The Cambridge Union Society

Analysis

The Cambridge Union Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Cambridge. It was registered in May 2010, 16 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 07091173). It says it provides other finance, provides buildings/facilities/open space and acts as an umbrella or resource body.

In the financial year ending June 2025, The Cambridge Union Society reported income of £2.5m and spending of £2.7m, spending 109% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from June 2021 to June 2025, income grew from £645k to £2.5m (+283%), an average of +40% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to June 2022, when income rose by 239%. Over the whole period it spent 112% of the income it received.

Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, The Cambridge Union Society sits at the 96th percentile: it is larger than about 96% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include London Business School Student Association (£2.5m), The Froebelian School (Horsforth) Limited (£2.5m) and The South of England Agricultural Society (£2.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 79%, charitable activities 14% and investments 6.7%. Charitable activities took 37% of spending and raising funds 62%. Reserves of £300k would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate. It employed 7 people.

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.