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THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE

Registered charity 1002462 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Nautical Institute is an independent, international body promoting the standing of the maritime profession afloat and ashore. The objects of the Institute are to promote and co-ordinate in the public interest the development of nautical studies so as to:Encourage and promote a high standard of qualification, competence and knowledge among those involved in the control of sea-going craft.

Causes: Education/training · Other Charitable Purposes · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£6.9m
Latest spending
£5.5m
Registered
1991
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of £1,694,754 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with unrestricted free reserves increasing to £2,885,464. The trustees consider these reserves adequate to ensure services are not compromised in the short term and confirmed the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate. The charity holds a Capital Reserve Fund of £4,629,321, which is in excess of its stated target level.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: Capital Reserve Fund target of £2,710,000 (Contingency Reserve of £1,810,000 and Projects Reserve of £900,000) (held: £2.9m)
“The target level of capital reserve for 2025 was £2,710,000 (2024: £2,590,000) represented by Contingency Reserve of £1,810,000 (2024: £1,730,000) and a Projects Reserve of £900,000 (2024: £860,000). The Contingency Reserve target is calculated based on 33% of annual operating budget and the Projects Reserve is calculated based on 50% of the Contingency Reserve target.” — page 11
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The Institute received a total financial support of £12,800 from 3 entities where the Institute's Trustees are a Director or Employee of the entity
“The Institute received a total financial support of £12,800 from 3 entities where the Institute's Trustees are a Director or Employee of the entity (2024: £11,600 from 3 entities). During the year the charity paid net expenses of £23,914 (2024: £48,286) on behalf of the Nautical Institute Foundation, a charity with trustees in common with the the Nautical Institute. The balance due from the Nautical Institute Foundation before provisions at 31 December 2025 was £231,191 (2024: £207,278). During 2024, as there was a doubt in respect of recoverabity of the £207,278 balance, the Institute's Trustees had decided to make a provision against the balance as Grant to the Foundation. This provision has remained unchanged at 31 December 2025. The Foundation’s role is to be supportive of Nautical Institute programmes and ethos, but it plays a unique role in being able to support educational needs for the wider maritime community, not just the Institute's members. It aims to raise funds from industry participants and other maritime NGOs to develop and deliver its programmes and has no recourse to permanent funding from the Institute itself.” — page 30
“The amount of £18,775 (2024: £22,686) was reimbursed to 10 Trustees (2024: 11 Trustees) to cover miscellaneous travel expenses in connection with their roles as Trustees.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustees reimbursed for travel expenses
“The Institute received a total financial support of £12,800 from 3 entities where the Institute's Trustees are a Director or Employee of the entity (2024: £11,600 from 3 entities). During the year the charity paid net expenses of £23,914 (2024: £48,286) on behalf of the Nautical Institute Foundation, a charity with trustees in common with the the Nautical Institute. The balance due from the Nautical Institute Foundation before provisions at 31 December 2025 was £231,191 (2024: £207,278). During 2024, as there was a doubt in respect of recoverabity of the £207,278 balance, the Institute's Trustees had decided to make a provision against the balance as Grant to the Foundation. This provision has remained unchanged at 31 December 2025. The Foundation’s role is to be supportive of Nautical Institute programmes and ethos, but it plays a unique role in being able to support educational needs for the wider maritime community, not just the Institute's members. It aims to raise funds from industry participants and other maritime NGOs to develop and deliver its programmes and has no recourse to permanent funding from the Institute itself.” — page 30
“The amount of £18,775 (2024: £22,686) was reimbursed to 10 Trustees (2024: 11 Trustees) to cover miscellaneous travel expenses in connection with their roles as Trustees.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Corporate structure

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Nautical Institute (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

Official officers record.

Public-sector contracts awarded

From the official Contracts Finder and Find a Tender notices (supplier matched by exact registered name). Contract income is distinct from grants.

BuyerContractAwardedValue
DESNZProvision for Offshore Oil Spill Service (DESNZ - OPRED)30/01/2026£22k

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income
£6.9m
Total spending
£5.5m
Cost of raising funds
£707k
Reserves (reported)
£4.6m
Employees
43

Reported reserves equal ~10.1 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (73% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 10.2% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Australia · Bangladesh · Belgium · Brazil · Bulgaria · Burma · Canada · China · Cyprus · Denmark · Estonia · Germany

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£6.9m£5.5m
31/12/2024£5.8m£5.4m
31/12/2023£5.4m£4.3m
31/12/2022£4.1m£3.5m
31/12/2021£3.7m£3.0m

Common questions

Is THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity achieved a surplus of £1,694,754 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with unrestricted free reserves increasing to £2,885,464. The trustees consider these reserves adequate to ensure services are not compromised in the short term and confirmed the going concern basis of accounting is appropriate. The charity holds a Capital Reserve Fund of £4,629,321, which is in excess of its stated target level. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP.

Who funds THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE as a grant recipient include INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AIDS TO NAVIGATION, The Seafarers' Charity (King George's Fund for Sailors), LLOYD'S REGISTER FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AIDS TO NAVIGATIONFY2025£132kGrants and donations
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AIDS TO NAVIGATIONFY2022£128kThe Nautical Institute
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AIDS TO NAVIGATIONFY2023£125kThe Nautical Institute
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AIDS TO NAVIGATIONFY2021£98kExpand the circulation of its publication The Navigator, improving knowledge and professionalism in the field of marine navigation
The Seafarers' Charity (King George's Fund for Sailors)FY2024£60kGrants-advocacy and campaigns
INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR AIDS TO NAVIGATIONFY2024£39kThe Nautical Institute - an international body for maritime professionals involved in the control of sea-going ships.
LLOYD'S REGISTER FOUNDATIONFY2025£10kSafer Maritime Systems

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
UK government30/09/2022£139kOperator-Centered Enhancement of Awareness in Navigation
UK government30/09/2022£227kOperator-Centered Enhancement of Awareness in Navigation
UK government01/04/2022£79kOperator-Centered Enhancement of Awareness in Navigation

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE I T F SEAFARERS TRUST1£228k
THE CORPORATION OF TRINITY HOUSE OF DEPTFORD STROND1£56k
THE GOSLING FOUNDATION LIMITED1£20k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ROYAL INSTITUTE OF NAVIGATION.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE NAUTICAL INSTITUTE£6.9m——above—no doubt
ROYAL INSTITUTE OF NAVIGATION FY2024£705k£80,001 - £90,0001unclear—no doubt
ROYAL INSTITUTION OF NAVAL ARCHITECTS FY2025£1.9m£100,001 - £110,0005unclear—no doubt
THE INSTITUTE OF MARINE ENGINEERING, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FY2025£3.1m——unclear—no doubt
THE CHARTERED QUALITY INSTITUTE FY2024£7.3m——above—no doubt
SOCIETY FOR NAUTICAL RESEARCH FY2025£250k—0unclear—no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.