The Durham Diocesan Board of Finance

Analysis

The Durham Diocesan Board of Finance is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Co Durham. It was registered in August 1966, 60 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and religious activities, which this site groups under religion. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 00192018). It says it makes grants to organisations, provides other finance and provides human resources.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Durham Diocesan Board of Finance reported income of £12.5m and spending of £12.8m, spending 102% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income fell from £12.8m to £12.5m (-2.3%), an average of -0.6% a year. Over the whole period it spent 101% of the income it received.

Among 20,496 England and Wales charities whose main cause is religion and that reported income, The Durham Diocesan Board of Finance 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 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Gloucester Diocesan Board of Finance (£12.2m), York Minster (£12.5m) and Clifton Diocese (£12.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 77%, investments 9.1%, trading 6.1% and charitable activities 3.8%. Charitable activities took 96% of spending and raising funds 0.2%. Grants to other organisations totalled £611k. Reserves of £5.5m would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 50 people.

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.