The Duke of Edinburgh's Award
Analysis
The Duke of Edinburgh's Award is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Reading. It was registered in November 1998, 28 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, which this site groups under education and training. It says it provides services and provides advocacy/advice/information.
In the financial year ending March 2025, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award reported income of £24.1m and spending of £26.6m, spending 110% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £14.7m to £24.1m (+64%), an average of +13% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 41%. Over the whole period it spent 98% of the income it received.
Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, The Duke of Edinburgh's Award sits at the 99th 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 University College of Estate Management (£24.0m), Wadham College (£24.1m) and Hinxton Hall Limited (£24.0m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 79%, donations and legacies 15% and trading 6.1%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £202k. Charitable activities took 85% of spending and raising funds 14%. Grants to other organisations totalled £2.5m. Reserves of £14.3m would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 377 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 14%
- Legacies 0.8%
- Charitable activities 79%
- Trading 6.1%
- Investments 0.5%
- Other 0.0%
In the charity's own words
When young people build lifelong belief in themselves, there are no limits to what they can achieve. That's why, at The Duke of Edinburgh's Award (DofE), we support young people of all backgrounds to take on their own challenges and discover talents the never knew they had. DofE is open to ages 14-24, and runs in schools, youth clubs, hospitals, prisons and more, all over the UK. Visit DofE.org.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| University College of Estate Management | Reading | £24.0m |
| Wadham College | Oxford | £24.1m |
| Hinxton Hall Limited | Saffron Walden | £24.0m |
| Morley College Limited | London | £24.2m |