THE TOLKIEN TRUST

Registered charity 1150801 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

THE OBJECT OF THE TOLKIEN TRUST IS TO BENEFIT SUCH CHARITABLE INSTITUTION OR INSTITUTIONS OR CHARITABLE PURPOSE OR PURPOSES AS THE TRUSTEES SHALL FROM TIMETO TIME THINK FIT.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£6.5m

Latest spending

£6.6m

Registered

2013

Accounts read

FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity holds substantial unrestricted reserves of £38,963,098, which the trustees maintain to smooth income fluctuations and meet future grant commitments. The charity generated a net income of £1,574,809 for the year, supported by significant investment gains, while expenditure on charitable activities totaled £6,305,610. The trustees and auditors confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: to enable the Trust to smooth out the fluctuations in its net income from year to year and thus to maintain a substantial level of annual grant expenditure over the longer term; to meet future grant commitments where grants are payable over a number of years; and to stand ready to defend its copyright interests whenever these come under threat (held: £39.0m)

“Reserves are held to enable the Trust to smooth out the fluctuations in its net income from year to year and thus to maintain a substantial level of annual grant expenditure over the longer term; to meet future grant commitments where grants are payable over a number of years; and to stand ready to defend its copyright interests whenever these come under threat.” — page 4

Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)

Total income

£6.5m

Total spending

£6.6m

Cost of raising funds

£302k

Reserves (reported)

£0

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other (89% 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: 4.7% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (09/05/2013) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Amanda Mary Reuel Doyle
BAILLIE JEAN TOLKIEN
Rachel Clare Reuel Tolkien
Royd Allan Reuel Tolkien
Simon Mario Reuel Tolkien

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2024	£6.5m	£6.6m
31/12/2023	£9.7m	£5.8m
31/12/2022	£5.9m	£6.2m
31/12/2021	£4.2m	£6.1m
31/12/2020	£6.0m	£4.0m

Common questions

Is THE TOLKIEN TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity holds substantial unrestricted reserves of £38,963,098, which the trustees maintain to smooth income fluctuations and meet future grant commitments. The charity generated a net income of £1,574,809 for the year, supported by significant investment gains, while expenditure on charitable activities totaled £6,305,610. The trustees and auditors confirm that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP.

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
DILLHAVEN LIMITED	1	£92k
SHEMTOV CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£58k
M AND M FOUNDATION	1	£30k
SAMJO LIMITED	1	£25k
J & J CHARITABLE TRUST LIMITED	1	£17k
KTRUST LIMITED	1	£12k
PARKLAKE CHARITY TRUST	1	£5k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with T & S TRUST FUND.

T & S TRUST FUND income £334k
BERNARD LEWIS FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST income £4.2m
CHORTKOV TRUST income £219k
THE BLAIR TRUST FUND income £187k
THE BROTHERS TRUST income £597k
Tinsley Charitable Trust income £467k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE TOLKIEN TRUST	£6.5m	—	unclear	—	no doubt
T & S TRUST FUND FY2025	£334k	—	above	—	no doubt
BERNARD LEWIS FAMILY CHARITABLE TRUST FY2024	£4.2m	—	above	—	no doubt
CHORTKOV TRUST FY2025	£219k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE BLAIR TRUST FUND FY2025	£187k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE BROTHERS TRUST FY2025	£597k	—	above	2.0%	no doubt

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