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

The Auckland Project

Registered charity 1146219 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE AUCKLAND CASTLE TRUST

Running the Castle: managing the Castle, gardens and parkland - opening to the public.Enhancing the Castle: interpreting existing rooms and paintings, creating new temporary exhibitions,turning the Castle, medieval walled garden and historic parkland into a major heritage attraction, together with Market Place art galleryCreating social impact: jobs, apprentices, volunteers, creative projects

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£14.5m
Latest spending
£15.7m
Registered
2012
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £1,235,263 for the year ended 31 March 2025, driven by a significant £8,477,370 impairment charge on tangible fixed assets. Despite this deficit, the charity holds free unrestricted reserves of £10,139,028, which the trustees confirm are sufficient to complete medium-term plans and continue operations.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £160,001 - £170,000 — above the median for charities its size (£130k)
“In the band £160,001 - £170,000 4” — page 29
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Largest income source: Jonathan Ruffer (23% of income)
“Jonathan Ruffer 3,348,000” — page 26
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Donation from Jonathan Ruffer
“Donations of £3,348,000 (2024: £40,000) were received from Jonathan Ruffer for continued support of TAPs operations and a number of projects including development of TAP properties into holiday lets, purchase of antique furniture and a documentary film.” — page 11
“One of TAPs properties is rented to Jonathan and Jane Ruffer. The rent received for the period totals £8,100.” — page 42
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Rent paid to Jonathan and Jane Ruffer
“Donations of £3,348,000 (2024: £40,000) were received from Jonathan Ruffer for continued support of TAPs operations and a number of projects including development of TAP properties into holiday lets, purchase of antique furniture and a documentary film.” — page 11
“One of TAPs properties is rented to Jonathan and Jane Ruffer. The rent received for the period totals £8,100.” — page 42
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Services provided to The Zurbaran Trust
“Donations of £3,348,000 (2024: £40,000) were received from Jonathan Ruffer for continued support of TAPs operations and a number of projects including development of TAP properties into holiday lets, purchase of antique furniture and a documentary film.” — page 11
“One of TAPs properties is rented to Jonathan and Jane Ruffer. The rent received for the period totals £8,100.” — page 42
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: TAP Trading Limited, Weardale Railway Limited, Park Head Leisure Limited
“The financial statements consolidate the results of TAP and its wholly owned subsidiaries TAP Trading Limited, Weardale Railway Limited and Park Head Leisure Limited on a line-by-line basis.” — page 21
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by S&W Audit. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

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

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Auckland Project (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.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Property (HM Land Registry)

18 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (17 freehold); recorded price paid £2.4m. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

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

Total income
£14.5m
Total spending
£15.7m
Cost of raising funds
£6.3m
Reserves (reported)
£73.5m
Employees
201

Reported reserves equal ~56.1 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (59% 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: 43.8% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 3.8%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Durham

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£14.5m£15.7m
31/03/2024£14.1m£13.7m
31/03/2023£7.8m£11.8m
31/03/2022£6.6m£8.2m
31/03/2021£11.3m£8.0m

Common questions

Is The Auckland Project financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £1,235,263 for the year ended 31 March 2025, driven by a significant £8,477,370 impairment charge on tangible fixed assets. Despite this deficit, the charity holds free unrestricted reserves of £10,139,028, which the trustees confirm are sufficient to complete medium-term plans and continue operations. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by S&W Audit.

What does the highest-paid employee of The Auckland Project earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £160,001 - £170,000 band.

Who funds The Auckland Project?

Funders whose own accounts filings name The Auckland Project as a grant recipient include LEMPRIERE PRINGLE 2015, NATIONAL ART COLLECTIONS FUND, THE ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION, THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION, THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
LEMPRIERE PRINGLE 2015FY2024£7.5m
NATIONAL ART COLLECTIONS FUNDFY2024£325kBishop Auckland
THE ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATIONFY2025£300k
THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATIONFY2023£135kReligion
THE CATHERINE COOKSON CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£100kOther Charities/Voluntary Bodies
ROCKCLIFFE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£20k
THE FINNIS SCOTT FOUNDATIONFY2023£6k
ROCKCLIFFE CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£1k

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund16/09/2022£10kRefrigerated Storage for our Food Network
The National Lottery Heritage Fund23/04/2013£12.4m"Auckland Castle: Creating Faith in a Better Future"

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
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MUSEUMS1£5k
THE EDWARD AND DOROTHY CADBURY TRUST1£1k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with PEMBROKE CASTLE TRUST.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
The Auckland Project£14.5m£160,001 - £170,000—unclear—no doubt
PEMBROKE CASTLE TRUST FY2025£1.5m—0above—no doubt
CASTLE BROMWICH HALL AND GARDENS TRUST FY2024£298k—0unclear—no doubt
CASTLE PARK TRUST FY2025£164k—0above—no doubt
CASTLEFORD HERITAGE TRUST FY2025£247k—0unclear—no doubt
ARUNDEL CASTLE TRUSTEES LIMITED FY2024£5.7m——unclear—no doubt

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