The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust

Analysis

The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Durham. It was registered in April 2003, 23 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides buildings/facilities/open space.

In the financial year ending August 2025, The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust reported income of £145k and spending of £473k, spending 327% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from August 2021 to August 2025, income grew from £107k to £145k (+35%), an average of +7.8% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to August 2025, when income rose by 23%. Over the whole period it spent 240% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust sits at the 68th percentile: it is larger than about 68% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 76th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Council of Asian People (Haringey) (£145k), Childhood Cancer Research Trust (£145k) and The Edward Showler Foundation (£144k).

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.