THE CHARLES WOLFSON CHARITABLE TRUST

Registered charity 238043 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Generating income from property and other investments in order to make grants to various registered charities including but not exclusively in the fields of medicine, education and welfare.

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

Latest income

£3.5m

Latest spending

£6.1m

Registered

1965

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Group reported a net surplus of £4,504,448 for the year ended 5 April 2025, driven by investment gains and income from property and investments. Total reserves increased to £183,987,255, with unrestricted general funds rising to £4,841,129, indicating sufficient liquidity to meet obligations as they fall due.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: generate income to meet the costs of the maintenance and improvement to properties, and payment of grants as they fall due (held: £4.8m)

“The Group’s reserves policy has the objective to generate income to meet the costs of the maintenance and improvement to properties, and payment of grants as they fall due.” — page 5

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donation to Policy Exchange

“The financial statements also include a donation of £250,000 to Policy Exchange (2024: £250,000) of which Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise is also a Trustee” — page 30

“and the following donations to charities of which The Hon Andrew Wolfson is also a Trustee: £200,000 (2024: £350,000) to Music in Secondary Schools Trust” — page 30

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donation to Music in Secondary Schools Trust

“The financial statements also include a donation of £250,000 to Policy Exchange (2024: £250,000) of which Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise is also a Trustee” — page 30

“and the following donations to charities of which The Hon Andrew Wolfson is also a Trustee: £200,000 (2024: £350,000) to Music in Secondary Schools Trust” — page 30

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donation to Beit Halochem UK

“The financial statements also include a donation of £250,000 to Policy Exchange (2024: £250,000) of which Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise is also a Trustee” — page 30

“and the following donations to charities of which The Hon Andrew Wolfson is also a Trustee: £200,000 (2024: £350,000) to Music in Secondary Schools Trust” — page 30

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donation to Follicular Lymphoma Foundation

“The financial statements also include a donation of £250,000 to Policy Exchange (2024: £250,000) of which Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise is also a Trustee” — page 30

“and the following donations to charities of which The Hon Andrew Wolfson is also a Trustee: £200,000 (2024: £350,000) to Music in Secondary Schools Trust” — page 30

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Consultancy remuneration to Benesco Director

“The financial statements also include a donation of £250,000 to Policy Exchange (2024: £250,000) of which Lord Wolfson of Aspley Guise is also a Trustee” — page 30

“and the following donations to charities of which The Hon Andrew Wolfson is also a Trustee: £200,000 (2024: £350,000) to Music in Secondary Schools Trust” — page 30

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by BDO LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

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

Total income

£3.5m

Total spending

£6.1m

Cost of raising funds

£41k

Reserves (reported)

£0

Employees

0

Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (79% 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: 1.2% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

HONOURABLE ANDREW DANIEL WOLFSONchair · trustee of 3 other charities
Deborah Sarah Edwards
Dr SARA LEVENE
The LORD SIMON ADAM WOLFSON
The Lord Jonathan Neil Mendelsohn · trustee of 4 other charities

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

Operates in: Israel · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
05/04/2025	£3.5m	£6.1m
05/04/2024	£5.5m	£7.1m
05/04/2023	£15.7m	£5.5m
05/04/2022	£23.7m	£6.1m
05/04/2021	£5.9m	£5.4m

Common questions

Is THE CHARLES WOLFSON CHARITABLE TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Group reported a net surplus of £4,504,448 for the year ended 5 April 2025, driven by investment gains and income from property and investments. Total reserves increased to £183,987,255, with unrestricted general funds rising to £4,841,129, indicating sufficient liquidity to meet obligations as they fall due. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by BDO LLP.

Who funds THE CHARLES WOLFSON CHARITABLE TRUST?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE CHARLES WOLFSON CHARITABLE TRUST as a grant recipient include BENESCO CHARITY LIMITED.

Shared trustees with funders

Register facts shown side by side: a person serves as trustee of both this charity and a funder whose accounts record grants to it. Shared trusteeship is lawful and common; well-run charities manage it through declared-interest procedures.

HONOURABLE ANDREW DANIEL WOLFSON — trustee here and at BENESCO CHARITY LIMITED

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
BENESCO CHARITY LIMITED	FY2022	£23.4m	General/Ultimate holding organisation
BENESCO CHARITY LIMITED	FY2023	£15.2m	General grant to holding organisation

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with WOLFSON HILLEL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARITABLE TRUST.

WOLFSON HILLEL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARITABLE TRUST income £460k
I WAQF CHARITABLE TRUST income £283k
H M SASSOON CHARITABLE TRUST income £124k
BENESCO CHARITY LIMITED income £7.6m
THE ROAN CHARITABLE TRUST income £192k
THE E C SOSNOW CHARITABLE TRUST income £115k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE CHARLES WOLFSON CHARITABLE TRUST	£3.5m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
WOLFSON HILLEL PRIMARY SCHOOL CHARITABLE TRUST FY2024	£460k	—	0	within	—	no doubt
I WAQF CHARITABLE TRUST FY2025	£283k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
H M SASSOON CHARITABLE TRUST FY2026	£124k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
BENESCO CHARITY LIMITED FY2023	£7.6m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ROAN CHARITABLE TRUST FY2026	£192k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt

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