Finance Score: -6

Governance Score: 8

Support Score: 5

Liabilities <10%: +3
Excess reserves: -5
Large legacies income: +1
Strong growth: +2
Multiple Deficits: -2
Fundraising costs high: -5

12+ Trustees: -1
Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Overall weighted support: +5

Overall GiG Score: 7

ARMY BENEVOLENT FUND

The Charity's Objectives are to benefit persons who are serving or who have served in the British Army, or their dependants, in any charitable way by the provision of grants, loans, gifts, pensions or otherwise.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
This charity has a robust balance sheet
This charity has received considerable income from legacies in recent years
There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

Why are there 14 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12?

Financial issues to consider:

This charity has substantial assets and unrestricted reserves of £91,313,660 available, equivalent to 70 months of spending and so may not be able to utilise additional funding
On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
Fundraising costs are extremely high relative to funds raised

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?

Sources of Income ?

Y/E	Income £k	Spending £k	Surplus/ Deficit £k	Fundraising Cost £k	Total Funds £k	Unrestricted Funds £k	Mths Rsrvs	Staff	Volun- teers
31/03/24	£15,260	£15,616	£-356	£6,468	£97,906	£91,314	70.2	83	1,000
31/03/23	£11,403	£14,675	£-3,273	£5,691	£92,860	£85,921	70.3	78	1,000
31/03/22	£11,157	£13,388	£-2,231	£4,960	£100,131	£92,240	82.7	79	1,000
31/03/21	£11,848	£12,308	£-460	£4,038	£93,890	£85,979	83.8	85	1,000
31/03/20?	£14,777	£18,114	£-3,337	£5,932	£77,910	£70,742	46.9	89	1,000
31/03/18	£20,411	£14,671	£5,740	£5,198	£85,041	£77,110	63.1	84	0
31/03/17	£19,371	£14,453	£4,919	£5,235	£77,296	£69,124	57.4	82	0
31/03/16	£22,843	£13,727	£9,116	£5,320	£62,576	£57,546	50.3	84	0
31/03/15	£20,371	£14,347	£6,024	£6,864	£55,023	£49,670	41.5	77	0
31/03/14	£14,454	£14,752	£-297	£6,015	£45,564	£40,484	32.9	75	0
31/03/13	£13,196	£15,038	£-1,842	£6,086	£45,014	£40,267	32.1	76	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 66.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 41.4%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 7%
Highest pay band: £140,000-£150,000
Liabilities/Assets: 2%
Liabilities/Income: 11%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 93%
Reserves/Spending: 70.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 15 months
Quick Ratio: 8.7

Asset Split ?

Balance Sheet History

Established: 13 years

www.soldierscharity.org

info@soldierscharity.org

02079018900

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Armed Forces/Emergency Service Efficiency

