Centre for Cities
Analysis
Centre for Cities is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in June 2007, 19 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, which this site groups under education and training. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 06215397). It says it provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.
In the financial year ending December 2025, Centre for Cities reported income of £1.6m and spending of £1.7m, spending 105% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income fell from £1.7m to £1.6m (-8.1%), an average of -2.1% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income dropped by 17%. Over the whole period it spent 100% of the income it received.
Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, Centre for Cities sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Connie Rothman Learning Trust (£1.6m), Greenacre Trust Limited (£1.6m) and In2scienceuk.org (£1.6m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 69%, charitable activities 29% and investments 2.2%. Charitable activities took 97% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £974k would cover about 7 months of spending at that rate. It employed 19 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 69%
- Charitable activities 29%
- Investments 2.2%
In the charity's own words
To promote education for the public benefit in issues of economics and public policy in relation to cities and towns in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world and to promote for the public benefit research in the aforementioned fields and to publish the useful results of such research.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Connie Rothman Learning Trust | Christchurch | £1.6m |
| Greenacre Trust Limited | Bedford | £1.6m |
| In2scienceuk.org | United Kingdom | £1.6m |
| The Markfield Institute of Higher Education | Leicestershire | £1.6m |