RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION

Registered charity 206312 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as RAILWAY BENEFIT FUND · also registered in Scotland as SC039550 (OSCR)

The RBF is the working name used by the Railway Benevolent Institution and exists to help both active and retired railway people in need through the provision of financial grants.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£580k

Latest spending

£669k

Registered

1964

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £88k for the year ended 31 December 2025, which was anticipated by the Board and significantly lower than budgeted. Despite this deficit, unrestricted reserves increased to £2,003k, well above the stated policy target of £675k, and the auditor confirmed no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: £675k (held: £2.0m)

“The Board determined in 2025 that the unrestricted reserves should be maintained at a minimum amount of £675k” — page 9

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by BK Plus Audit Limited. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Railway Benefit Fund (matched by registered charity number).

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income

£580k

Total spending

£669k

Cost of raising funds

£151k

Reserves (reported)

£2.0m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~36.0 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 26.0% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (21/01/2026) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

David Hornechair
Anna-jane Hunter · trustee of 1 other charity
Ciaran Thomas Barr · trustee of 1 other charity
Faye Rebecca Scadden
Fiona Irvine
Janet Elizabeth Goodland · trustee of 1 other charity
Margaret Joyce Simpson
Michael Joseph Cash
Paula Jane Hayes
Samantha Turner
Stuart Mackcracken

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

Operates in: Ireland · Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£580k	£669k
31/12/2024	£556k	£811k
31/12/2023	£416k	£840k
31/12/2022	£583k	£826k
31/12/2021	£405k	£633k

Common questions

Is RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported an operating deficit of £88k for the year ended 31 December 2025, which was anticipated by the Board and significantly lower than budgeted. Despite this deficit, unrestricted reserves increased to £2,003k, well above the stated policy target of £675k, and the auditor confirmed no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by BK Plus Audit Limited.

Who funds RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION as a grant recipient include THE THALES CHARITABLE TRUST, CSIS CHARITY FUND.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE THALES CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£156k
CSIS CHARITY FUND	FY2023	£25k	Grant to fund the RBF Energy Fund which has been specially designed to reduce the immediate financial impact of recent energy price increases
CSIS CHARITY FUND	FY2022	£24k	Support for welfare grants for serving and retired railway workers in need.
CSIS CHARITY FUND	FY2025	£15k	For general hardship grants
CSIS CHARITY FUND	FY2024	£15k	Grant to fund the RBF Energy Fund which has been specially designed to reduce the immediate financial impact of recent energy price increases
THE THALES CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2021	—	help publicise, round the Railway community

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 HASLUCK CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£4k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. EDMUND,ALLESTREE	1	£2k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF CAMBRIDGE ST. BARNABAS	1	£426

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO).

TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) income £5.2m
The British Airways Benevolent Fund income £120k
THE INSTITUTION OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS BENEVOLENT FUND income £113k
THE ROYAL NAVAL BENEVOLENT TRUST (GRAND FLEET AND KINDRED FUNDS) income £12.5m
THE CIVIL SERVICE BENEVOLENT FUND income £5.6m
THE RAILWAY MISSION income £635k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
RAILWAY BENEVOLENT INSTITUTION	£580k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
TRANSPORT BENEVOLENT FUND (CIO) FY2025	£5.2m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
The British Airways Benevolent Fund FY2024	£120k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE INSTITUTION OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERS BENEVOLENT FUND FY2024	£113k	—	0	unclear	24.5%	no doubt
THE ROYAL NAVAL BENEVOLENT TRUST (GRAND FLEET AND KINDRED FUNDS) FY2025	£12.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE CIVIL SERVICE BENEVOLENT FUND FY2025	£5.6m	£120,001 - £130,000	6	above	—	no doubt

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