Contact a Family
Analysis
Contact a Family is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in June 1982, 44 years ago. Its declared purposes cover the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 01633333). It says it provides advocacy/advice/information and acts as an umbrella or resource body.
In the financial year ending March 2025, Contact a Family reported income of £8.8m and spending of £9.7m, spending 111% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £7.4m to £8.8m (+19%), an average of +4.3% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 19%. Over the whole period it spent 100% of the income it received.
Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, Contact a Family sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. 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 St Nicholas Hospice Suffolk (£8.8m), Crown Agents International Development (£8.8m) and Saint Catherine's Hospice Trust (£8.8m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 82%, donations and legacies 11%, trading 5.9% and investments 1.4%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £80k. Charitable activities took 90% of spending and raising funds 9.1%. Reserves of £4.2m would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 104 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.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 10%
- Legacies 0.9%
- Charitable activities 82%
- Trading 5.9%
- Investments 1.4%
In the charity's own words
To support parents and families who care for a disabled child by:- Providing access to good quality advice and information, broad ranging appropriate support and contact with other families which will lead to positive outcomes;- Influencing changes in policy and practice in order to substantially improve the quality of lives of parents and families and their children.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| St Nicholas Hospice Suffolk | Suffolk | £8.8m |
| Crown Agents International Development | London | £8.8m |
| Saint Catherine's Hospice Trust | Scarborough | £8.8m |
| Sisters Hospitallers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus CIO | London | £8.8m |