THE JOHN BROWNE CHARITABLE TRUST

Registered charity 1088642 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE BROWNE FAMILY TRUST

The trust is primarily a grant making organisation. However, the trustees intention for the immediate future is to retain the major part of the trust's income and capital to generate a realistic endowment. the current target funding is ·1,000,000.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · Get email alerts

Latest income

£349k

Latest spending

£248k

Registered

2001

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity held £285,090 in unrestricted reserves at the end of the financial year, an increase from the previous year's £181,901. However, the trustees have decided to transfer the charity's activities to a newly registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, meaning the current trust is likely to cease operations within 12 months and the accounts are not prepared on a going concern basis.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: limited requirements for free reserves (held: £285k)

“As such the Trustees have limited requirements for free reserves as the ongoing costs of administering the Foundation are not substantial.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Going concern: accounts NOT prepared on a going-concern basis (closing, merging or winding up)

“As the activities of this trust will cease the accounts are therefore not prepared on a going concern basis.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Legal fees paid to Farrer & Co LLP, a related party to one of the trustees

“In the year, the charity paid £3,918 (2024: £1,710) to Farrer & Co LLP for legal advice. The company is a related party to one of the trustees of John Browne Charitable Trust.” — page 17

“The charity also made an grant amounting to £Nil (2024: £25,000) to the Holocaust Educational Trust, which shares a common trustee with the John Browne Charitable Trust.” — page 17

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Grant to Holocaust Educational Trust, which shares a common trustee

“In the year, the charity paid £3,918 (2024: £1,710) to Farrer & Co LLP for legal advice. The company is a related party to one of the trustees of John Browne Charitable Trust.” — page 17

“The charity also made an grant amounting to £Nil (2024: £25,000) to the Holocaust Educational Trust, which shares a common trustee with the John Browne Charitable Trust.” — page 17

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Going concern: no going-concern doubt (FY2024) → not a going concern (FY2025).

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 05/04/2021)

Total income

£3.8m

Total spending

£1.3m

Reserves (reported)

£3.5m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~30.9 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 7.0 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (99% 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: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (2.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Angela Hunter
Antonia Romeo · trustee of 1 other charity
Chris Farmer · trustee of 1 other charity
Dame Hayaatun Sillem DBE PhD · trustee of 4 other charities
FARRER & CO TRUST CORPORATION LIMITED
LORD BROWNE OF MADINGLEY · trustee of 2 other charities
Michael Lynas · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
05/04/2025	£349k	£248k
05/04/2024	£274k	£1.0m
05/04/2023	£135k	£197k
05/04/2022	£377k	£2.8m
05/04/2021	£3.8m	£1.3m

Common questions

Is THE JOHN BROWNE CHARITABLE TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity held £285,090 in unrestricted reserves at the end of the financial year, an increase from the previous year's £181,901. However, the trustees have decided to transfer the charity's activities to a newly registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation, meaning the current trust is likely to cease operations within 12 months and the accounts are not prepared on a going concern basis. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with BILL BROWN'S CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT OF 1989.

BILL BROWN'S CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT OF 1989 income £623k
THE CONSTANCE TRAVIS CHARITABLE TRUST income £3.3m
THE BROWN SOURCE TRUST income £120k
BRAMPTON CHARITABLE TRUST income £101k
BROOME FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST income £900k
BRIAN WILSON CHARITABLE TRUST income £126k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE JOHN BROWNE CHARITABLE TRUST	£349k	—	unclear	—	not going concern
BILL BROWN'S CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT OF 1989 FY2025	£623k	—	above	—	no doubt
THE CONSTANCE TRAVIS CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£3.3m	—	below	0.0%	no doubt
THE BROWN SOURCE TRUST FY2025	£120k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
BRAMPTON CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£101k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
BROOME FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£900k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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