The Civil Service Benevolent Fund

Analysis

The Civil Service Benevolent Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Surrey. It was registered in July 2010, 16 years ago. Its declared purposes cover the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability 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 07286399). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides services.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Civil Service Benevolent Fund reported income of £5.6m and spending of £7.4m, spending 132% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £4.8m to £5.6m (+16%), an average of +3.9% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income rose by 22%. Over the whole period it spent 160% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The Civil Service Benevolent Fund sits at the 97th percentile: it is larger than about 97% 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 City Catering Southampton (£5.6m), Age UK Kent Rivers (£5.6m) and Foundation of Light (£5.6m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 82% and investments 12%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £396k. Charitable activities took 82% of spending and raising funds 16%. Reserves of £25.3m would cover about 40 months of spending at that rate. It employed 76 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.