The largest UK development charities — and where they get their income

The largest nonprofits in the United Kingdom are also some of the leading implementers of development and humanitarian activities across the world. Our findings show that 27 nonprofits registered with the Charity Commission — the primary U.K regulator — had incomes over £50 million. One additional organization with a qualifying level of income — Mercy Corps Europe — is registered in the U.K. only with OSCR, the Scottish charity regulator. Those 28 charities had cumulative earnings of £6.1 billion (almost $8.1 billion) in their latest fiscal year — either 2022 or 2023 — highlighting the important role they play and the influence they hold in the global development sphere. In a report we published last year, we observed a downward trend in the top NGOs’ income in the last five years, brought primarily by the pandemic and the U.K. government’s decision to slash its aid spending. In this analysis, we looked into what has changed since then. All figures were adjusted to 2023 constant prices, which allowed us to compare year-on-year trends concerning changes in the inflation rates. The largest UK charities by revenue The £6.1 billion combined incomes of the 28 charities represent an 8% increase from their previous filings or around £452.2 million in monetary terms. This is also £1.2 billion more than the £4.9 billion total revenues of the 28 largest charities that comprised our previous list. Two organizations from that report fell out of the list: CAMFED, which had a latest income of £48 million, and the Against Malaria Foundation, with £45 million. Meanwhile, ActionAid made it to the latest ranking. Save the Children International reported the largest latest revenue among the 28 nonprofits, worth £1.4 billion. The British Council followed, with £873.3 million, then the British Red Cross, with £468.5 million, Oxfam Great Britain, with £400.6 million, and Sightsavers, with £334.4 million. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1724230257001' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Revenue dashboard ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;La&#47;LargestUKcharitiestotalrevenue&#47;Revenuedashboard&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='LargestUKcharitiestotalrevenue&#47;Revenuedashboard' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;La&#47;LargestUKcharitiestotalrevenue&#47;Revenuedashboard&#47;1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='en-US' /><param name='filter' value='publish=yes' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /></object></div> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1724230257001'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='580px';vizElement.style.minHeight='877px';vizElement.style.maxHeight='1507px';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='580px';vizElement.style.minHeight='877px';vizElement.style.maxHeight='1507px';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='1077px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <i style=font-style: georgia;”>The largest U.K. charities by latest total income, based on Charity Commission</i> Where do the top charities get their money? Nonprofits registered with the Charity Commission report their incomes under five categories: • Donation and legacies, which are revenues from endowments, core government funding not earmarked for specific programs, and public contributions. • Charitable activities, which are payment for goods and services provided by the organization. This includes grants and contracts from the U.K. government, which are reported separately by the Charity Commission. • Other trading activities, such as fundraising events. • Investments, which come from assets and dividends. • And all other sources of income that do not fall in any of the aforementioned categories. Based on their latest filings, donations and legacies accounted for the biggest share among all income sources, with the NGOs receiving £3.8 billion, or 62.6% of the total, from this category. This is up 9.8% from what they earned from donations and legacies in the previous reporting years. Sixteen charities got more than half their latest revenue from donations and legacies, with Save the Children International, Tearfund, Disaster Emergency Committee, and Amanat Charity Trust having over 95% of their total from this income source. Charitable activities ranked next, with £2 billion, or 33.5%, of the organizations’ total latest revenues. Nine NGOs reported charitable activities as their main income source. Malaria Consortium, Mercy Corps Europe, The HALO Trust, and International Rescue Committee UK had the biggest proportion among them, with 90% of their latest revenues coming from charitable activities. Meanwhile, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, Plan International, and Oxfam Great Britain had a nearly equal share of incomes from donations and legacies, and charitable activities. For the three remaining income categories, the 28 NGOs earned £168.4 million from other trading activities, £34.8 million from investment, and £39.5 million from other sources. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1724230359418' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Breakdown dashboard ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;La&#47;LargestUKcharitiesrevenuesources&#47;Breakdowndashboard&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='site_root' value='' /><param name='name' value='LargestUKcharitiesrevenuesources&#47;Breakdowndashboard' /><param name='tabs' value='no' /><param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;La&#47;LargestUKcharitiesrevenuesources&#47;Breakdowndashboard&#47;1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='en-US' /><param name='filter' value='publish=yes' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /></object></div> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1724230359418'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='580px';vizElement.style.minHeight='877px';vizElement.style.maxHeight='1507px';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='580px';vizElement.style.minHeight='877px';vizElement.style.maxHeight='1507px';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='1127px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <i style=font-style: georgia;”>Breakdown of income sources of the largest U.K. NGOs, based on Charity Commission</i> The biggest winners and losers Nineteen of the organizations we examined saw a year-on-year increase in revenues, with their combined gain amounting to £732.5 million. Save the Children International recorded the biggest rise in monetary terms — from £1.1 billion to £1.4 billion. This is driven by the £260.9 million increase in profit from donations and legacies, which came from direct contributions from Save the Children member organizations across the globe. The British Red Cross, which had the largest increase relative to its previous income, ranked next — from £261 million to £468.5 million, or a 79.5% rise. The British Red Cross saw an increase