Headway - the Brain Injury Association

Analysis

Headway - the Brain Injury Association is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Nottingham. It was registered in September 1993, 33 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02346893). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides human resources.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Headway - the Brain Injury Association reported income of £6.0m and spending of £6.7m, spending 110% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £4.9m to £6.0m (+23%), an average of +5.2% a year. Over the whole period it spent 94% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Headway - the Brain Injury Association sits at the 97th percentile: it is larger than about 97% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity (£6.0m), Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (£6.1m) and Together for Short Lives (£6.0m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 65%, donations and legacies 24% and charitable activities 10%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £214k. Charitable activities took 40% of spending and raising funds 60%. Reserves of £3.6m would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 162 people.