St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales)
Analysis
St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales) is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in West Yorkshire. It was registered in March 1996, 30 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03174679). It says it makes grants to individuals, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.
In the financial year ending March 2025, St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales) reported income of £16.2m and spending of £18.2m, spending 112% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £11.1m to £16.2m (+46%), an average of +9.9% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 19%. Over the whole period it spent 105% of the income it received.
Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, St Vincent de Paul Society (England and Wales) sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Afghanaid (£16.2m), African Agricultural Technology Foundation (£16.3m) and Dawat-E-Islami UK (£16.0m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 53%, donations and legacies 43% and investments 1.7%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £849k. Charitable activities took 91% of spending and raising funds 5.9%. Grants to other organisations totalled £433k. Reserves of £5.9m would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 430 people.
Data notes from the register: The latest annual return was received after its deadline. Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 38%
- Legacies 5.2%
- Charitable activities 53%
- Trading 0.9%
- Investments 1.7%
- Other 1.4%
In the charity's own words
The objective of the Charity is the relief of poverty, both material and emotional in England & Wales and abroad through: the person to person involvement of its voluntary members engaged in befriending and through 'Special Works' , which are projects established to address specific needs in the local community
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Afghanaid | London | £16.2m |
| African Agricultural Technology Foundation | 25 Old Broad Street | £16.3m |
| Dawat-E-Islami UK | Bradford | £16.0m |
| Global Innovation Fund | London | £16.6m |