Charity Accounts Intelreading the accounts so you don’t have to

THE RCN FOUNDATION

Registered charity 1134606 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also registered in Scotland as SC043663 (OSCR)

The RCN Foundation supports nursing to improve health and the well-being of the public. We support the development of clinical practice to improve the quality and standard of care and patient experience and the learning and development of nursing and healthcare professionals. The Foundation also provides one-off hardship grants through its Benevolent Fund

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£1.7m
Latest spending
£2.1m
Registered
2010
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds substantial free reserves of £33.06 million, significantly exceeding its operational needs, with a net increase in funds of £3.9 million for the year. The organization remains heavily reliant on investment income and reserves to fund its charitable objectives, though voluntary income showed strong growth. The trustees and auditors confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 4% of the value of our net assets, averaged over the quarter end values of the last three calendar years (held: £33.1m)
“In January 2023, the trustees determined an appropriate spending policy, concluding that annual expenditure funded by investments would be set at 4% of the value of our net assets, averaged over the quarter end values of the last three calendar years.” — page 22
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Service fee paid to RCN UK for staff and services.
“In 2025, the RCN charged the RCN Foundation a service fee of £1,037,890 based on the service level agreement that is in place between the two entities for the provision of staff and services provided for governance, finance and marketing” — page 60
“In addition, the RCN Foundation awarded the RCN a £3,600 grant towards the Winifred Raphael Memorial Lecture and a further £15,000 for the Early Career Researcher Bridging Fellowship.” — page 60
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Grants awarded to RCN for specific projects.
“In 2025, the RCN charged the RCN Foundation a service fee of £1,037,890 based on the service level agreement that is in place between the two entities for the provision of staff and services provided for governance, finance and marketing” — page 60
“In addition, the RCN Foundation awarded the RCN a £3,600 grant towards the Winifred Raphael Memorial Lecture and a further £15,000 for the Early Career Researcher Bridging Fellowship.” — page 60
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Governance: The Foundation acknowledges a long-standing risk regarding an inadequate CRM system which obstructed grant-making delivery.
“A key risk that remained elevated in the RCN Group risk register was an inadequate CRM system. This is a long-standing issue linked to the reliance on the RCN’s CRM system.” — page 19
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Crowe UK LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

What the charity says about itself (2024)

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

The charity awarded over £200,000 in hardship grants to individuals facing urgent challenges.
“We responded to a marked increase in need across the UK, awarding over £200,000 in hardship grants, to individuals facing urgent challenges, making a tangible difference.”
The charity directly supported 698 nursing and midwifery professionals through hardship and educational grants in 2024.
“2024 saw the Foundation directly support 698 nurses, midwives and healthcare support workers through the award of hardship and educational grants in addition to the many hundreds of others impacted through the projects we funded.”
The charity awarded 122 education grants totaling £183,000 to support professional development.
“During the year, £183,000 in education grants was awarded to 122 individuals across the four countries. From entry into nursing to postgraduate education, our grants fuel professional growth across the UK.”
The charity launched a £300,000 three-year research initiative focused on improving health outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities.
“We launched our Learning Disability Nursing Programme Inclusive Health – Enhancing the Lives of Individuals with Learning Disabilities, a £300,000, three-year research initiative that includes studies designed to improve quality of life outcomes for individuals with learning disabilities.”

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — RCN Foundation (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

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.

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

Official officers record.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income
£1.7m
Total spending
£2.1m
Cost of raising funds
£447k
Reserves (reported)
£33.1m
Employees
15

Reported reserves equal ~185.6 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 26.0% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£1.7m£2.1m
31/12/2024£1.2m£2.0m
31/12/2023£1.4m£1.8m
31/12/2022£1.3m£2.2m
31/12/2021£1.5m£3.9m

Common questions

Is THE RCN FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity holds substantial free reserves of £33.06 million, significantly exceeding its operational needs, with a net increase in funds of £3.9 million for the year. The organization remains heavily reliant on investment income and reserves to fund its charitable objectives, though voluntary income showed strong growth. The trustees and auditors confirm there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe UK LLP.

Who funds THE RCN FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE RCN FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include The Leathersellers' Foundation, THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUST, THE RAYNE FOUNDATION, THE LIGHT FUND COMPANY, SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
The Leathersellers' FoundationFY2023£25kEducation grant
The Leathersellers' FoundationFY2024£20kEducation Partnerships
THE BRITFORD BRIDGE TRUSTFY2025£10kSecondary
THE RAYNE FOUNDATIONFY2025£10kEducation Fund for ASC Nursing
THE LIGHT FUND COMPANYFY2023£5k
SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£4k
THE EARL FITZWILLIAM CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£2k

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE BURDETT TRUST FOR NURSING3£877k
THE COMPANY OF NURSES CHARITABLE TRUST2£109k
THE NATIONAL GARDEN SCHEME1£1.4m
GLOBAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS1£274k
GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION1£200k
THE MARCELA TRUST1£150k
THE TOMPKINS FOUNDATION1£55k
ASSOCIATION OF NHS CHARITIES1£35k

Charities like this

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

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE RCN FOUNDATION£1.7m——unclear—no doubt
THE FLORENCE NIGHTINGALE FOUNDATION FY2025£3.9m——above—no doubt
The Queen's Institute of Community Nursing FY2024£1.5m——above—no doubt
ROYAL BERKSHIRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST CHARITY FY2025£1.3m—0unclear—no doubt
THE FOUNDATION OF NURSING STUDIES FY2025£901k—1unclear—no doubt
THE RHONDDA NETBALL FOUNDATION FY2025£184k£24,000 - £27,9990above—no doubt

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