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[ Wire ] · Dispatch · Aug 12

How Marathon Charity Places Actually Work

A charity place guarantees a bib once a partner accepts you, no ballot draw involved, in exchange for a binding fundraising commitment. London's route runs through a Bond Scheme that allocates places directly to charities. Boston's runs through the John Hancock Non-Profit Program, with the highest fundraising minimums of any Major.

How does a charity place actually work?

Unlike the ballot, a charity place is not won by luck. The race organiser allocates a fixed number of bibs directly to approved partner charities, and each charity then runs its own application process to hand those places to fundraisers. Get accepted by the charity and the bib is guaranteed, but it comes with a commitment to raise a published minimum amount and often a separate registration fee on top of the race's own entry cost.

How does London's Bond Scheme work?

London runs the largest charity programme of any marathon, with more than 1,000 partner charities. Places come through Golden Bonds (four guaranteed entries a year, on a four-year term) and Silver Bonds (two entries a year, same term length). The scheme was relaunched in 2024 specifically to widen access, adding 800 new charities into the system starting with the 2026 race. Application windows for individual places typically open between October and January, often within 48 hours of the public ballot results. Minimums vary by charity: this site's own London charity directory tracks 32 of the biggest partners, with minimums from £2,200 to £3,000, most currently accepting applications for the 2027 race, plus registration fees that commonly run £100 to £150 on top.

How does Boston's charity route work?

Boston has no Good for Age route and no loyalty program, so the John Hancock Non-Profit Program is the only unconditional way in without a BQ. It is also the highest bar of any Major: this site's Boston charity directory tracks 27 official partners, with minimums from $7,500 up to $15,000. Dana-Farber Cancer Institute's Marathon Challenge is the flagship team and has raised more than $140 million since 1990. Application windows run August through November the year before the April race, on a rolling basis that varies by charity, and Bank of America's official charity program itself opens member applications for the following year in early June.

Is a charity place the same as the ballot?

No. The ballot is a random draw with no fundraising attached, and a miss costs nothing beyond the application itself. A charity place removes the luck entirely in exchange for a binding financial target, and it sits alongside the ballot as a separate route, not a consolation prize for missing it. Runners can and do apply to a charity without ever entering the ballot at all.

Which route actually costs more?

It depends what you count. London's ballot itself costs nothing to enter beyond the £79.99 to £275 fee charged only on success, but its charity minimums, £2,200 and up, plus a registration fee, run into the thousands once you add the standard entry cost. Boston skips the ballot entirely: every non-qualifier route into the race runs through this same charity system, and its $7,500 to $15,000 floor makes it the single most expensive way into any Major, ballot or otherwise.

Full partner lists, minimums, and application links for both races are in this site's own charity directories: London Marathon charities and Boston Marathon charities. For the ballot and qualifying routes each race runs alongside its charity programme, see the London Marathon page and the Boston Marathon page.

Sources: London Marathon Events: new charity bond scheme launched, London Marathon Events: charity FAQs, Boston Athletic Association: charities

Sources London Marathon Events, Boston Athletic Association London's Charity Bond Scheme and application windows from londonmarathonevents.co.uk/london-marathon/article/new-charity-bond-scheme-launched and the charity FAQ page. Boston's John Hancock Non-Profit Program terms from baa.org/charities and the 2026 official charity program members release. Individual charity minimums, fees, and application windows from each partner's own page, as listed in this site's charity directory for London and Boston.