DAVID AND ELAINE POTTER FOUNDATION

Registered charity 1078217 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as DAVID AND ELAINE POTTER CHARITABLE FOUNDATION

The Foundation provides grants to organisations that support projects promoting education, civil society and research that contribute to economic development and well-being in a plural, rational and tolerant society.

Objects

THE TRUSTEES SHALL HOLD THE TRUST FUND AND ITS INCOME UPON TRUST TO APPLY THEM FOR:-(1) THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN PARTICULAR, BUT WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC THROUGH SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND THE DISSEMINATION TO THE PUBLIC OF THE USEFUL RESULTS OF SUCH RESEARCH; AND (2) SUCH OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES AS THE TRUSTEES IN THEIR ABSOLUTE DISCRETION FROM TIME TO TIME THINK FIT.PROVIDED THAT THE TRUSTEES MAY AT THEIR ABSOLUTE DISCRETION FOR THE PERIOD OF TWENTY ONE YEARS FROM THE DATE OF THIS DEED INSTEAD OF APPLYING THE INCOME OF THE CHARITY IN ANY YEAR ACCUMULATE ALL OR ANY PART OF SUCH INCOME AT COMPOUND INTEREST BY INVESTING THE SAME AND THE RESULTING INCOME IN ANY OF THE AUTHORISED INVESTMENTS AND HOLD THE SAME AS AN ACCRETION TO AND AS PART OF THE CAPITAL OF THE CHARITY WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE THEIR RIGHT TO APPLY THE WHOLE OR ANY PART OF SUCH ACCUMULATED INCOME IN ANY SUBSEQUENT YEAR AS IF THE SAME WERE INCOME OF THE CHARITY ARISING IN THE THEN CURRENT YEAR.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Economic/community Development/employment · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Westminster, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£205k

Latest spending

£587k

Registered

1999

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £15,055,100 at the end of the year, an increase from the previous year's £14,716,936. The Trustees confirm that these free reserves are appropriate and that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,001 - £100,000 — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median £60k)

“There was one employee whose emoluments (including pensions) were in the range between £90,001 and £100,000” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 1

“There was one employee whose emoluments (including pensions) were in the range between £90,001 and £100,000” — page 21

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: unclear (reserves figure: £15.1m)

“The Trustees are satisfied that the level of free reserves held are appropriate.” — page 8

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by HW Fisher Audit. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
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
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 1
Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£80,001–£90,000: 1)
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 1
Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£80,001–£90,000: 1)
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 2
Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£90,001–£100,000: 1)
Grant-making is its main activity

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Trustees · trustee networks

SAMUEL POTTERchair
Adam Asher Polonsky
Charlotte Elizabeth Langley
Dr ELAINE POTTER · trustee of 1 other charity
MICHAEL GORDON LANGLEY
MICHAEL POLONSKY

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

Operates in: South Africa · Throughout England And Wales · United States

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£205k	£587k
31/12/2024	£334k	£651k
31/12/2023	£272k	£956k
31/12/2022	£154k	£1.1m
31/12/2021	£271k	£1.1m

Common questions

Is DAVID AND ELAINE POTTER FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £15,055,100 at the end of the year, an increase from the previous year's £14,716,936. The Trustees confirm that these free reserves are appropriate and that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by HW Fisher Audit.

What does the highest-paid employee of DAVID AND ELAINE POTTER FOUNDATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,001 - £100,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
JEREMY ALEXANDER SETTLEMENT	1	£82k
THE SIMMONS AND SIMMONS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£15k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ETHICAL PROPERTY FOUNDATION.

THE ETHICAL PROPERTY FOUNDATION income £251k
THE DANIEL FALKNER CHARITABLE TRUST income £175k
THE PRIORY FOUNDATION income £160k
THE D AND L CHARITABLE TRUST income £51k
THE ANTHONY V MARTIN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION income £484k
THE GILBERT AND EILEEN EDGAR FOUNDATION income £83k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
DAVID AND ELAINE POTTER FOUNDATION	£205k	£90,001 - £100,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ETHICAL PROPERTY FOUNDATION FY2025	£251k	£60,000 - £70,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE DANIEL FALKNER CHARITABLE TRUST FY2026	£175k	—	—	above	—	no doubt
THE PRIORY FOUNDATION FY2025	£160k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE D AND L CHARITABLE TRUST FY2026	£51k	—	0	within	—	no doubt
THE ANTHONY V MARTIN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FY2025	£484k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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