THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND
Registered charity 1081009 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register
(a) Providing relief and assistance to past and present members of the Royal Air Force and their dependants who are in need as a result of poverty, disability, sickness, infirmity or otherwise.(b) enhancing the morale and well being of serving members of the Royal Air Force(c)Maintaining the RAF war memorial on the Victoria embankment, London.
Causes: Education/training · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Accommodation/housing · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Armed Forces/emergency Service Efficiency · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity held total funds of £128.9M, with unrestricted free reserves of £67.9M, which exceeded the stated minimum free reserves requirement of £55M. The charity reported a net income of £4.17M for the year, supported by a significant increase in legacy income, and confirmed it has adequate resources to continue operating as a going concern.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Employees paid over £60,000: 19
“19 employees (2024: 12) whose pay and benefits amounted to more than £60,000 in the year” — page 29
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Largest income source: Gifts in Wills (50% of income)
“Gifts in Wills: £14M/51%” — page 14
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Fundraising cost ratio: 17.9% of fundraised income, as disclosed
“For every £1 we spent directly on fundraising we received £5.60 in the year (2024: £4.70).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Donations from Trustees
“Donations to the value of £6,950 (2024: £1,375) were received from individual Trustees in the year.” — page 33
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Crowe U.K. LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund (matched by registered charity number).
Funders the charity credits
Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).
- Wimbledon Foundation — “The RAF Benevolent Fund is delighted to announce that the Wimbledon Foundation has awarded a grant of £150,000 to support its Airplay youth …” (source page)
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£5.5m
Reserves (reported)
£123.0m
Reported reserves equal ~66.4 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 19.8% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 3.8%) (benchmarks).
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (11/06/2026) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (10/02/2026) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (11/09/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (11/09/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (08/12/2023) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
- Received assets from another charity (23/08/2022) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Argentina · Australia · Austria · Belgium · Canada · Chile · Cyprus · France · Germany · Guyana · Hong Kong · Hungary
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity held total funds of £128.9M, with unrestricted free reserves of £67.9M, which exceeded the stated minimum free reserves requirement of £55M. The charity reported a net income of £4.17M for the year, supported by a significant increase in legacy income, and confirmed it has adequate resources to continue operating as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe U.K. LLP.
Who funds THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND as a grant recipient include THE JORON CHARITABLE TRUST, THE CATHERINE AND ANGUS WOOD CHARITABLE TRUST, THE HARRY & MARY FOUNDATION.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ROYAL AIR FORCE DEPENDANTS FUND.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.