Catholic Blind Institute

Analysis

Catholic Blind Institute is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Liverpool. It was registered in March 2004, 22 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, disability, the prevention or relief of poverty and accommodation/housing, which this site groups under disability. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05010874). It says it provides services, provides advocacy/advice/information and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Catholic Blind Institute reported income of £3.3m and spending of £2.9m, spending 89% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £5.0m to £3.3m (-34%), an average of -9.9% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 26%. Over the whole period it spent 109% of the income it received.

Among 12,871 England and Wales charities whose main cause is disability and that reported income, Catholic Blind Institute sits at the 97th percentile: it is larger than about 97% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include White Lodge Centre (£3.3m), The RCJ and Islington Citizens Advice Bureaux (£3.3m) and Camphill Devon Community Limited (£3.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 88%, trading 8.0% and donations and legacies 3.7%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £59k. Charitable activities took 94% of spending and raising funds 2.0%. Reserves of £1.6m would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 90 people.