Alcohol Research UK

Analysis

Alcohol Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in February 2011, 15 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and the advancement of health or saving of lives, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 07462605). It says it provides services, provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Alcohol Research UK reported income of £1.9m and spending of £3.5m, spending 181% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £793k to £1.9m (+146%), an average of +25% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 37%. Over the whole period it spent 178% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Alcohol Research UK sits at the 93rd percentile: it is larger than about 93% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Changing Futures North East (£1.9m), The Advocacy Project (£1.9m) and The Noah Enterprise (New Opportunities and Horizons) (£1.9m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 47%, donations and legacies 18% and investments 15%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £20k. Charitable activities took 71% of spending and raising funds 26%. Grants to other organisations totalled £43k. Reserves of £7.7m would cover about 25 months of spending at that rate. It employed 37 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.