The Watson Foundation

Analysis

The Watson Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in October 2011, 15 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides other finance.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Watson Foundation reported income of £176k and spending of £121k, leaving 32% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £37 to £176k (+476714%), an average of +731% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2025, when income rose by 235128%. Over the whole period it spent 151% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, The Watson Foundation sits at the 85th percentile: it is larger than about 85% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 79th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of St Peter and St Paul Ormskirk (£176k), Worshipful Company of Basketmakers 2011 Charitable Trust (£176k) and Hobden Foundation (£176k).