The Swire Charitable Trust

Analysis

The Swire Charitable Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in February 1976, 50 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Swire Charitable Trust reported income of £10.3m and spending of £10.9m, spending 106% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £3.5m to £10.3m (+193%), an average of +31% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income rose by 41%. Over the whole period it spent 112% 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, The Swire Charitable Trust sits at the 99th 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 Age UK Newcastle and North Tyneside (£10.3m), Aurum Kaleidoscope Foundation (£10.5m) and East Head Impact (£10.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 97% and investments 3.2%. Charitable activities took 97% of spending and raising funds 0.2%. Grants to other organisations totalled £10.6m.

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.