The Mercers Charitable Foundation

Analysis

The Mercers Charitable Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in April 1983, 43 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the prevention or relief of poverty and economic/community development/employment, which this site groups under poverty relief. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Mercers Charitable Foundation reported income of £6.6m and spending of £4.3m, leaving 35% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £1.8m to £6.6m (+276%), an average of +39% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 281%. Over the whole period it spent 54% of the income it received.

Among 15,276 England and Wales charities whose main cause is poverty relief and that reported income, The Mercers Charitable Foundation sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 99% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include North London Welfare and Educational Foundation (£6.6m), Eleva Foundation Ltd (£6.7m) and The Pets at Home Foundation (£6.6m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 78% and investments 22%. Charitable activities took 90% of spending and raising funds 1.8%. Grants to other organisations totalled £3.7m. Reserves of £15.8m would cover about 40 months of spending at that rate.