The Royal Countryside Fund
Analysis
The Royal Countryside Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in May 2010, 16 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty, environment/conservation/heritage and economic/community development/employment, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 07240359). It says it makes grants to organisations and sponsors or undertakes research.
In the financial year ending March 2025, The Royal Countryside Fund reported income of £4.1m and spending of £3.9m, spending 96% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £1.6m to £4.1m (+161%), an average of +27% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 64%. Over the whole period it spent 101% of the income it received.
Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, The Royal Countryside Fund 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 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Freedom Fund UK (£4.1m), The Goldsmiths' Foundation (£4.1m) and Trent Vineyard (£4.1m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 15% and donations and legacies 13%. Charitable activities took 93% of spending and raising funds 1.9%. Grants to other organisations totalled £655k. Reserves of £601k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 17 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 13%
- Trading 15%
- Investments 0.0%
- Other 72%
In the charity's own words
Set up to respond to concerns expressed by HRH The Prince of Wales on the future of farming and rural communities in the UK. 3 goals:-* to improve the sustainability of British farming and rural communities, targeting areas of greatest need* to reconnect consumers with countryside issues* to support farming and rural crisis charities through a dedicated emergency funding stream
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| The Freedom Fund UK | London | £4.1m |
| The Goldsmiths' Foundation | London | £4.1m |
| Trent Vineyard | Nottingham | £4.1m |
| M and R Gross Charities Limited | London | £4.1m |