The Guardian Foundation
Analysis
The Guardian 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, arts/culture/heritage/science and human rights/religious or racial harmony/equality or diversity, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 08437335). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides services.
In the financial year ending March 2026, The Guardian Foundation reported income of £1.9m and spending of £1.9m, spending 100% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to March 2026, income grew from £1.1m to £1.9m (+69%), an average of +14% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 35%. Over the whole period it spent 101% 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 Guardian 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 The Torch Theatre Company Limited (£1.9m), The Trent Rivers Trust (£1.9m) and FACT Liverpool (£1.9m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 72%, charitable activities 27% and trading 1.1%. Charitable activities took 100% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. It employed 11 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 72%
- Charitable activities 27%
- Trading 1.1%
In the charity's own words
The charity's focus is on the charitable advancement of education, human rights and the right to information. In support of this its main activities are currently: 1. news literacy programmes for children 2. international media capacity-building programmes 3. the Scott Trust Bursary scheme and Hugo Young Award for jounalism students 4. maintenance and operation of the Guardian and Observer archive
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| The Torch Theatre Company Limited | Milford Haven | £1.9m |
| The Trent Rivers Trust | Derby | £1.9m |
| FACT Liverpool | Liverpool | £1.9m |
| Chazak Limited | London | £1.9m |