THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY
Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts
The accounts state that the charity finished the year in a financially sound position, although it reported a net operating deficit of £14.2m offset by financial investment gains of £7.3m. The trustees note that free reserves temporarily fell below the target range and plan to address this deficit by 2028, while maintaining a strong overall financial position with ample reserves available.
What the accounts disclose
“The total number of employees earning more than £60k in 2024 was 211 (2023: 175)” — page 69
“Free reserves temporarily fell below our target range of £24.1m and we plan to address this deficit in line with our reserves policy by 2028.” — page 44
“The FRS 102 valuation (accounting valuation) of the deficit on the Defined Benefit Pension Scheme was £6.1m at the end of 2024 (2023: £9.9m).”
“The RSC has two wholly owned UK registered subsidiaries, Chemistry Limited and RSC Worldwide Limited.”
Year-over-year changes
- Employees paid over £60,000: 175 (FY2023) → 211 (FY2024).
- Reserves position vs the charity's own policy moved from "within" (FY2023) to "below" (FY2024).
Corporate structure
- Trading subsidiary: CHEMISTRY LIMITED Companies House 03801760
- Trading subsidiary: RSC WORLDWIDE LIMITED Companies House 06702733
- Registered company of the charity Companies House RC000524
Funders the charity credits
- London Schools Excellence Fund
- National Science Academy
- Royal Society
- Science Foundation Ireland
- Wilkinson Charitable Trust
- Wolfson Foundation
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2024)
Register events
- Received assets from another charity (04/03/2020)
Trustees
- Dr Alexander W F Reip BSc MSc CChem FRSC FIMMM
- Dr Amanda Cooke FRSC
- Dr Annette Doherty OBE FRSC
- Dr Ida Marcia Philbin BSc CChem FRSC FAPM Hons DSC
- Dr Jenny Boxwell CSci CChem FRSC
- Dr Rehana Sidat BSc CSci CChem FRSC
- Dr Stephen J Byard BSc CSci CChem FRSC
- Jonathan Christopher Oxley BSc MBA CChem FRSC CMgr FCMI
- Professor David M Smith BA PhD CChem FRSC
- Professor Edwin C Constable MA DPhil CChem FRSC
- Professor Elise Cartmell BSc DIC PhD CChem FRSC FRSE
- Professor Jeremy Graham Frey MA DPhil CChem FRSC
- Professor Jeremy Shears BSc PhD FRSC
- Professor Magdalena Titirici FRSC
- Professor Robert Mokaya OBE FRSC
Income and spending
| Financial year end | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 31/12/2024 | £73.4m | £87.5m |
| 31/12/2023 | £70.9m | £85.1m |
| 31/12/2022 | £66.0m | £72.1m |
| 31/12/2021 | £63.7m | £64.5m |
| 31/12/2020 | £64.8m | £64.3m |
Common questions
Is THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY financially healthy?
The accounts state that the charity finished the year in a financially sound position, although it reported a net operating deficit of £14.2m offset by financial investment gains of £7.3m. The trustees note that free reserves temporarily fell below the target range and plan to address this deficit by 2028, while maintaining a strong overall financial position with ample reserves available. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Grant Thornton UK LLP.
Who funds THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CHEMISTRY as a grant recipient include THE SPECTRIS FOUNDATION.
Known funders
| Funder | Year | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| THE SPECTRIS FOUNDATION | FY2022 | £65k |
Funders of similar charities
| Funder | Similar charities funded | Amount to them |
|---|---|---|
| THE HEALTH FOUNDATION | 1 | £150k |
| THE COMPANY OF BIOLOGISTS | 1 | £140k |
| THE NUFFIELD FOUNDATION | 1 | £66k |
| THE RISMAN FOUNDATION | 1 | £50k |
| THE SINO-BRITISH FELLOWSHIP TRUST | 1 | £19k |
| DEVELOPMENTS IN LITERACY UK (UK) | 1 | £10k |
| THE JOHN S COHEN FOUNDATION | 1 | £8k |
| ANTIPODE FOUNDATION LTD. | 1 | £6k |