Penny Appeal
Analysis
Penny Appeal is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in West Yorkshire. It was registered in March 2009, 17 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 06578382). It says it makes grants to organisations.
In the financial year ending December 2025, Penny Appeal reported income of £11.0m and spending of £9.4m, spending 86% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income fell from £16.2m to £11.0m (-32%), an average of -9.3% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 43%. Over the whole period it spent 100% of the income it received.
Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Penny Appeal sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. 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 Paul Strickland Scanner Centre (£10.9m), The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charity (£11.0m) and Claire House (£10.9m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 92%. Charitable activities took 67% of spending and raising funds 30%. Grants to other organisations totalled £1.9m. Reserves of £6.5m would cover about 8 months of spending at that rate. It employed 40 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 92%
- Investments 0.4%
- Other 7.4%
In the charity's own words
Penny Appeal provides poverty relief across Asia, the Middle East and Africa, with dedicated programmes to help the poor and needy by building wells, caring for orphans, providing nutritious food, delivering emergency aid in response to crisis situations and providing healthcare. Penny Appeal also works in the UK to help homeless people and women who have experienced domestic abuse.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Paul Strickland Scanner Centre | Northwood | £10.9m |
| The Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance Charity | Somerset | £11.0m |
| Claire House | Wirral | £10.9m |
| The Mohn Westlake Foundation | Bristol | £11.1m |