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BREAKTHROUGH FOUNDATION

Registered charity 1162536 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as MILNER FOUNDATION

The provision of grants to the US charities, Breakthrough Prize Foundation and Breakthrough Prize in Life Science Foundation, having primarily scientific and educational objects, in the USA, UK and Israel.

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

Latest income
£50.0m
Latest spending
£51.6m
Registered
2015
Accounts read
FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity is dependent on grants from a major donor and does not raise money from the public. Per the trustees' report, due to these funding arrangements, they consider there is no requirement for the charity to hold reserves, resulting in unrestricted free reserves of $1,605,099 at year-end.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: no requirement to hold reserves (held: £1.6m)
“Due to the funding arrangements the Trustees consider there is no requirement for the charity to hold reserves.” — page 7
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Breakthrough Prize Foundation
“$50,182k (2023: $78,744k) of grants were issued to Breakthrough Prize Foundation, an entity over which Breakthrough Foundation has the power to appoint the Directors, of which $16,935k (2023: $Nil) were outstanding at year end.” — page 21
“$8,044k (2023: $7,033k) of grants were issued to Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, an entity over which Breakthrough Foundation has the power to appoint the Directors, of which $3,883k (2023: $Nil) were outstanding at year end.” — page 21
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation
“$50,182k (2023: $78,744k) of grants were issued to Breakthrough Prize Foundation, an entity over which Breakthrough Foundation has the power to appoint the Directors, of which $16,935k (2023: $Nil) were outstanding at year end.” — page 21
“$8,044k (2023: $7,033k) of grants were issued to Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences Foundation, an entity over which Breakthrough Foundation has the power to appoint the Directors, of which $3,883k (2023: $Nil) were outstanding at year end.” — page 21
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

The charity’s company — latest Companies House iXBRL filing (balance sheet 31 December 2025)

    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.

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

    Total income
    £50.0m
    Total spending
    £51.6m
    Reserves (reported)
    £0
    Employees
    0

    Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

    Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (100% 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 (3.8%) (benchmarks).

    Trustees · trustee networks

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

    Operates in: City Of London · Israel · United States

    Income and spending

    Financial year endIncomeSpending
    31/12/2024£50.0m£51.6m
    31/12/2023£85.4m£89.9m
    31/12/2022£52.0m£46.3m
    31/12/2021£49.0m£46.1m
    31/12/2020£27.5m£25.6m

    Common questions

    Is BREAKTHROUGH FOUNDATION financially healthy?

    Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity is dependent on grants from a major donor and does not raise money from the public. Per the trustees' report, due to these funding arrangements, they consider there is no requirement for the charity to hold reserves, resulting in unrestricted free reserves of $1,605,099 at year-end. 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.

    FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
    THE RAPHAEL FRESHWATER MEMORIAL ASSOCIATION2£65k
    SF FOUNDATION1£445k
    FRIENDS OF WMSBG-KOLEL DAMESEK ELIEZER1£181k
    GERSON BERGER ASSOCIATION LIMITED1£180k
    WISEHEIGHTS LIMITED1£115k
    SHULEM B. ASSOCIATION LIMITED1£105k
    OLLINGHAM LIMITED1£100k
    Y G S YESHIVA GEDOLA SEMINAR1£59k

    Charities like this

    Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with STANFORD FOUNDATION (UK) LIMITED.

    Side by side with its peers

    CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
    BREAKTHROUGH FOUNDATION£50.0m—0unclear—no doubt
    STANFORD FOUNDATION (UK) LIMITED FY2025£1.0m—0above—no doubt
    The Trevor Hemmings Foundation FY2025£490k—0above—no doubt
    AHAVAT SHALOM CHARITY FUND FY2025£2.3m—0unclear—no doubt
    BREAKTHROUGH U.K. LTD FY2025£350k—0unclear—no doubt
    THE FOCUS FOUNDATION FY2025£1.6m—0unclear4.0%no doubt

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