PRISON RADIO ASSOCIATION

Registered charity 1114760 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Prison Radio Association (PRA) is an award winning charity that runs National Prison Radio (NPR). The world's first and only national radio station for prisoners, NPR supports prisoners through their sentences and aims to reduce re-offending. It also highlights the effects of crime and imprisonment on prisoners, families, victims and societies as a whole.

Causes: Education/training · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.7m

Latest spending

£1.5m

Registered

2006

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £197,975 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total unrestricted free reserves of £609,000. Per the trustees' report, these reserves are in line with the stated policy target of holding sufficient funds for between six to nine months of normal expenditure. The charity relies heavily on government funding but has secured a four-year agreement for £300,000 per annum from April 2024.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £100,001 - £110,000 — in the top quarter for charities its size (median £70k)

“One employee earned between £100,000-£110,000, one between £90,000-£80,000, one between £80,000-£90,000 and one between £60,000-£70,000 during the year” — page 20

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 4

“One employee earned between £100,000-£110,000, one between £90,000-£80,000, one between £80,000-£90,000 and one between £60,000-£70,000 during the year” — page 20

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: between six to nine months of normal expenditure (held: £609k)

“It has established a policy whereby the charity should hold sufficient unrestricted funds (not committed or invested in tangible fixed assets) required for between six to nine months of normal expenditure.” — page 8

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Chater Allan LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Top pay band moved from £90,001 - £100,000 (FY2024) to £100,001 - £110,000 (FY2025).
Employees paid over £60,000: 3 (FY2024) → 4 (FY2025).

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

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Prison Radio Association is named Charity of the Year thirdsector.co.uk · 14/09/2016

What the charity says about itself (2025-26)

From its own voluntary annual review / impact report — the charity’s account of its work, distinct from the statutory accounts analysed above.

The report covers the period 2025-26.

“National Prison Radio reaches up to 80,000 people behind bars across England and Wales, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

Training provided to individuals serving sentences.

“Last year, we offered radio production training to 35 people serving sentences at HMP Brixton and HMP Styal.”

Training provided to individuals after release.

“Last year, we offered training in production and presenting to ten people who had recently left prison.”

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Prison Radio Association (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Phil Maguire — Chief Executive (source)

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.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£1.7m

Total spending

£1.5m

Cost of raising funds

£140k

Reserves (reported)

£609k

Employees

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

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (85% 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: 8.1% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (25/02/2025) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

David John Franklin
Debbie Ramsay
Hilary Ineomo-Marcus
Julia Catherine Howard
LAWRENCE GALKOFF
Michael Spurr · trustee of 3 other charities
Ryan Joseph Wain

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£1.7m	£1.5m
31/03/2024	£1.4m	£1.4m
31/03/2023	£1.2m	£1.2m
31/03/2022	£1.0m	£1.1m
31/03/2021	£1.0m	£900k

