Ashoka UK
Analysis
Ashoka UK is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in March 2006, 20 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 04903565). It says it acts as an umbrella or resource body.
In the financial year ending August 2025, Ashoka UK reported income of £2.3m and spending of £3.1m, spending 139% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from August 2021 to August 2025, income fell from £2.3m to £2.3m (-2.0%), an average of -0.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to August 2022, when income rose by 60%. Over the whole period it spent 103% of the income it received.
Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Ashoka UK sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Positive Futures North Liverpool Limited (£2.3m), Mercy Relief (£2.3m) and The Supported Fostering Services Charitable Trust (£2.3m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 96% and trading 3.8%. Charitable activities took 91% of spending and raising funds 4.1%. Grants to other organisations totalled £1.3m. Reserves of £194k would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate. It employed 18 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 96%
- Trading 3.8%
- Investments 0.0%
- Other 0.1%
In the charity's own words
Ashoka UK is the UK chapter of Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, a charity registered in the United States of America. The objects of Ashoka UK are to relieve poverty and sickness, preserve and protect health and advance education and promote the preservation of the environment for the public benefit particularly in developing countries by promoting the work of the organisation known as Ashoka.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Positive Futures North Liverpool Limited | Liverpool | £2.3m |
| Mercy Relief | Birmingham | £2.3m |
| The Supported Fostering Services Charitable Trust | Cardiff | £2.3m |
| CDS UK (Clinic for Dissociative Studies) | London | £2.3m |