THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND

Registered charity 213890 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as SAVE THE CHILDREN · also registered in Scotland as SC039570 (OSCR)

TO RELIEVE THE DISTRESS AND TO PROMOTE THE WELFARE OF CHILDREN IN ANY COUNTRY OR COUNTRIES, WITHOUT DIFFERENTIATION ON THE GROUND OF RACE, COLOUR, NATIONALITY, CREED OR SEX TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC CONCERNING THE NATURE, CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF DISTRESS, AND WANT OF WELFARE AS AFORESAID, AND TO CONDUCT AND PROCURE RESEARCH CONCERNING THE SAME AND TO MAKE AVAILABLE THE USEFUL RESULTS THEREOF.

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Disability · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Overseas Aid/famine Relief · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£262.5m
Latest spending
£275.8m
Registered
1962
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net movement in funds of £9.7 million, resulting in total funds of £60.9 million. The trustees confirmed that sufficient reserves and cash resources exist to continue operations for the foreseeable future with no material uncertainties regarding going concern. The charity also noted that it is managing financial pressures from international aid cuts by matching potential income shortfalls with cost reductions.

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

What the accounts disclose

Employees paid over £60,000: 182
“The number of employees with emoluments in excess of £60,000 has increased by 50” — page 86
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: cover for unexpected changes in income and expenditure to allow us time to adjust our cost base and continue activities (held: £52.1m)
“as detailed in our general reserves policy, we hold general reserves to provide cover for unexpected changes in income and expenditure to allow us time to adjust our cost base and continue activities.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustees
“As well as donating their time and expertise during 2025 the Trustees made unconditional donations of £45,126” — page 87
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Pension scheme deficit: £2.5m
“This reported scheme assets of £131.4m and scheme liabilities of £133.9m. This corresponds to a scheme deficit of £2.5m and a funding level of 98%.” — page 101
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by KPMG LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

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

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 covers the year 2025, as indicated by the title 'ANNUAL REPORT 2025' and content referencing events in '2025'.
“In 2025, Save the Children UK raised £262 million to support millions of children across the world with healthcare, education, protection and humanitarian assistance.”
Specific impact metric regarding the two-child benefit cap.
“This policy change is expected to lift 450,000 children out of poverty.”
Specific impact metric regarding vaccination numbers in Ethiopia and Nigeria.
“Through our partnership with GSK, nearly 150,000 children in Ethiopia and Nigeria were vaccinated.”
Specific impact metric regarding the AXE-Filles programme in the DRC.
“Since March 2025, more than 12,000 children – over half of them girls – have been through the programme’s catch-up clubs to accelerate their learning.”

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Save the Children (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Property (HM Land Registry)

81 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (1 freehold); recorded price paid £107k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Trustpilot: Save the Children UK scores 1.6/5 from 37 reviews (source) — reviews usually concern the charity’s shops or services, not its charitable performance.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook (475,960 likes) · instagram (227K followers)

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

Total income
£262.5m
Total spending
£275.8m
Cost of raising funds
£39.7m
Reserves (reported)
£44.7m
Employees
885

Reported reserves equal ~1.9 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 15.1% of total income — above the median for charities its size (2.9%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Afghanistan · Albania · Australia · Bangladesh · Belgium · Bhutan · Bolivia · Brazil · Burkina Faso · Burma · Cambodia · Central African Republic

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£262.5m£275.8m
31/12/2024£304.8m£308.8m
31/12/2023£296.0m£295.4m
31/12/2022£294.4m£286.4m
31/12/2021£240.4m£235.9m

Common questions

Is THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net movement in funds of £9.7 million, resulting in total funds of £60.9 million. The trustees confirmed that sufficient reserves and cash resources exist to continue operations for the foreseeable future with no material uncertainties regarding going concern. The charity also noted that it is managing financial pressures from international aid cuts by matching potential income shortfalls with cost reductions. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by KPMG LLP.

