Royal Microscopical Society
Analysis
Royal Microscopical Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Oxford. It was registered in July 1965, 61 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, which this site groups under education and training. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and other charitable activities.
In the financial year ending December 2025, Royal Microscopical Society reported income of £2.0m and spending of £2.0m, spending 102% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £1.2m to £2.0m (+72%), an average of +14% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2023, when income rose by 35%. Over the whole period it spent 103% of the income it received.
Among 21,402 England and Wales charities whose main cause is education and training and that reported income, Royal Microscopical Society sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Solefield School Educational Trust Limited (£2.0m), Hope House School Limited (£2.0m) and National Council for the Training of Journalists (£2.0m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 92%, investments 5.0%, donations and legacies 1.4% and trading 1.2%. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 1.7%. Reserves of £5.8m would cover about 34 months of spending at that rate. It employed 16 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 1.4%
- Charitable activities 92%
- Trading 1.2%
- Investments 5.0%
In the charity's own words
Our object is to promote the advancement of microscopical science through the discussion and publication of research into improvements in the construction and mode of application of microscopes and into those branches of science where microscopy is important, and to organise educational activities concerned with microscopy for the benefit of the general public and for the science community.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Solefield School Educational Trust Limited | Sevenoaks | £2.0m |
| Hope House School Limited | Newark | £2.0m |
| National Council for the Training of Journalists | Essex | £2.0m |
| The Charity Finance Group | London | £2.0m |