Royal United Hospital Charitable Fund

Analysis

Royal United Hospital Charitable Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bath. It was registered in September 1996, 30 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it sponsors or undertakes research and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Royal United Hospital Charitable Fund reported income of £3.2m and spending of £4.2m, spending 132% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £2.0m to £3.2m (+55%), an average of +12% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 51%. Over the whole period it spent 132% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Royal United Hospital Charitable Fund sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Stand by Me (£3.1m), Itzchok Meyer Cymerman Trust Limited (£3.2m) and Vale House Oxford (£3.1m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 83%, investments 8.0%, trading 7.7% and charitable activities 1.3%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £1.6m. Charitable activities took 80% of spending and raising funds 19%. Reserves of £4.0m would cover about 11 months of spending at that rate. It employed 13 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.