The Allen Overy Shearman Sterling Foundation

Analysis

The Allen Overy Shearman Sterling Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in September 2013, 13 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and overseas aid/famine relief, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 08636434). It says it makes grants to individuals and makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending April 2025, The Allen Overy Shearman Sterling Foundation reported income of £2.2m and spending of £2.1m, spending 94% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from April 2021 to April 2025, income grew from £1.6m to £2.2m (+37%), an average of +8.3% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to April 2023, when income rose by 51%. Over the whole period it spent 87% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, The Allen Overy Shearman Sterling Foundation 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 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Phoenix Community Care Limited (£2.2m), Glass Door Homeless Charity (£2.2m) and Wychdale Limited (£2.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 99% and investments 1.1%. Charitable activities took 94% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £2.0m. Reserves of £1.9m would cover about 11 months of spending at that rate.