Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust

Analysis

Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in October 1996, 30 years ago. Its declared purposes cover environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under environment and conservation. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03157806). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending August 2025, Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust reported income of £3.3m and spending of £2.2m, leaving 33% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from August 2021 to August 2025, income grew from £1.6m to £3.3m (+99%), an average of +19% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to August 2024, when income rose by 51%. Over the whole period it spent 87% of the income it received.

Among 4,574 England and Wales charities whose main cause is environment and conservation and that reported income, Friends of Highgate Cemetery Trust 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 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Linking Environment and Farming (£3.2m), The Architectural Heritage Fund (£3.3m) and The Henry Doubleday Research Association (£3.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 81%, investments 11% and donations and legacies 7.1%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £18k. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 3.8%. Reserves of £13.2m would cover about 72 months of spending at that rate. It employed 20 people.