Who funds THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND as a grant recipient include THE ALLEN OVERY SHEARMAN STERLING FOUNDATION, THE JULIA RAUSING TRUST, GOLDMAN SACHS GIVES (UK), THE BURBERRY FOUNDATION, THE BAND AID CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE ALLEN OVERY SHEARMAN STERLING FOUNDATIONFY2023£749k
THE JULIA RAUSING TRUSTFY2025£600kFamily Grants Programme
GOLDMAN SACHS GIVES (UK)FY2023£529kHumanitarian
GOLDMAN SACHS GIVES (UK)FY2024£500kEducation
THE BURBERRY FOUNDATIONFY2025£412k
THE BAND AID CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£400kTigray emergency
THE PERMIRA FOUNDATIONFY2022£381kPermira Relief Fund
THE ARSENAL FOUNDATIONFY2022£340kCoaching for Life project / Ukraine Appeal
THE ARSENAL FOUNDATIONFY2024£288kCoaching for Life
THE ARSENAL FOUNDATIONFY2025£288kCoaching for Life project
CULLUM FAMILY TRUSTFY2022£250k
THE ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATIONFY2023£250k
THE TOLKIEN TRUSTFY2024£250k
THE ARSENAL FOUNDATIONFY2023£238kCoaching for Life / Earthquake appeal
CHOOSE LOVEFY2025£204k
THE TRUANTS FOUNDATIONFY2025£187k
THE INNOCENT FOUNDATIONFY2023£178kHunger alleviation
DEVELOPMENTS IN LITERACY UK (UK)FY2022£150kChild welfare
PLAN INTERNATIONAL UKFY2025£150kMyanmar
THE INNOCENT FOUNDATIONFY2022£144kAcute Malnutrition initiative
THE KARLSSON JATIVA CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2023£112kCommunity development and management of WASH social services in Zulia State, Venezuela
The Brindle FoundationFY2023£100k
THE SHANLY FOUNDATIONFY2022£96k
THE PERMIRA FOUNDATIONFY2023£75kEurope
THE SIMMONS AND SIMMONS CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2023£75kHumanitarian and disaster relief
THE HEADLEY TRUSTFY2024£75kA loan of £75,000 to Save the Children UK towards the Sierra Leone Education Innovation Challenge to make measurable learning improvements in 65 primary schools
ALLAN AND NESTA FERGUSON CHARITABLE SETTLEMENTFY2024£70kOverseas education
THE PENNIES FOUNDATIONFY2022£70k
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2023£67kChildren
John Lewis Partnership FoundationFY2023£63k
GOFUNDME.ORG.UKFY2022£62kRefugees Welcome / True Russia Against the War / Evening Standard Ukraine Appeal
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2021£60kEmergency appeal for Afghanistan
THE TOLKIEN TRUSTFY2023£55k
THE JMCMRJ SORRELL FOUNDATIONFY2024£50kGrants for poverty alleviation and health improvement
MOONDANCE FOUNDATIONFY2023£50k
THE SIMMONS AND SIMMONS CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONFY2024£50kStaff selections
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST LUKE, COLCHESTERFY2021£50kInternational Mission
THE SIR JAMES RECKITT CHARITYFY2022£50kChildren
THE ORR MACKINTOSH FOUNDATION LIMITEDFY2023£45k
THE MATERIAL WORLD FOUNDATION LIMITEDFY2021£41k
THE TRUANTS FOUNDATIONFY2023£40k
THE TRUANTS FOUNDATIONFY2022£40k
THE TRUANTS FOUNDATIONFY2024£38k
THE PERMIRA FOUNDATIONFY2023£37kCrisis Relief
MOONDANCE FOUNDATIONFY2022£36kChildren & Young People
THE CLORE DUFFIELD FOUNDATIONFY2022£35kHealth and social care
THE BOLTINI TRUSTFY2025£33k
THE ANNABEL ARBIB FOUNDATIONFY2024£32kChildren’s welfare
THE ANNABEL ARBIB FOUNDATIONFY2023£32kChildren’s welfare
THE DIXON FOUNDATIONFY2022£30k

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Community Fund27/03/2026£25kDan y Coed
Postcode Lottery10/02/2025£3.0mRegular Grant 2025
Postcode Lottery01/12/2023£3.0mRegular Grant 2024
Postcode Lottery28/02/2023£4.1mRegular Grant 2023
ARCADIA31/03/2022£1.8mTowards Save the Children's Ukraine appeal
Postcode Lottery09/02/2022£3.0mRegular Grant 2022
UK government05/10/2020£99kCoronavirus Community Support Fund
The National Lottery Community Fund08/10/2015£385kFamilies and Schools Together (FAST)
The National Lottery Community Fund28/03/2015£3.2mBuilding Sustainable Livelihoods and Resilient Communities
The National Lottery Community Fund21/02/2013£4kHelp conflict affected children access a quality & relevant primary educati
The National Lottery Community Fund28/03/2012£440kImproving Maternal and Newborn Health in Myanmar
The National Lottery Community Fund29/06/2011£5kImproving Maternal and Newborn Health in Myanmar
The National Lottery Community Fund09/09/2010£9kInspiring Change
The National Lottery Community Fund12/02/2010£148Inspiring Change
The National Lottery Community Fund17/07/2009£382kOur Shout
The National Lottery Community Fund16/04/2008£495kImproving health and saving children's mothers' lives in Sierra Leone
The National Lottery Community Fund15/11/2006£490kBrighter Futures
The National Lottery Community Fund03/04/2006£140kThe Befriending Unaccompanied Minors Project
The National Lottery Community Fund26/01/2006£190kThe YES Project (Young East end Speaking)
The National Lottery Community Fund11/01/2005£282kIndependent Education Advocacy and Mediation Project
The National Lottery Community Fund06/07/2004£138kServing Children? Impact of poverty on children's experience of public, pri
The National Lottery Heritage Fund04/12/2003£25k"Time Travellers"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund01/07/2003£23k"Who We Are"

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.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND£262.5m—182above—no doubt
THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN FY2025£120.3m——within—no doubt
THEIRWORLD FY2024£7.4m£160,001 - £170,00012unclear—no doubt
THE WORLD CHILDREN'S FUND FY2025£1.1m—0unclear—no doubt
Save a Child FY2025£182k—0above—no doubt
YAD VEACHISOMOCH L'CHAIM FY2025£834k—0unclear—no doubt

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