Big Issue Trust

Analysis

Big Issue Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in November 1994, 32 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02995859). It says it provides other finance.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Big Issue Trust reported income of £972k and spending of £1.7m, spending 179% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £848k to £972k (+15%), an average of +3.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 659%. Over the whole period it spent 84% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Big Issue Trust sits at the 89th percentile: it is larger than about 89% 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 Good Shepherd Foundation UK (£971k), Faizul Quran Jamia Mosque (£973k) and WasteAid (£971k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 91% and donations and legacies 9.5%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £92k. Charitable activities took 97% of spending and raising funds 1.4%. Reserves of £203k would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate.