William Harding's Charity

Analysis

William Harding's Charity is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Buckinghamshire. It was registered in October 1978, 48 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and accommodation/housing, which this site groups under poverty relief. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending December 2025, William Harding's Charity reported income of £1.6m and spending of £1.2m, leaving 23% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £1.0m to £1.6m (+52%), an average of +11% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2024, when income rose by 16%. Over the whole period it spent 74% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, William Harding's Charity 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 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include BT Benevolent Fund (£1.6m), The Shipwrecked Fishermen and Mariners' Royal Benevolent Society (£1.6m) and Pure Insight 1628 (£1.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from investments 80% and charitable activities 18%. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £575k. Reserves of £42.5m would cover about 420 months of spending at that rate.