OXFORD INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY STUDIES
Registered charity 286084 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register
The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies was founded in 1982 as a centre for advanced research into the social science aspects of energy. It is a non-profit making charity, committed to achieving the highest academic standards and to the idea of cooperation between scholars representing different sides of the international energy debate.
Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £1,527,688 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with total reserves increasing to £16,444,882. The trustees confirm that free reserves of £1,402,026 are broadly in line with the stated policy target of approximately six months of operating costs. The independent auditor confirmed that the charity is a going concern with no material uncertainties identified.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: approximately 6 months of operating costs (held: £1.4m)
“The target level set for free reserves is to hold approximately 6 months of operating costs, which is estimated to be around £1.25m.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: OIES Services Limited donated profits to the charity
“The institute's subsidiary, OIES Services Limited, donated their profits of £34,230 (2024: £97,262) to the charity.” — page 7
“OIES Trustee Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah is the Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). During the year, the Charity received a £75,000 grant from KPC.” — page 37
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Grant from Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), where Trustee Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah is CEO
“The institute's subsidiary, OIES Services Limited, donated their profits of £34,230 (2024: £97,262) to the charity.” — page 7
“OIES Trustee Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah is the Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). During the year, the Charity received a £75,000 grant from KPC.” — page 37
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Income from KAPSARC, where Trustee Fahad Alajlan is President
“The institute's subsidiary, OIES Services Limited, donated their profits of £34,230 (2024: £97,262) to the charity.” — page 7
“OIES Trustee Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah is the Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC). During the year, the Charity received a £75,000 grant from KPC.” — page 37
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Wenn Townsend. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Year-over-year changes
- Reserves position vs the charity's own policy moved from "below" (FY2024) to "above" (FY2025).
Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£58k
Reported reserves equal ~6.4 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (69% 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: 1.8% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).
- Dr ABDULLAH AL-KUWAIZ
- Dr Paul Harry Horsnell
- Fahad Alajlan · trustee of 1 other charity
- H.E. Khalid Al Otaibi
- Khalid AlRuwaigh
- Levi Herman Ostling
- Mikael Ivar Toll
- Mohamed Hassadi
- Nader Sultan
- Sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah
- Tatsuya Terazawa
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Oxfordshire
Income and spending
Common questions
Is OXFORD INSTITUTE FOR ENERGY STUDIES financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net surplus of £1,527,688 for the year ended 31 December 2025, with total reserves increasing to £16,444,882. The trustees confirm that free reserves of £1,402,026 are broadly in line with the stated policy target of approximately six months of operating costs. The independent auditor confirmed that the charity is a going concern with no material uncertainties identified. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Wenn Townsend.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ENERGY INSTITUTE.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.