RUGBY FOOTBALL FOUNDATION

Registered charity 1100277 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as RFF

-provide grants and loans for capital improvements -provide and assist in the provision of money, materials or other help;-organise and assist in the provision of conferences, courses of instruction, exhibitions,lectures and other educational activities;-publish educational and instructional matter;-promote,encourage,carry out or commission research making the useful results available.

Causes: Education/training · Amateur Sport · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£24.9m
Latest spending
£25.1m
Registered
2003
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds unrestricted reserves of £8,974,128, which the trustees deem appropriate to cover potential shortfalls. However, the charity's operations are explicitly dependent on the ongoing financial support and non-recall of intercompany balances from its parent undertaking, the RFU, to meet liabilities as they fall due.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Donations from the RFU (98% of income)
“Donations from the RFU 2 - 24,100,000 24,100,000 24,516,000” — page 17
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: a year's interest charge on the current balance outstanding on the RFU loan and six months’ worth of the budgeted operating expenses, plus the value of approved but unpaid grants at the year end (held: £9.0m)
“It had been determined that the minimum level of general funds that should be held at any time must be at least equal to a year's interest charge on the current balance outstanding on the RFU loan and six months’ worth of the budgeted operating expenses, plus the value of approved but unpaid grants at the year end.” — page 8
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Going concern: noted by the trustees or auditor
“The charitable activities of the Charity are dependent on the ongoing operations of the RFU, its ultimate parent undertaking, and until charitable activities resume to an appropriate level, the Charity is dependent on the RFU for financial support in the form of non-recall of intercompany balances and certain operating expenditure.” — page 9
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Grant received from RFU
“the Foundation received a grant £24,100,000 from the RFU (2024: £24,516,000)” — page 29
“the Foundation was charged interest of £73,082 (2024: £119,449) by the RFU in respect of the loan” — page 29
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Loan interest charged by RFU
“the Foundation received a grant £24,100,000 from the RFU (2024: £24,516,000)” — page 29
“the Foundation was charged interest of £73,082 (2024: £119,449) by the RFU in respect of the loan” — page 29
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Fundraising costs recharged by RFU
“the Foundation received a grant £24,100,000 from the RFU (2024: £24,516,000)” — page 29
“the Foundation was charged interest of £73,082 (2024: £119,449) by the RFU in respect of the loan” — page 29
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by BDO LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Rugby Football Foundation (matched by registered charity number).

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/06/2025)

Total income
£24.4m
Total spending
£25.1m
Cost of raising funds
£127k
Reserves (reported)
£9.0m
Employees
0

Reported reserves equal ~4.3 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (100% 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: 0.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
30/06/2025£24.9m£25.1m
30/06/2024£24.8m£25.6m
30/06/2023£23.4m£24.5m
30/06/2022£19.8m£19.1m
30/06/2021£23.9m£14.7m

Common questions

Is RUGBY FOOTBALL FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity holds unrestricted reserves of £8,974,128, which the trustees deem appropriate to cover potential shortfalls. However, the charity's operations are explicitly dependent on the ongoing financial support and non-recall of intercompany balances from its parent undertaking, the RFU, to meet liabilities as they fall due. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by BDO LLP.

Who funds RUGBY FOOTBALL FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name RUGBY FOOTBALL FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include THE BUFFINI CHAO FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE BUFFINI CHAO FOUNDATIONFY2022£20k
THE BUFFINI CHAO FOUNDATIONFY2023£10k
THE BUFFINI CHAO FOUNDATIONFY2024£5k

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
Sport England31/10/2012£100kAll Schools Proper 2012
Sport England20/09/2011£36kAll Schools Plan - trials
Northern Rock Foundation11/12/2007£100kGrant awarded to Rugby Football Foundation (North East)
Northern Rock Foundation13/12/2005£45kGrant awarded to Rugby Football Foundation (Northumberland)

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 WINSCOMBE RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
RUGBY FOOTBALL FOUNDATION£24.9m—0unclear—noted
WINSCOMBE RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB FY2026£114k—0within—no doubt
RFU INJURED PLAYERS FOUNDATION FY2025£2.1m—0unclear—no doubt
UKAF RUGBY FOOTBALL CLUB FY2025£186k—0unclear—no doubt
THE FOOTBALL FOUNDATION FY2025£128.2m——above—no doubt
THE ATLAS FOUNDATION FY2025£872k—0unclear—no doubt

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