Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside

Analysis

Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Liverpool. It was registered in March 1998, 28 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03422207). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides other finance.

In the financial year ending March 2026, Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside reported income of £32.2m and spending of £4.9m, leaving 85% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to March 2026, income grew from £4.0m to £32.2m (+696%), an average of +68% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2026, when income rose by 635%. Over the whole period it spent 45% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, Community Foundations for Lancashire and Merseyside 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 100th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include WS Epworth Investment Funds for Charities (£31.6m), Jeremy Coller Foundation (£32.5m) and Goldman Sachs Gives (UK) (£27.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 89%, charitable activities 7.9% and investments 3.3%. Charitable activities took 94% of spending and raising funds 5.5%. Reserves of £828k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 13 people.