Common questions

Is PRISON RADIO ASSOCIATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a surplus of £197,975 for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total unrestricted free reserves of £609,000. Per the trustees' report, these reserves are in line with the stated policy target of holding sufficient funds for between six to nine months of normal expenditure. The charity relies heavily on government funding but has secured a four-year agreement for £300,000 per annum from April 2024. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Chater Allan LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of PRISON RADIO ASSOCIATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £100,001 - £110,000 band, and 4 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds PRISON RADIO ASSOCIATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name PRISON RADIO ASSOCIATION as a grant recipient include GAMBLEAWARE, THE BALCOMBE CHARITABLE TRUST, SANTANDER UK FOUNDATION LIMITED, THE DAVID ISAACS FUND, FISHMONGERS' COMPANY'S CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
GAMBLEAWARE	FY2024	£127k	Treatment
THE BALCOMBE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£70k	Health and welfare
SANTANDER UK FOUNDATION LIMITED	FY2023	£66k	Digital & Financial Empowerment Fund
SANTANDER UK FOUNDATION LIMITED	FY2022	£57k	Digital & Financial Empowerment Fund
THE DAVID ISAACS FUND	FY2024	£52k	Charities
THE BALCOMBE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£30k	Education
FISHMONGERS' COMPANY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£30k	Prison educational grants
FISHMONGERS' COMPANY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£30k	Prison educational grants
THE MARY KINROSS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£30k	Penal Affairs
PETER HARRISON FOUNDATION	FY2025	£30k	towards core costs of radio project to improve the wellbeing of prisoners through physical activity
FISHMONGERS' COMPANY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£30k	Prison educational grants
The Goldsmiths' Foundation	FY2023	£30k	Prisoner Resettlement
THE SHERIFFS' AND RECORDERS' FUND	FY2024	£30k	Grants to Institutions
DRAPERS CHARITABLE FUND	FY2024	£30k	National Prison Radio costs
The Goldsmiths' Foundation	FY2024	£28k	Charity Committee - Prisoner Resettlement
THE TRIANGLE TRUST 1949 FUND	FY2025	£24k	Young People with Criminal Convictions
THE BALCOMBE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£23k	Education
THE A B CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£22k
THE AURUM CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£20k
H C D MEMORIAL FUND	FY2024	£20k	Community
THE BROMLEY TRUST	FY2025	£20k
THE A B CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£20k
THE BROMLEY TRUST	FY2024	£20k	Prison Reform
H C D MEMORIAL FUND	FY2025	£20k	Prisons
The Goldsmiths' Foundation	FY2022	£15k	Prisoner Resettlement
THE TRIANGLE TRUST 1949 FUND	FY2022	£14k	Rehabilitation
THE BATCHWORTH TRUST	FY2025	£10k
THE EVAN CORNISH FOUNDATION	FY2023	£10k
Army Benevolent Fund	FY2026	£10k	Wellbeing
THE BALCOMBE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£10k	Education
THE AUSTIN AND HOPE PILKINGTON TRUST	FY2023	£5k
MARIA BJORNSON MEMORIAL FUND	FY2024	£5k
MISS E F RATHBONE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£3k	National
CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS' LIVERY CHARITY	FY2025	£3k	General
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£2k
THE WILLIAM ALLEN YOUNG CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£2k
THE EDWARD AND DOROTHY CADBURY TRUST	FY2024	£1k	Community Inclusion and Engagement
THE DAVID ISAACS FUND	FY2025	£500	Charities
THE SHERIFFS' AND RECORDERS' FUND	FY2023	£0	Grants to Institutions
BRITISH HUMANE ASSOCIATION	FY2025	—

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
A B Charitable Trust	12/09/2024	£22k	A grant to Prison Radio Association
The National Lottery Community Fund	29/09/2023	£497k	Life After Prison
A B Charitable Trust	21/08/2023	£22k	A grant to Prison Radio Association
A B Charitable Trust	06/10/2022	£20k	A grant to Prison Radio Association
Sport England	14/09/2021	£10k	TGC CF This Girl Can Radio Series
The National Lottery Community Fund	07/07/2021	£250k	Prison Radio Podcast Network
A B Charitable Trust	22/04/2021	£20k	A grant to The Prison Radio Association
Sport England	03/11/2020	£42k	COVID-19 Innovative Solution
The National Lottery Community Fund	04/05/2020	£89k	National Prison Radio
Barrow Cadbury Trust	13/07/2019	£35k	Future Prison podcast
A B Charitable Trust	27/06/2019	£15k	A grant to Prison Radio Association
UK government	01/04/2019	£18k	Prison Radio
UK government	01/04/2019	£300k	HMPPS - National Prison Radio Service
A B Charitable Trust	24/04/2018	£15k	A grant to Prison Radio Association
UK government	01/04/2018	£300k	National Prison Radio
The National Lottery Community Fund	10/02/2010	£237k	National Prison Radio Service

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
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITY	4	£41k
THE DULVERTON TRUST	3	£312k
THE OAKDALE TRUST	3	£7k
HIGHWAY ONE TRUST	2	£75k
THE ROBERT GAVRON CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£65k
THE LAWSON TRUST CIO	2	£31k
THE 29TH MAY 1961 CHARITY	2	£27k
THE WALTER GUINNESS CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£19k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with PRISON SERVICE CHARITY FUND.

PRISON SERVICE CHARITY FUND income £170k
PARTNERS OF PRISONERS AND FAMILIES SUPPORT GROUP income £2.1m
PRISONERS' ADVICE SERVICE income £592k
PRISON ADVICE AND CARE TRUST (PACT) income £9.8m
PRISONERS EDUCATION TRUST income £2.3m
NEPACS income £2.3m

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
PRISON RADIO ASSOCIATION	£1.7m	£100,001 - £110,000	4	within	—	no doubt
PRISON SERVICE CHARITY FUND FY2025	£170k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
PARTNERS OF PRISONERS AND FAMILIES SUPPORT GROUP FY2025	£2.1m	£60,001 - £70,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
PRISONERS' ADVICE SERVICE FY2025	£592k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
PRISON ADVICE AND CARE TRUST (PACT) FY2025	£9.8m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
PRISONERS EDUCATION TRUST FY2024	£2.3m	£100,001 - £110,000	—	above	—	no doubt

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