Church Communities UK

Analysis

Church Communities UK is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Robertsbridge. It was registered in November 1963, 63 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and religious activities, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00455366). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides buildings/facilities/open space.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Church Communities UK reported income of £28.5m and spending of £29.7m, spending 104% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £19.5m to £28.5m (+47%), an average of +10% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 56%. Over the whole period it spent 95% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, Church Communities UK 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 Llamau Limited (£28.4m), The South London Church Fund and Southwark Diocesan Board of Finance (£30.1m) and Solihull School (£28.1m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 87% and donations and legacies 12%. Charitable activities took 92% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £26k. Reserves of £7.1m would cover about 3 months of spending at that rate.