ELIZABETH MONTAGU CORRESPONDENCE ONLINE

Registered charity 1174697 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The charity advances education for the public benefit by publishing an online edition of the letters of Elizabeth Montagu, her correspondents and other members of her circle, as a means to advance scholarship and literary and historical research by making the online correspondence archive freely available for use as an educational tool.

Objects

TO ADVANCE EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY PUBLISHING AN ONLINE EDITION OF THE LETTERS OF ELIZABETH MONTAGU, HER CORRESPONDENTS AND OTHER MEMBERS OF HER CIRCLE (“THE MONTAGU CORRESPONDENCE”) IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY AS A MEANS TO: A) ADVANCE SCHOLARSHIP AND LITERARY AND HISTORICAL RESEARCH BY MAKING THE ONLINE CORRESPONDENCE ARCHIVE AVAILABLE FOR USE AS AN EDUCATIONAL TOOL BY ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND INTERESTED MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC; B) ENCOURAGE SCHOLARS AND RESEARCHERS TO TRANSCRIBE, EDIT, STUDY AND PUBLISH MATERIALS ARISING FROM THE ONLINE CORRESPONDENCE ARCHIVE, AND TO PROVIDE THEM WITH SCHOLARSHIPS, EXPENSE REIMBURSEMENT AND OTHER FORMS OF FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR THIS PURPOSE.

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

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Windsor and Maidenhead, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£33k

Latest spending

£20k

Registered

2017

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted funds increased from £13,235 to £26,050, with cash at bank rising to £26,680. The trustees' report indicates a reserves policy of holding sufficient cash to meet obligations for the next twelve months, which the current balance sheet supports. No material uncertainties or risks to going concern are disclosed.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Donations and legacies

“Donations and legacies 20,000” — page 10

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: sufficient to fulfil its known obligations for the next twelve months (reserves figure: £26k)

“The policy adopted by the Trustees is to hold a level of cash that, taken together with firm future pledges from its existing funders, will be sufficient to fulfil its known obligations for the next twelve months” — page 3

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donation from Ardeola Charitable Trust, of which Joanna Barker is a trustee.

“A donation was reccived during the year from the Ardeola Charitable Trust, of which Joanna Barker is a trustee.” — page 4

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 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.

Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investment
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

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 31/05/2024

Volunteers: 3

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Professor CAROLINE FRANKLINchair
Dr ELIZABETH EGER
Joanna Barker · trustee of 2 other charities
Professor NICOLE POHL

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/05/2025	£33k	£20k
31/05/2024	£30k	£17k
31/05/2023	£10k	£24k
31/05/2022	£42k	£37k
31/05/2021	£41k	£44k

Common questions

Is ELIZABETH MONTAGU CORRESPONDENCE ONLINE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted funds increased from £13,235 to £26,050, with cash at bank rising to £26,680. The trustees' report indicates a reserves policy of holding sufficient cash to meet obligations for the next twelve months, which the current balance sheet supports. No material uncertainties or risks to going concern are disclosed. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds ELIZABETH MONTAGU CORRESPONDENCE ONLINE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name ELIZABETH MONTAGU CORRESPONDENCE ONLINE as a grant recipient include THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£51k
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£5k
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£2k
THE ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£1k

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
THE ERANDA ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION	1	£169k
THE PA FOUNDATION	1	£140k
THE DOOUSS CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£100k
The Portal Trust	1	£34k
THE OVE ARUP FOUNDATION	1	£33k
THE ADRIAN SWIRE CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£15k
THE TIM HENMAN FOUNDATION	1	£3k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ECONOMIST EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION.

THE ECONOMIST EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION income £940k
ESSEX & THAMES EDUCATION income £800k
EASTBROOK EDUCATION TRUST income £2.0m
EXCEL FUND income £33k
THE TROLLOPE SOCIETY income £60k
THE ELIZABETHAN TRUST income £261k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
ELIZABETH MONTAGU CORRESPONDENCE ONLINE	£33k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE ECONOMIST EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION FY2025	£940k	—	—	above	—	no doubt
ESSEX & THAMES EDUCATION FY2025	£800k	£80,001 - £90,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
EASTBROOK EDUCATION TRUST FY2025	£2.0m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
EXCEL FUND FY2026	£33k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE TROLLOPE SOCIETY FY2025	£60k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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