Lawes Agricultural Trust

Analysis

Lawes Agricultural Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Harpenden. It was registered in March 2014, 12 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 08901784). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides other finance and provides buildings/facilities/open space.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Lawes Agricultural Trust reported income of £2.9m and spending of £3.7m, spending 128% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £2.7m to £2.9m (+6.2%), an average of +1.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 166%. Over the whole period it spent 77% 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, Lawes Agricultural Trust sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Corn Exchange (Newbury) Trust (£2.9m), University of Hertfordshire Students' Union (£2.9m) and Highgate Wood and Queens Park Kilburn (£2.9m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 78% and investments 19%. Charitable activities took 93% of spending and raising funds 5.5%. Grants to other organisations totalled £613k. Reserves of £28.7m would cover about 93 months of spending at that rate. It employed 9 people.