THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

Registered charity 213962 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q1468277 · Wikipedia · also known as THE RSL

The Royal Society of Literature celebrates and nurtures all that is best in British literature, past and present. We are the UK's charity for the advancement of literature. We act as a voice for the value of literature, engage people in literature, and honour and encourage writers. Activities include public events, awards and prizes, campaigns and young people's outreach.

Objects

FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF LITERATURE GENERALLY.

Area of benefit: NATIONAL

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

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Westminster, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£217k

Latest spending

£623k

Registered

1963

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred a net expenditure of £605,403 for the year, funded by unrestricted reserves and restricted funds. The trustees report that general unrestricted reserves of £55,021 were below the stated policy target of £72,000 to £144,000, although total reserves including designated funds remained above the policy range. The trustees are satisfied that adequate resources are available to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,001 - £100,000 — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median £60k)

“During the year, the following employees received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension’s costs) over £60,000, in the following bands: £90,001 - £100,000 No. - No. 1” — page 28

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Employees paid over £60,000: 1

“During the year, the following employees received total employee benefits (excluding employer pension’s costs) over £60,000, in the following bands: £90,001 - £100,000 No. - No. 1” — page 28

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: three to six months of core operating costs, which equates to £72,000 to £144,000 (reserves figure: £55k)

“Following Charity Commission guidance, the Trustees aim to maintain unrestricted reserves equivalent to three to six months of core operating costs, which equates to £72,000 to £144,000 (2024: £90,000 to £180,000).” — page 11

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Azets Audit Services. Discloses 6 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.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

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 31/12/2025

Volunteers: 5
Government income: £11,691 — contracts £6,691 (1), grants £5,000 (1); 5% of the £217,444 total gross income on the same return

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Volunteers: 20
Government income: £55,758 — grants £55,758 (3); 24% of the £236,467 total gross income on the same return
Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£90,001–£100,000: 1)
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Volunteers: 20
Trustee benefits, answered Yes to: any trustee benefit; payments to trustees for services to the charity

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2022)

Total income

£1.2m

Total spending

£512k

Cost of raising funds

£30k

Reserves (reported)

£38k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~0.9 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 7.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (92% 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: 2.4% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.2%) (benchmarks).

Register events

Received assets from another charity (15/08/2013) — per the register’s event history; asset transfers typically record mergers or reorganisations.

Trustees · trustee networks

Catherine Johnson FRSL
Daisy Hay FRSL
David Taylor
Dr Helen Mort FRSL
Dr Joanna Kavenna FRSL · trustee of 1 other charity
Dr Ruth Scurr
Inua Ellams · trustee of 2 other charities
Maureen Freely FRSL
Patrick McGuinness FRSL
Professor Claire Harman FRSL
Reza Vishkai
Susheila Nasta · trustee of 1 other charity
William Russell Dixon · trustee of 1 other charity

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

Operates in: Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£217k	£623k
31/12/2024	£236k	£735k
31/12/2023	£255k	£577k
31/12/2022	£1.2m	£512k
31/12/2021	£290k	£463k

Common questions

Is THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a net expenditure of £605,403 for the year, funded by unrestricted reserves and restricted funds. The trustees report that general unrestricted reserves of £55,021 were below the stated policy target of £72,000 to £144,000, although total reserves including designated funds remained above the policy range. The trustees are satisfied that adequate resources are available to continue as a going concern for at least twelve months. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Azets Audit Services.

What does the highest-paid employee of THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,001 - £100,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	20/12/2024	£7k	Entente Litteraire Award

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
SCOULOUDI FOUNDATION	1	£45k
THE TANAGRA FOUNDATION	1	£41k
THE D G CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£25k
THE KIRBY LAING FOUNDATION	1	£10k
THE PWC FOUNDATION	1	£6k
The Marks Family Charitable Trust	1	£3k
MARC FITCH FUND	1	£2k
PLYMOUTH CULTURE CIO	1	£2k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ROYAL LITERARY FUND.

THE ROYAL LITERARY FUND income £4.3m
LITERATURE WORKS income £236k
WOMEN'S PRIZE TRUST income £1.5m
UNITED KINGDOM LITERACY ASSOCIATION income £223k
LEEDS PHILOSOPHICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY LIMITED income £27k
ROYAL HISTORICAL SOCIETY income £684k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LITERATURE OF THE UNITED KINGDOM	£217k	£90,001 - £100,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ROYAL LITERARY FUND FY2025	£4.3m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
LITERATURE WORKS FY2026	£236k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
WOMEN'S PRIZE TRUST FY2025	£1.5m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
UNITED KINGDOM LITERACY ASSOCIATION FY2025	£223k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
LEEDS PHILOSOPHICAL AND LITERARY SOCIETY LIMITED FY2025	£27k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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