The British Red Cross Society
Analysis
The British Red Cross Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in March 1963, 63 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. It says it makes grants to organisations, provides human resources and provides services.
In the financial year ending December 2025, The British Red Cross Society reported income of £293.5m and spending of £304.7m, spending 104% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £226.5m to £293.5m (+30%), an average of +6.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2022, when income rose by 94%. Over the whole period it spent 98% of the income it received.
Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The British Red Cross Society 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 The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (£286.7m), Msi Reproductive Choices (£330.1m) and Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind (£283.8m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 45%, charitable activities 39%, trading 13% and investments 1.3%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £39.5m. Charitable activities took 74% of spending and raising funds 25%. Grants to other organisations totalled £77.8m. Reserves of £65.3m would cover about 3 months of spending at that rate. It employed 4,186 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 32%
- Legacies 13%
- Charitable activities 39%
- Trading 13%
- Investments 1.3%
- Other 1.4%
In the charity's own words
The British Red Cross helps people in crisis, whoever and wherever they are. We are part of a global network of volunteers, responding to natural disasters, conflicts and individual emergencies.We enable vulnerable people at home and overseas to prepare for and respond to emergencies in their own communities. And when the crisis is over, we help people to recover and move on with their lives.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal National Lifeboat Institution | Poole | £286.7m |
| Msi Reproductive Choices | London | £330.1m |
| Royal Commonwealth Society for the Blind | Haywards Heath | £283.8m |
| The Salvation Army | London | £338.3m |