Royal Variety Charity

Analysis

Royal Variety Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Middlesex. It was registered in September 1962, 64 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, the prevention or relief of poverty, accommodation/housing and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under poverty relief. It says it makes grants to individuals, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Royal Variety Charity reported income of £4.9m and spending of £4.6m, spending 94% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £2.9m to £4.9m (+69%), an average of +14% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2024, when income rose by 29%. Over the whole period it spent 100% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, Royal Variety Charity sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Gerson Berger Association Limited (£4.9m), The Millennium Awards Trust (£4.9m) and The Housing Associations' Charitable Trust (£4.8m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 48%, trading 40%, donations and legacies 10% and investments 1.4%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £397k. Charitable activities took 80% of spending and raising funds 19%. Reserves of £10.5m would cover about 27 months of spending at that rate. It employed 54 people.