Merchant Navy Welfare Board

Analysis

Merchant Navy Welfare Board is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Southampton. It was registered in November 1962, 64 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00453053). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides services and provides advocacy/advice/information.

In the financial year ending December 2025, Merchant Navy Welfare Board reported income of £808k and spending of £1.3m, spending 157% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £417k to £808k (+94%), an average of +18% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 888%. Over the whole period it spent 96% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, Merchant Navy Welfare Board sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Levine Family Foundation (£800k), Man Group PLC Charitable Trust (£809k) and The Pennington Mellor Munthe Charity Trust (£795k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 54% and investments 44%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £2,000. Charitable activities took 88% of spending and raising funds 5.5%. Grants to other organisations totalled £148k. Reserves of £1.0m would cover about 9 months of spending at that rate. It employed 10 people.