Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind
Analysis
Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Haywards Heath. It was registered in September 1962, 64 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives, disability and the prevention or relief of poverty, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it makes grants to organisations, provides human resources and provides buildings/facilities/open space.
In the financial year ending December 2025, Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind reported income of £283.8m and spending of £288.4m, spending 102% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £236.8m to £283.8m (+20%), an average of +4.6% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 32%. Over the whole period it spent 99% of the income it received.
Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 100th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Methodist Homes (£283.3m), The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (£286.7m) and Macmillan Cancer Support (£268.4m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 88% and charitable activities 12%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £16.6m. Charitable activities took 90% of spending and raising funds 8.2%. Grants to other organisations totalled £31.7m. Reserves of £27.9m would cover about 1 months of spending at that rate. It employed 857 people.
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.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 82%
- Legacies 5.9%
- Charitable activities 12%
- Trading 0.1%
- Investments 0.8%
- Other 0.0%
In the charity's own words
Seventy five per cent of blindness in the world is either avoidable or treatable. Sightsavers works with partners in developing countries to eliminate avoidable blindness and promote equality of opportunity for disabled people. Our work alleviates poverty among poor and marginalised communities and thus helps to realise the internationally accepted Millenium Development Goals.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Methodist Homes | Derby | £283.3m |
| The Royal National Lifeboat Institution | Poole | £286.7m |
| Macmillan Cancer Support | London | £268.4m |
| The British Red Cross Society | London | £293.5m |