Lancaster Foundation

Analysis

Lancaster Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Lancashire. It was registered in December 1997, 29 years ago. Its declared purposes cover overseas aid/famine relief and religious activities, which this site groups under overseas aid and international. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Lancaster Foundation reported income of £4.2m and spending of £2.8m, leaving 34% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £3.0m to £4.2m (+43%), an average of +9.4% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 16%. Over the whole period it spent 78% of the income it received.

Among 1,223 England and Wales charities whose main cause is overseas aid and international and that reported income, Lancaster Foundation sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% 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 Isha Foundation (£4.0m), Foundation for the Parks and Reserves of Cote D'ivoire (Fprci-Uk) (£4.7m) and The Shree Swaminarayan Temple (£3.9m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from investments 82% and donations and legacies 18%. Charitable activities took 93% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £2.2m. Reserves of £2.0m would cover about 8 months of spending at that rate. It employed 5 people.