The Vardy Foundation

Analysis

The Vardy Foundation is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Edinburgh. It was registered in November 1989, 37 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, the advancement of health or saving of lives and disability, which this site groups under health and saving lives. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides other finance.

In the financial year ending April 2025, The Vardy Foundation reported income of £1.7m and spending of £2.8m, spending 162% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from April 2021 to April 2025, income fell from £3.1m to £1.7m (-44%), an average of -13% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to April 2022, when income dropped by 60%. Over the whole period it spent 174% of the income it received.

Among 24,651 England and Wales charities whose main cause is health and saving lives and that reported income, The Vardy Foundation sits at the 92nd percentile: it is larger than about 92% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 96th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Sir James Reckitt Charity (£1.7m), The Taylor Family Foundation (£1.7m) and Sustainable Food Trust (£1.7m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from investments 69% and donations and legacies 31%. Charitable activities took 93% of spending and raising funds 6.4%. Grants to other organisations totalled £2.4m. Reserves of £32.0m would cover about 135 months of spending at that rate.