THE SOCIETY OF ST COLUMBAN FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS

Registered charity 221594 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as COLUMBAN FATHERS, MISSIONARY SOCIETY OF ST COLUMBAN, THE COLUMBAN FATHERS REGION OF BRITAIN · also registered in Scotland as SC038948 (OSCR)

Latest income
£4.4m
Latest spending
£3.3m
Registered
1963
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £23,498,054, significantly exceeding the stated policy target of £5,000,000. The charity reported a net movement in funds of £1,103,920 for the year, supported by strong investment returns and donations, while maintaining adequate resources for going concern.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: £5,000,000 (held: £23.5m)
The Trustees are committed to maintaining the Charity’s unrestricted reserves — the free reserves — ot a minimum level of £5,000,000. — page 7
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Contributions to American region
During the year, contributions of £1,708,824 (2024 - £1,855,100) were made from unrestricted funds, At the year end, £101,783 (2024 - £1,910,023) was due to the American region. — page 39
During the year, gifts of £168,328 (2024 - £120,656) were disbursed from restricted funds. The amount due to the Central Administration in Hong Kong at the year end was £12,158 (2024 - £8,185).
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Disbursement of restricted gifts to American, Hong Kong and Irish entities
During the year, contributions of £1,708,824 (2024 - £1,855,100) were made from unrestricted funds, At the year end, £101,783 (2024 - £1,910,023) was due to the American region. — page 39
During the year, gifts of £168,328 (2024 - £120,656) were disbursed from restricted funds. The amount due to the Central Administration in Hong Kong at the year end was £12,158 (2024 - £8,185).
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Agency donations to Columban Sisters
During the year, contributions of £1,708,824 (2024 - £1,855,100) were made from unrestricted funds, At the year end, £101,783 (2024 - £1,910,023) was due to the American region. — page 39
During the year, gifts of £168,328 (2024 - £120,656) were disbursed from restricted funds. The amount due to the Central Administration in Hong Kong at the year end was £12,158 (2024 - £8,185).
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Dains Audit Limited.

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.

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

Total income
£4.4m
Total spending
£3.3m
Cost of raising funds
£319k
Reserves (reported)
£9.0m
Employees
20

Reported reserves equal ~33.0 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Register events

Trustees

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

Operates in: Australia · Burma · Chile · China · Ealing · Fiji · Hong Kong · Ireland · Japan · New Zealand · Pakistan · Peru

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£4.4m£3.3m
31/03/2024£4.6m£3.4m
31/03/2023£3.1m£1.6m
31/03/2022£3.7m£3.6m
31/03/2021£3.3m£3.3m

Common questions

Is THE SOCIETY OF ST COLUMBAN FOR FOREIGN MISSIONS financially healthy?

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £23,498,054, significantly exceeding the stated policy target of £5,000,000. The charity reported a net movement in funds of £1,103,920 for the year, supported by strong investment returns and donations, while maintaining adequate resources for going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Dains Audit Limited.

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