Groundwork Five Counties

Analysis

Groundwork Five Counties is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Nottingham. It was registered in July 1991, 35 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty, arts/culture/heritage/science and amateur sport, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02556957). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Groundwork Five Counties reported income of £1.2m and spending of £1.3m, spending 110% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £3.2m to £1.2m (-63%), an average of -22% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income dropped by 70%. Over the whole period it spent 106% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, Groundwork Five Counties sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 94th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Regenerate.com (£1.2m), The Printing Charity (£1.2m) and Hope for Mankind (£1.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 100%. Charitable activities took 88% of spending and raising funds 0.4%. Reserves of £157k would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate. It employed 28 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.