Compton Verney Fund

Analysis

Compton Verney Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Preston. It was registered in March 2010, 16 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Compton Verney Fund reported income of £947k and spending of £2.8m, spending 297% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £735k to £947k (+29%), an average of +6.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income rose by 32%. Over the whole period it spent 238% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Compton Verney Fund 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 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Iom3 Education and Outreach Trust (£947k), Woking Museum and Arts and Crafts Centre (£948k) and Unitas (£943k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from investments 100%. Charitable activities took 91% of spending and raising funds 7.7%. Grants to other organisations totalled £2.6m. Reserves of £14.4m would cover about 61 months of spending at that rate.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.