The Dorcas Trust

Analysis

The Dorcas Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bury St Edmunds. It was registered in September 1978, 48 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and recreation, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to individuals and makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending April 2025, The Dorcas Trust reported income of £46k and spending of £109k, spending 236% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from April 2021 to April 2025, income fell from £50k to £46k (-6.7%), an average of -1.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to April 2025, when income dropped by 15%. Over the whole period it spent 188% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, The Dorcas Trust sits at the 55th percentile: it is larger than about 54% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 59th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Parochial Church Council of the Ecclesiastical Parish of Dulverton (£46k), Decv Limited (£46k) and Train(Kenya) (£46k).

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.