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

UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND STUDENTS' UNION

Registered charity 1148212 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as USSU

Educational Support Activities, Fundraising, activitites of member organisations, management of entertainment venue, retail of food, beverages, stationery, sundry items.

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · Recreation · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£1.3m
Latest spending
£1.2m
Registered
2012
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an operating surplus of £118,542 for the year ended 31 July 2025. However, the accumulated income and expenditure reserves show an overall deficit of £1,305,977, primarily due to pension scheme liabilities under FRS102. Despite this, unrestricted reserves total £250,000, which exceeds the trustees' stated policy target of £200,000, leading them to consider the level of reserves sustainable.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: £200,000 in unrestricted funds (held: £250k)
“Following this policy the Trustees have set a target of the Union holding £200,000 in unrestricted funds (not including the pension deficit reserve).”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: The Sabbatical Officers (President: Sunderland and President: London) are full-time posts remunerated as authorised by the Education Acts.
“These two posts of President: Sunderland and President: London are full-time posts remunerated as authorised by the Education Acts and cannot exceed two years duration for each holder.” — page 4
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: The Union receives a Block Grant from the University and part-occupies a building owned by the University, which also pays for utilities, caretaking and cleaning staff.
“The Union receives a Block Grant from the University and part-occupies a building owned by the University, which also pays for utilities, caretaking and cleaning staff. This non-monetary support is intrinsic to the relationship between the University and the Union.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Azets. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/07/2025)

Total income
£1.3m
Total spending
£1.2m
Reserves (reported)
£250k
Employees
24

Reported reserves equal ~2.5 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (93% 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 (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Durham · Gateshead · North Tyneside · South Tyneside · Sunderland · Tower Hamlets

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/07/2025£1.3m£1.2m
31/07/2024£1.4m£1.4m
31/07/2023£1.4m£1.3m
31/07/2022£1.7m£1.1m
31/07/2021£1.4m£1.2m

Common questions

Is UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND STUDENTS' UNION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an operating surplus of £118,542 for the year ended 31 July 2025. However, the accumulated income and expenditure reserves show an overall deficit of £1,305,977, primarily due to pension scheme liabilities under FRS102. Despite this, unrestricted reserves total £250,000, which exceeds the trustees' stated policy target of £200,000, leading them to consider the level of reserves sustainable. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Azets.

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 REED FOUNDATION1£15k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON STUDENTS' UNION.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
UNIVERSITY OF SUNDERLAND STUDENTS' UNION£1.3m—0above—no doubt
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON STUDENTS' UNION FY2025£7.6m——below—no doubt
TRINITY SAINT DAVID STUDENTS’ UNION FY2025£1.2m£60,001 - £70,0001above739684.0%noted
OXFORD BROOKES STUDENTS UNION LTD FY2025£1.6m——unclear—no doubt
FALMOUTH & EXETER STUDENTS' UNION FY2025£941k—0above—no doubt
LONDON SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS STUDENTS' UNION FY2025£5.9m—0unclear—no doubt

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