The Palestine Exploration Fund

Analysis

The Palestine Exploration Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in December 1962, 64 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00013606). It says it makes grants to individuals and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Palestine Exploration Fund reported income of £263k and spending of £297k, spending 113% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £245k to £263k (+7.4%), an average of +1.8% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2024, when income rose by 42%. Over the whole period it spent 104% 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 Palestine Exploration Fund sits at the 88th percentile: it is larger than about 88% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 84th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Vincent Dance Theatre (£263k), The Mills Archive Trust (£263k) and National Youth Arts Trust (£262k).

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.