CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST

Registered charity 206476 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Charles S. French Charitable Trust is a charitable trust establised by trust deed on 1 September 1959 by Charles S. French for the promotion and advancement of primarily local charities in Essex and NE London at the discretion of the trustees.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · Environment/conservation/heritage · Economic/community Development/employment · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.0m

Latest spending

£793k

Registered

1962

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total unrestricted funds increased to £11,908,644, driven by a net movement in funds of £526,744 which included significant gains on investments and property revaluations. The charity awarded grants totaling £653,230, its highest ever value, supported by strong investment income and capital receipts from property disposals. The trustees maintain a reserves policy to ensure sufficient income generation to meet objectives and sustain grant-making in perpetuity.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: maintain capital funds at a level necessary to produce annual income sufficient to meet objectives and costs; and income funds at a level to allow disbursements in periods of reduced income or expenditure volatility (held: £11.9m)

“The reserves policy established by the Trustees is to maintain the capital funds at a level which they judge to be necessary to produce an annual income, sufficient to enable the Trust to meet its objectives, and the cost of so doing; and the income funds at a level, which would allow the Trust to continue making disbursements in periods of reduced income or expenditure volatility.” — page 6

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Haslers. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income

£1.0m

Total spending

£793k

Cost of raising funds

£104k

Reserves (reported)

£11.9m

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~180.3 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other (67% 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: 9.9% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Edwin James Cookchair · trustee of 1 other charity
ANTONIA MCLEOD
CHRISTOPHER WILLIAM LENNOX NOBLE
JAMES ALEXANDER FOSTER
JOANNA THOMAS
MICHAEL FOSTER
Sue Gibson

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

Operates in: Barking And Dagenham · Essex · Hackney · Haringey · Havering · Islington · Newham · Redbridge · Waltham Forest

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£1.0m	£793k
31/03/2024	£662k	£695k
31/03/2023	£567k	£782k
31/03/2022	£392k	£732k
31/03/2021	£303k	£639k

Common questions

Is CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total unrestricted funds increased to £11,908,644, driven by a net movement in funds of £526,744 which included significant gains on investments and property revaluations. The charity awarded grants totaling £653,230, its highest ever value, supported by strong investment income and capital receipts from property disposals. The trustees maintain a reserves policy to ensure sufficient income generation to meet objectives and sustain grant-making in perpetuity. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Haslers.

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
CORAM LIFE EDUCATION	1	£20k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE FRANK LITCHFIELD GENERAL CHARITABLE TRUST.

THE FRANK LITCHFIELD GENERAL CHARITABLE TRUST income £192k
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST income £443k
ANNE FRENCH MEMORIAL TRUST income £317k
FOWLER SMITH AND JONES TRUST income £764k
CHILDS CHARITABLE TRUST income £330k
S O CHARITABLE TRUST income £149k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
CHARLES S FRENCH CHARITABLE TRUST	£1.0m	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE FRANK LITCHFIELD GENERAL CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£192k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CHAPMAN CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£443k	—	above	—	no doubt
ANNE FRENCH MEMORIAL TRUST FY2026	£317k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
FOWLER SMITH AND JONES TRUST FY2025	£764k	—	below	—	no doubt
CHILDS CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£330k	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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