Canaan Trust

Analysis

Canaan Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Nottingham. It was registered in August 2004, 22 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and accommodation/housing, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 05169595). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending September 2025, Canaan Trust reported income of £575k and spending of £602k, spending 105% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to September 2025, income grew from £364k to £575k (+58%), an average of +12% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to September 2024, when income rose by 307%. Over the whole period it spent 71% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, Canaan Trust sits at the 88th percentile: it is larger than about 88% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 91st percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Macari Foundation (£574k), Mosart Charitable Trust (£575k) and Roma Support Group (£574k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 56% and charitable activities 43%. Charitable activities took 77% of spending and raising funds 4.5%. Reserves of £1.6m would cover about 32 months of spending at that rate. It employed 20 people.