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

GLOBAL INNOVATION FUND

Registered charity 1171353 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q123253937 · Wikipedia · also known as GIF · filing overdue (register status)

GIF finds, funds and scales-up cost-effective, evidence-based social innovations that have the potential to measurably improve the lives of millions of people living on $5 a day or less in the developing world. GIF deploys grant and risk capital instruments to support a range of innovators across the globe to accelerate the development, rigorous testing, and scaling of innovations.

Objects

5.1 THE OBJECTS OF GIF (THE "OBJECTS") ARE:5.1.1 THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED ARISING BY REASON OF YOUTH, AGE, ILL-HEALTH, DISABILITY, FINANCIAL HARDSHIP OR OTHER DISADVANTAGE AMONGST THE WORLD'S POOR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY THE PROVISION OF GRANTS, LOANS, SOCIAL INVESTMENT, EQUITY OR OTHER FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE TO FUND OR OTHERWISE ASSIST IN FINANCING PROJECTS, PROGRAMMES, OR PRODUCTS WHICH HAVE THE CAPACITY TO DEVELOP INTO LARGE SCALE SOLUTIONS WHICH WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON AND FURTHER SUCH OBJECT;5.1.2 THE RELIEF OF POVERTY AMONGST THE SAME BENEFICIARY GROUP BY THE SAME MEANS;5.1.3 THE ADVANCEMENT OF ANY OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSE FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY THE SAME MEANS.

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Overseas Aid/famine Relief · Economic/community Development/employment · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£16.6m
Latest spending
£10.5m
Registered
2017
Accounts read
FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that free reserves of $2.9m were below the approved policy target of $5m, though the trustees expect reserves to increase within 12-18 months following new funding negotiations. The charity reports sufficient cash runway to cover operational expenditure until Q3 2026 and confirms it is a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy
“Free reserves are lower than that stipulated within the approved policy” — page 10
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: GIF Growth Limited
“GIF has a second 100% owned subsidiary, GIF Growth Limited, a company limited by shares. The subsidiary began operations in 2024.” — page 9
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

  • Government income: £16,173,599 — grants £16,173,599 (2); 98% of the £16,552,431 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 19 (£60,001–£70,000: 4; £70,001–£80,000: 3; £80,001–£90,000: 1; £90,001–£100,000: 4; £100,001–£110,000: 1; £110,001–£120,000: 1; £120,001–£130,000: 1; £130,001–£140,000: 2; £150,001–£200,000: 1; £300,001–£350,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary
  • Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

  • Government income: £5,029,591 — grants £5,029,591 (1); 92% of the £5,444,461 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 21 (£60,001–£70,000: 3; £70,001–£80,000: 3; £80,001–£90,000: 1; £90,001–£100,000: 2; £100,001–£110,000: 2; £110,001–£120,000: 3; £120,001–£130,000: 2; £140,001–£150,000: 1; £150,001–£200,000: 3; £200,001–£250,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary
  • Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2022

  • Government income: £2,241,000 — grants £2,241,000 (5); 28% of the £7,874,000 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 24 (£60,001–£70,000: 2; £70,001–£80,000: 2; £80,001–£90,000: 6; £90,001–£100,000: 4; £100,001–£110,000: 2; £110,001–£120,000: 3; £120,001–£130,000: 1; £130,001–£140,000: 1; £140,001–£150,000: 2; £200,001–£250,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary
  • Grant-making is its main activity

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

1 annual return is past its due date with no recorded received date (Charity Commission register).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

In the news

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

Corporate structure

GIF GROWTH LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £42k
  • Profit before tax: £-341k
  • Parent — Shared Services Recharge

What the charity says about itself (2025)

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

The report claims 138 million people have been reached to date, with 64 million reached specifically in 2025.
“138 million people reached to date, 64 million people in 2025 of which 31.5 million are women.”
The report estimates a social rate of return of $9 for every $1 invested, based on net social benefits.
“On this basis, each $1 invested in GIF is already returning an estimated $9 in net social benefits.”

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
£16.6m
Total spending
£10.5m
Cost of raising funds
£392k
Reserves (reported)
£2.3m
Employees
0

Reported reserves equal ~2.7 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (98% 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: 2.4% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.7%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Afghanistan · Albania · Algeria · American Samoa · Angola · Argentina · Armenia · Azerbaijan · Bangladesh · Belarus · Belize · Benin

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025——
31/12/2024£16.6m£10.5m
31/12/2023£5.4m£8.2m
31/12/2022£7.9m£17.6m
31/12/2021£6.2m£17.8m

Common questions

Is GLOBAL INNOVATION FUND financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that free reserves of $2.9m were below the approved policy target of $5m, though the trustees expect reserves to increase within 12-18 months following new funding negotiations. The charity reports sufficient cash runway to cover operational expenditure until Q3 2026 and confirms it is a going concern. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Crowe U.K. 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 YOUTH ENDOWMENT FUND CHARITABLE TRUST1£9.7m
IMPETUS - THE PRIVATE EQUITY FOUNDATION1£5.9m
CO-OPERATIVE COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FOUNDATION1£4.4m
FRIENDS PROVIDENT CHARITABLE FOUNDATION1£607k
JOFFE CHARITABLE TRUST CIO1£214k
THE JOSEPH ROWNTREE CHARITABLE TRUST1£189k
TRUST FOR LONDON1£120k
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION1£100k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE GLOBAL FUND FOR CHILDREN UK TRUST.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
GLOBAL INNOVATION FUND£16.6m——below—no doubt
THE GLOBAL FUND FOR CHILDREN UK TRUST FY2025£2.6m——above—no doubt
FINANCE INNOVATION LAB FY2025£738k——unclear—no doubt
GLOBAL RESEARCH ALLIANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE FINANCE AND INVESTMENT FY2025£155k£70,001 - £80,0001within—no doubt
MANCHESTER GLOBAL FOUNDATION FY2025£90k—0unclear—no doubt
THE INSPIRE AND ACHIEVE FOUNDATION FY2025£704k—0unclear—no doubt

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