GiG Classification

Other welfare services

How it operates

Makes grants to individuals
Makes grants to organisations

Where it operates

Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

Other Defined Groups

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years

Ministry of Defence	£168,500
The Grocers' Charity	£11,580
Masonic Trust	£6,000
Haberdashers' Company	£1,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
The Grocers' Charity - 2024 Grant - ABF The Soldier's Charity
£2,000	20/10/2023	Providing innovative projects and programmes for current and ex-service people and their families
Haberdashers' Company - Donation for "The Lord Mayor's Big Curry Lunch" 2023
£1,000	09/11/2022	Annual award
The Grocers' Charity - 2023 Grant - ABF The Soldier's Charity
£2,000	21/10/2022	to support veterans
Ministry of Defence - Covenant Fund
£10,000	12/08/2022	"The Armed Forces Covenant aims to: 1) the Armed Forces Covenant defines the enduring, general principles that should govern the relationship between the Nation, the Government and the Armed Forces community. 2) It aims to encourage all parties ....more "The Armed Forces Covenant aims to: 1) the Armed Forces Covenant defines the enduring, general principles that should govern the relationship between the Nation, the Government and the Armed Forces community. 2) It aims to encourage all parties within a community to offer support to the local Armed Forces community and make it easier for Service personnel, families and veterans to access the help and support available from the MOD, from statutory providers and from the Charitable and Voluntary Sector. These organisations already work together in partnership at local level. 3) the scheme is intended to be a two-way arrangement and the Armed Forces community are encouraged to do as much as they can to support their community and promote activity which integrates the Service community into civilian life. "
Masonic Trust - MCF Festival
£6,000	11/02/2022	general charitable purposes
The Grocers' Charity - 2022-ABF The Soldiers' Charity
£2,000	22/10/2021	Going toward the annual Big Curry Lunch.
The Grocers' Charity - 2021 - ABF The Soldier's Charity
£2,000	30/09/2020	Providing innovative projects and programmes for current and ex-service people and their families
Ministry of Defence - Covid-19 Impact Fund
£158,500	21/07/2020	To maintain services and activities where organisations' finances had been impacted by Covid
The Grocers' Charity - 2020 ABF The Soldiers' Charity
£3,580	18/03/2020	Providing innovative projects and programmes for current and ex-service people and their families
The Grocers' Charity - 2020 ABF The Soldier's Charity
£2,000	25/10/2019	Providing innovative projects and programmes for current and ex-service people and their families
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£30,000	11/10/2018	Bridging the Gap- Phase 2
Masonic Trust - MCF Matched Funding
£2,500	14/05/2018	Unrestricted matched funding in partnership with the local masonic province
Essex Community Foundation - Tools for Transition in Essex Programme FY17/18
£5,000	09/01/2017 11	Towards a project to help ex-soldiers, veterans and their families in Essex equip themselves for employment

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Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (14)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 45-71

AMANDA METCALFE Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Marketing Director

ANNA KATHERINE LUCY SEDGLEY Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Director

ANTHONY CRAUFURD SCOTT Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Financial Services

CAITLIN MUREA HAYDEN Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Communications

CHRISTOPHER GLYNN SHERIDAN HUGHES Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Business Person

DAVID CHARLES GEORGE LONDON Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Business Consultant

JAMES ROUS Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Investment Management

JULIE WHITE Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Charity Director

MARK GEORGE CULMER Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Director

PAUL CARNEY Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Soldier

RACHEL SARAH BOOTH Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Writer To The Signet

ROWENA RUTH FELL Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Compliance Product Director

SIMON JOHN NEWTON HEALE (Chair) Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Retired

SAMUEL LESLIE HUMPHRIS Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Armed Officer

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 15/03/2012, number: 1146420
Registered at Companies House on 02/03/2012, number: 07974609

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Event History

28/11/2013 - Asset transfer in from THE SECOND (2001) KENYA REGIMENT TRUST
16/03/2015 - Asset transfer in from THE GULF TRUST (ARMY AND CIVILIAN)
16/03/2015 - Asset transfer in from ABF THE SOLDIERS' CHARITY
15/04/2018 - Asset transfer in from THE COMMANDOS BENEVOLENT FUND
03/08/2018 - Asset transfer in from THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE SERVICES HEART BENEATH FUND
23/08/2022 - Asset transfer in from SELKIRK NO 2 TRUST
05/05/2023 - Asset transfer in from THE QUEEN'S LANCASHIRE REGIMENT VETERANS CHARITY.

Policies in force

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

11 returns made; all on time

Main office

MOUNTBARROW HOUSE
6-20 ELIZABETH STREET
LONDON
SW1W 9RB

Objectives

THE OBJECT OF THE CHARITY IS TO BENEFIT PERSONS WHO ARE SERVING OR WHO HAVE SERVED IN THE BRITISH ARMY, OR THEIR DEPENDANTS, IN ANY CHARITABLE WAY BY THE PROVISION OF GRANTS, LOANS, GIFTS, PENSIONS OR OTHERWISE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

UNITED KINGDOM

Data Sources

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