Somerset Community Foundation

Analysis

Somerset Community Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Shepton Mallet. It was registered in October 2002, 24 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, disability, the prevention or relief of poverty and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under disability. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 04530979). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Somerset Community Foundation reported income of £5.6m and spending of £5.1m, spending 92% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £4.1m to £5.6m (+35%), an average of +7.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 43%. Over the whole period it spent 94% of the income it received.

Among 12,871 England and Wales charities whose main cause is disability and that reported income, Somerset Community 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 Cartref Ni Limited (£5.5m), Dogs for Good (£5.6m) and Riverside Estuary Limited (£5.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 93% and investments 7.2%. Charitable activities took 94% of spending and raising funds 4.3%. Grants to other organisations totalled £4.2m. Reserves of £728k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 18 people.