of the new Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) requirements for 2026.
To express your interest or find out more, contact us@unity.co.uk with the subject line “Governance360 pilot”.
Impact guidance
We’ve created our Impact Hub to provide everything you need to measure and strengthen your impact, including practical tools, tailored guidance and other useful resources.
Explore our latest Impact Report and access our Impact Toolkit to help you understand and measure your own positive impact.
Expert Insight
We’re preparing an online webinar to help charities get to grips with the key changes in the SORP 2026, offering a clear, practical overview of what’s new and what it means for finance teams, trustees and leaders. Full details of the webinar, including how to register, will be shared soon.
We’ve also created a concise SORP 2026 guide to support early planning and understanding ahead of the update.
Accounts and services
Manage your charity’s money efficiently with our Current Accounts and focus on making a difference.
- Secure 24/7 Online Banking
- Role based user permissions and payment approval controls
- Dual and triple authority options
- Dedicated charities support team
Make your reserves work harder while maintaining the flexibility and security your organisation needs.
- Instant access, fixed term and notice accounts
- Re-invested in UK projects
- Dedicated charities support team
- FSCS protected
Access funding to invest in property, facilities, growth projects and long-term sustainability.
- Loans from £250,000 to £40 million
- Fixed and variable rate options
- Dedicated relationship manager
- Supporting positive social impact
Make payments and manage spending with ease using our range of payment options.
- Accepting card payments
- Bacs services
- Bulk faster payments
- CHAPS payments
Switch to a bank that understands charities
Switching your charity’s banking shouldn’t feel daunting. With the Current Account Switch Service (CASS), moving to us is fast, secure and fully managed, so your charity can enjoy sector‑specific support without the stress of a complicated transition.
When you switch, we take care of the entire process and it’s guaranteed to take seven working days or less. That means no disruption to payments, no chasing suppliers, and no administrative burden on clerks or councillors.
Switching means joining a bank that understands charity governance, offers faster mandate updates, provides flexible authorisation controls and supports you with dedicated, UK‑based expertise.
Customer stories
Discover how charities across the UK are using our banking and lending solutions to expand their services, secure vital community spaces and create lasting social impact. From supporting people experiencing homelessness to safeguarding creative hubs for future generations, these stories show the tangible difference our funding makes, helping organisations strengthen resilience, grow their reach and continue delivering life‑changing support.
A bank you can trust
We secured an investment‑grade rating of BBB‑ from Fitch Ratings in July 2025, reflecting our financial strength and prudent approach to risk.
In June 2025, we were recognised for leadership in Net Zero finance, following The King’s Award for Enterprise: Sustainable Development in May 2024.
We were awarded the ‘Good Egg’ mark from the responsible finance site, Good With Money, in June 2025, in recognition of our ethical business practices.
In January 2026, we were awarded the ICS ServiceMark for consistently high levels of customer satisfaction and service quality, based on independent assessment and customer feedback.
Ways to grow your impact
Explore the Unity Impact Toolkit to understand how you can measure and grow the impact of your organisation, or visit our Impact Hub to explore the full social, economic and environmental impact we deliver.
Save with certainty
Your eligible savings and deposits with Unity Trust Bank are protected up to a total of £120,000 by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), the UK’s deposit guarantee scheme. Eligibility criteria and limits apply.