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GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION

Registered charity 230260 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Garfield Weston Foundation is a family-founded, charitable grant-making foundation. Privately funded, it supports a wide range of charities across the UK. From small community groups to large national institutions, the Foundation aims to support organisations with effective solutions to helping those most in need. We accept applications all year round. See more at garfieldweston.org

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£165.4m
Latest spending
£130.8m
Registered
1964
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that total unrestricted income rose to £155.4 million, while charitable expenditure including grants reached £130.5 million. The charity maintains a strong financial position with total funds carried forward of £8.8 billion, supported by a permanent endowment largely comprised of shares in Associated British Foods.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Investment income from Wittington Investments Limited (98% of income)
“The unlisted investment income comprises dividends received from Wittington Investments Limited.” — page 38
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £70.1m; policy: approximately 50% of the Foundation’s annual income)
“At £70.1 million (2024: £32.1 million), total income reserves at the end of the year represented 42% of the Foundation’s income in the year – below the Trustees’ 50% policy”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: Trustees Guy H Weston, George G Weston, and Anna Catrina Hobhouse received remuneration from Wittington Investments Limited or its subsidiaries (ABF, Fortnum & Mason) in their capacity as directors of those companies.
“Of these three Guy Weston and Anna Catrina Hobhouse received remuneration from Wittington Investments Limited. George Weston is Group Chief Executive Director of ABF and received remuneration from the company in that capacity. Anna Catrina Hobhouse is chairperson and a director of Fortnum & Mason plc and received remuneration from Wittington in that capacity.” — page 42
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Wittington Investments Limited recharges staff costs, rent and other office expenses to the Foundation.
“Wittington recharges staff costs in respect of the work undertaken by its employees for the Foundation, rent and other office expenses relating to the Foundation, all recharges of £1,848,077 (2024: £1,657,705) were made at arm’s length.”
“During the year, the Foundation received dividends of £151,642,000 (2024: £106,559,000) from Wittington.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Dividends received from Wittington Investments Limited.
“Wittington recharges staff costs in respect of the work undertaken by its employees for the Foundation, rent and other office expenses relating to the Foundation, all recharges of £1,848,077 (2024: £1,657,705) were made at arm’s length.”
“During the year, the Foundation received dividends of £151,642,000 (2024: £106,559,000) from Wittington.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustees Guy H Weston and Anna Catrina Hobhouse received remuneration from Wittington Investments Limited.
“Wittington recharges staff costs in respect of the work undertaken by its employees for the Foundation, rent and other office expenses relating to the Foundation, all recharges of £1,848,077 (2024: £1,657,705) were made at arm’s length.”
“During the year, the Foundation received dividends of £151,642,000 (2024: £106,559,000) from Wittington.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee George G Weston received remuneration from Associated British Foods plc.
“Wittington recharges staff costs in respect of the work undertaken by its employees for the Foundation, rent and other office expenses relating to the Foundation, all recharges of £1,848,077 (2024: £1,657,705) were made at arm’s length.”
“During the year, the Foundation received dividends of £151,642,000 (2024: £106,559,000) from Wittington.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee Anna Catrina Hobhouse received remuneration from Fortnum & Mason plc.
“Wittington recharges staff costs in respect of the work undertaken by its employees for the Foundation, rent and other office expenses relating to the Foundation, all recharges of £1,848,077 (2024: £1,657,705) were made at arm’s length.”
“During the year, the Foundation received dividends of £151,642,000 (2024: £106,559,000) from Wittington.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by UHY Hacker Young LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

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

Corporate structure

WITTINGTON INVESTMENTS LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £19757.0m
  • Profit before tax: £1607.0m
  • The Group holds a 58.8% shareholding in Associated British Foods plc (ABF), which is quoted on The London Stock Exchange. The Garfield Weston Foundation holds 79.2% of Wittington's issued share capital.
ASSOCIATED BRITISH FOODS PLC — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Profit before tax: £311.0m
  • Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £350.0m
  • Amounts owed to subsidiaries: £470m
“Dividend income from investments in subsidiaries 350”

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.

UK research funding (UKRI Gateway to Research)

Property (HM Land Registry)

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

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook (2,439 likes) · instagram (2,344 followers)

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 05/04/2025)

Total income
£165.4m
Total spending
£130.8m
Cost of raising funds
£306k
Reserves (reported)
£70.1m
Employees
0

Reported reserves equal ~6.4 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 2.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Investments (100% 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: 0.2% of total income — below the median for charities its size (2.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
05/04/2025£165.4m£130.8m
05/04/2024£110.3m£102.0m
05/04/2023£90.4m£91.9m
05/04/2022£84.0m£90.9m
05/04/2021£84.0m£98.7m

Common questions

Is GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that total unrestricted income rose to £155.4 million, while charitable expenditure including grants reached £130.5 million. The charity maintains a strong financial position with total funds carried forward of £8.8 billion, supported by a permanent endowment largely comprised of shares in Associated British Foods. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by UHY Hacker Young LLP.

Who funds GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include CURE LEUKAEMIA, ATTEND, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GREAT BRITAIN, THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY OF THE ANNUNCIATION BEAMINSTER, NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATION.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
CURE LEUKAEMIAFY2024£150k
CURE LEUKAEMIAFY2022£100k
ATTENDFY2022£82k
ATTENDFY2025£36k
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY GREAT BRITAINFY2023£27kAdvocacy
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST. MARY OF THE ANNUNCIATION BEAMINSTERFY2024£25kKitchen works
NORTHUMBERLAND NATIONAL PARK FOUNDATIONFY2025£25kExhibition and engagement programme
THE HAPPY BABY COMMUNITYFY2025£25kLondon community groups – core costs.
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH NORTH WEST SWINDON AND LYDIARD MILLICENTFY2024£20kNave Roof Repair
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST STEPHEN, LINDLEY, HUDDERSFIELDFY2024£20k
THE PAROCHIAL CHURCH COUNCIL OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL PARISH OF ST STEPHEN, LINDLEY, HUDDERSFIELDFY2025£20k
QUORN BAPTIST CHURCHFY2025£15kNew Building
UNSEEN (UK)FY2025£10kGeneral
RETFORD BAPTIST CHURCHFY2024£5kCAP activity delivered by The Well Community Projects
The Edge MinistriesFY2025£5kCore Costs

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE FOYLE FOUNDATION1£150k
THE BAILY THOMAS CHARITABLE FUND1£86k
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED1£50k
THE BEATRICE LAING TRUST1£30k
THE GRAND LODGE OF MARK MASTER MASONS' FUND OF BENEVOLENCE1£25k
THE EDWARD GOSTLING FOUNDATION1£25k
THE TIM HENMAN FOUNDATION1£13k
THE TOBACCO PIPE MAKERS AND TOBACCO TRADE BENEVOLENT FUND1£10k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
GARFIELD WESTON FOUNDATION£165.4m—0below—no doubt
THE WESTMINSTER FOUNDATION FY2025£5.0m——unclear—no doubt
THE WEST FOUNDATION FY2025£77k—0above—no doubt
THE GALEN AND HILARY WESTON FOUNDATION FY2025£1.1m—0unclear—no doubt
THE WO STREET CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FY2024£504k—0unclear—no doubt
WICKENS FAMILY FOUNDATION FY2026£224k—0unclear—no doubt

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