across all five income categories, with the biggest rise from donations and legacies, amounting to £177.4 million. The other top earners include Sightsavers, Islamic Relief Worldwide, and Save the Children UK. Meanwhile, nine charities recorded a total drop of £280.4 million in their latest incomes. The British Council had the steepest reduction, worth £83.6 million — from £956.9 million to £873.3 million. Among all NGOs, the British Council saw the biggest dip in two income sources: charitable activities, with a £58.5 million drop, and grants and contracts from the U.K. government, with £86.5 million. Meanwhile, Gatsby Charitable Foundation suffered the biggest drop in percentage terms — from £152.3 million to £89.7 million, or a 41.1% difference. This is caused by a 48.7% decline in donations and legacies — from £146.7 million to £75.3 million. The other charities with significant dips in their latest revenues were DEC, IPPF, and Relief International UK. Revenue from the UK government is still plummeting As mentioned, the change in the U.K.’s aid spending during the administration of then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak adversely affected the incomes of the biggest charities. Although it remains a significant source of income for the biggest NGOs, the data suggests a continuation of the downward trend in government contribution. From 11% in the previous fiscal year, the total income from grants and contracts accounted for just 8.1% of the NGOs’ latest total income. Based on the figures, the 28 charities earned 20.6% less in grants and contracts from the U.K. government in their latest financial year than the previous ones. This accounted for a £128 million drop in cash terms — from £621.1 million to £493.1 million. The British Council recorded the largest slash in monetary terms — from £299.6 million to £213.1 million. Followed by Sightsavers, with £24.2 million less funding; IPPF, with £15.2 million; and Save the Children UK, with a £9.4 million drop. In total, 15 NGOs received less funding from the U.K. government in their latest filing, with their overall loss amounting to £160.5 million. Meanwhile, nine charities received more in their latest filing than the previous ones. Their cumulative gain was worth £32.5 million. The biggest, in monetary terms, went to Depaul International, which received £10.3 million compared to zero funding in the previous year. Then The British Red Cross, with a £10.1 million gain; UNICEF UK, with £3.1 million; and International Medical Corps UK, with a £2.5 million increase. Four organizations did not receive government funding during the two-year period: Relief International UK, Médecins Sans Frontiéres UK, Gatsby Charitable Foundation, and Amanat Charity Trust. <div class='tableauPlaceholder' id='viz1724230419881' style='position: relative'><noscript><a href='#'><img alt='Asset dashboard ' src='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;T2&#47;T2WBH8N7Y&#47;1_rss.png' style='border: none' /></a></noscript><object class='tableauViz' style='display:none;'><param name='host_url' value='https%3A%2F%2Fpublic.tableau.com%2F' /> <param name='embed_code_version' value='3' /> <param name='path' value='shared&#47;T2WBH8N7Y' /> <param name='toolbar' value='yes' /><param name='static_image' value='https:&#47;&#47;public.tableau.com&#47;static&#47;images&#47;T2&#47;T2WBH8N7Y&#47;1.png' /> <param name='animate_transition' value='yes' /><param name='display_static_image' value='yes' /><param name='display_spinner' value='yes' /><param name='display_overlay' value='yes' /><param name='display_count' value='yes' /><param name='language' value='en-US' /><param name='filter' value='publish=yes' /><param name='showShareOptions' value='false' /></object></div> <script type='text/javascript'> var divElement = document.getElementById('viz1724230419881'); var vizElement = divElement.getElementsByTagName('object')[0]; if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 800 ) { vizElement.style.width='580px';vizElement.style.minHeight='877px';vizElement.style.maxHeight='1507px';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else if ( divElement.offsetWidth > 500 ) { vizElement.style.width='580px';vizElement.style.minHeight='877px';vizElement.style.maxHeight='1507px';vizElement.style.height=(divElement.offsetWidth*0.75)+'px';} else { vizElement.style.width='100%';vizElement.style.height='1127px';} var scriptElement = document.createElement('script'); scriptElement.src = 'https://public.tableau.com/javascripts/api/viz_v1.js'; vizElement.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, vizElement); </script> <i style=font-style: georgia;”>Income from government and total assets of the largest U.K. NGOs, based on Charity Commission</i> Are resources growing? More than their revenues, it is also useful to assess the NGOs’ net growth by looking into the amount of money that’s left after taking into account the total revenues, expenditures, and outstanding debts. Overall, we saw a mixed result, with nearly an equal incidence of growth and decline among the largest charities. The assets of 13 nonprofits increased by the end of their latest fiscal year, with their cumulative gain amounting to £215.5 million. Save the Children International headed, with a £78.9 million, or 51.6%, growth in assets — from £153 million to £231.9 million. The British Red Cross ranked next, with a total gain of £45.9 million; Islamic Relief Worldwide, with £37.8 million; and Oxfam Great Britain, with £33.8 million. Meanwhile, 15 charities were in a worse financial standing than in their previous fiscal year. Their cumulative loss amounted to £297.6 million. Gatsby Charitable Foundation saw the biggest drop in assets, worth £108.8 million — from £645 million to £536.2 million. The other charities in this group are the British Council, whose assets were reduced by £75.8 million; DEC, with a £53.9 million dip; and IPPF, with £19.8 million. What’s our methodology We looked at charities registered in England and Wales — with the Charity Commission — and registered in Scotland — with OSCR. In our analysis, we focused on charities that earned over £50 million in revenues in their latest filing. We only selected nonprofits working in overseas aid and famine relief. We found over 40 organizations that met these conditions. However, we excluded several NGOs that don’t spend the majority of their resources on aid and development or are primarily focused on domestic activities. This included The Salvation Army, Age UK, and the Masonic Charitable Foundation. We also didn’t include donor-advised funds, such as Achisomoch Aid Company and the Master Charitable Trust. Finally, the data was extracted from the U.K. Charity Commission and might slightly differ from the final figures in the organizations’ annual reports due to rounding up. Update, Aug. 28, 2024: This article has been updated to include Mercy Corps Europe, which is registered in Scotland, in the analysis. Try out Devex Pro Funding today with a free five-day trial, and explore funding opportunities from over 850 sources in addition to our analysis and news content.