Microloan Foundation
Analysis
Microloan Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in June 2004, 22 years ago. Its declared purposes cover the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 04828558). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides other finance.
In the financial year ending December 2025, Microloan Foundation reported income of £7.6m and spending of £6.6m, spending 87% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £3.8m to £7.6m (+101%), an average of +19% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 41%. Over the whole period it spent 89% of the income it received.
Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, Microloan Foundation 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 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Harbour Support Services (£7.6m), Toynbee Hall (£7.7m) and Wastesavers Charitable Trust Limited (£7.6m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 79% and donations and legacies 20%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £349k. Charitable activities took 94% of spending and raising funds 5.4%. Reserves of £414k would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate. It employed 342 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 15%
- Legacies 4.6%
- Charitable activities 79%
- Investments 0.6%
In the charity's own words
We are a not-for-profit microfinace institution focussing on sub-saharan africa. Our mission is to significantly reduce the depth and breadth of poverty in the communities within which we operate. We do this by lending money to groups of rural women to help them build sustainable businesses, and by providing meaningful training and ongoing mentoring support.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Harbour Support Services | Hartlepool | £7.6m |
| Toynbee Hall | London | £7.7m |
| Wastesavers Charitable Trust Limited | Newport | £7.6m |
| Operation Mobilisation | Oswestry | £7.7m |