The Idries Shah Foundation

Analysis

The Idries Shah Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in February 2013, 13 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 08193475). It says it provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Idries Shah Foundation reported income of £71k and spending of £173k, spending 245% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £160k to £71k (-56%), an average of -18% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income dropped by 30%. Over the whole period it spent 297% of the income it received.

Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, The Idries Shah Foundation sits at the 75th percentile: it is larger than about 74% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 66th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Society of Portrait Sculptors (£71k), South East Derbyshire Music Centre Trust (£71k) and Bristol and Gloucestershire Archaeological Society (£71k).

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.