THE BROTHERS OF THE FIRST ORDER OF THE SOCIETY OF ST FRANCIS

Registered charity 236464 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as FIRST ORDER BROTHERS OF THE SOCIETY OF SAINT FRANCIS, SOCIETY OF ST FRANCIS, SSF

An Anglican Religious Community for men under a Franciscan rule of life.

Causes: Education/training · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Overseas Aid/famine Relief · Religious Activities · Environment/conservation/heritage · Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£1.3m

Latest spending

£1.0m

Registered

1969

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity generated a net incoming resource of £284,724 for the year, with total income of £1,289,105 against total expenditure of £1,002,759. Per the trustees' report, the General Fund held £639,362 at year-end, which the trustees consider prudent against their policy target of 100% of annual expenditure (£658,567). The charity maintains a strong investment portfolio valued at £1,919,789 to sustain future income as pension receipts from brothers are projected to decline.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Donations and Trust Income (46% of income)

“Donations and Trust Income 401,107” — page 25

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Greaves West & Ayre. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title 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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 30/06/2025)

Total income

£1.3m

Total spending

£1.0m

Cost of raising funds

£19k

Reserves (reported)

£639k

Employees

Reported reserves equal ~7.7 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 1.5% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Br Alf Micael Carlstrom SSFchair
Br Austin Keith Iverson Davis
Br Benedict Winsper SSF
Br Christopher John SSF
Br Cristian Buliga SSF
Br Hugh Cobbett
Br James Mohun Yonge SSF
Br James Race
Br Malcolm Fountain SSF
Br Martin Price SSF
Br Nicholas Alan Worssam
Br Richard Sydney Double SSF
Br Robert Ames Chase

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

Operates in: Birmingham City · Dorset · Italy · Kent · Newham · Northern Ireland · Northumberland · Worcestershire

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
30/06/2025	£1.3m	£1.0m
30/06/2024	£1.1m	£871k
30/06/2023	£1.1m	£827k
30/06/2022	£1.3m	£825k
30/06/2021	£713k	£899k

Common questions

Is THE BROTHERS OF THE FIRST ORDER OF THE SOCIETY OF ST FRANCIS financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity generated a net incoming resource of £284,724 for the year, with total income of £1,289,105 against total expenditure of £1,002,759. Per the trustees' report, the General Fund held £639,362 at year-end, which the trustees consider prudent against their policy target of 100% of annual expenditure (£658,567). The charity maintains a strong investment portfolio valued at £1,919,789 to sustain future income as pension receipts from brothers are projected to decline. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Greaves West & Ayre.

Who funds THE BROTHERS OF THE FIRST ORDER OF THE SOCIETY OF ST FRANCIS?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE BROTHERS OF THE FIRST ORDER OF THE SOCIETY OF ST FRANCIS as a grant recipient include Third Order, Society of Saint Francis, THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
Third Order, Society of Saint Francis	FY2024	£2k	Donation
THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUST	FY2023	£2k	Religious Activities
Third Order, Society of Saint Francis	FY2025	£1k
THE W A HANDLEY CHARITY TRUST	FY2024	£1k

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	01/04/2023	£522	GCA PROG DEL RPA Animal Health & Welfare - Review (Vets Visits)
UK government	01/04/2023	£2k	GCA PROG DEL RPA BPS DOMESTIC 16 OCT
UK government	01/04/2023	£9k	GCA PROG DEL RPA COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP
UK government	01/04/2023	£50k	GCA DEL RPA COUNTRYSIDE STEWARDSHIP EXISTING
Community Foundation North East	25/08/2022	£400	Grant to Society of St Francis
Community Foundation North East	20/05/2021	£400	A grant to Society of St Francis

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE COMMUNITY OF ST FRANCIS.

THE COMMUNITY OF ST FRANCIS income £252k
Third Order, Society of Saint Francis income £158k
THE FRIENDS OF WHITEFRIARS OXFORD FUND income £607k
ALEXIAN BROTHERS OF THE PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART income £241k
THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR CONVENTUAL income £704k
SOCIETY OF SAINT FRANCIS CENTRAL FUND income £155k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE BROTHERS OF THE FIRST ORDER OF THE SOCIETY OF ST FRANCIS	£1.3m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE COMMUNITY OF ST FRANCIS FY2025	£252k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
Third Order, Society of Saint Francis FY2025	£158k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE FRIENDS OF WHITEFRIARS OXFORD FUND FY2025	£607k	—	0	within	—	no doubt
ALEXIAN BROTHERS OF THE PROVINCE OF THE SACRED HEART FY2024	£241k	—	0	within	—	no doubt
THE ORDER OF FRIARS MINOR CONVENTUAL FY2024	£704k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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