THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION

Registered charity 297540 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, THE VIRGIN HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION, VIRGIN UNITE

Virgin Unite was established by Richard Branson and staff across the Virgin Group to deliver entrepreneurial approaches to social and environmental issues. Virgin Unite works with all the Virgin companies around the world in partnership with social entrepreneurs to build sustainable solutions to some of thoughest challenges facing the world today.

Objects

For the public benefit to advance such charitable purposes (according to the law of England and Wales) as the trustees see fit from time to time.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Overseas Aid/famine Relief · Environment/conservation/heritage · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Westminster, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£18.2m

Latest spending

£17.2m

Registered

1987

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that consolidated unrestricted reserves increased to £13,715,000, with free reserves standing at £5.9 million against a policy target of six months' expenditure. The charity reported a net income surplus of £981,000, driven by voluntary income of £15,203,000, while total charitable expenditure amounted to £15,022,000. The trustees confirmed the financial statements were prepared on a going concern basis, citing sufficient funds to meet liabilities for at least 12 months.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: Over £100,000 — below the median for charities its size (£130k)

“Between £90,001 and £100,000 1 1 Over £100,000 1 1”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Largest income source: Voluntary income (84% of income)

“Voluntary income primarily comprises Sir Richard Branson’s speaking fee donations from the Virgin Group of £2,741,000 (2024: £7,292,000), and other voluntary income of £12,462,000 (2024: £6,887,000).”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: six month’s total expenditure excluding direct discretionary expenditure relating to charitable activities and costs of generating funds (reserves figure: £13.7m)

“In the period to 31 December 2025 the Trustees’ policy is that unrestricted funds less the net book value of fixed assets held by the charity that are not committed or designated (“the free reserves”) should be sufficient to cover at least six month’s total expenditure excluding direct discretionary expenditure relating to charitable activities and costs of generating funds.” — page 49

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Virgin Management Limited provided donations in kind (office space, staff, IT, professional services) valued at £4,059,000.

“The Board would like to thank Virgin Management Limited and Virgin Management USA Inc. for providing donations in kind of office space, staff, IT support and professional services such as taxation advice and flights amounting to £4,059,000 in 2025”

“Voluntary income primarily comprises Sir Richard Branson’s speaking fee donations from the Virgin Group of £2,741,000”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Virgin Management Limited provided voluntary income (donations) of £2,741,000.

“The Board would like to thank Virgin Management Limited and Virgin Management USA Inc. for providing donations in kind of office space, staff, IT support and professional services such as taxation advice and flights amounting to £4,059,000 in 2025”

“Voluntary income primarily comprises Sir Richard Branson’s speaking fee donations from the Virgin Group of £2,741,000”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by KPMG LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Top pay band moved from Between £140,001 and £150,000 (FY2024) to Over £100,000 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2025

Employees paid over £60,000: 4 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1; £90,001–£100,000: 1; £150,001–£200,000: 1)
Has a trading subsidiary
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2024

Employees paid over £60,000: 6 (£60,001–£70,000: 2; £70,001–£80,000: 2; £90,001–£100,000: 1; £140,001–£150,000: 1)
Has a trading subsidiary
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/12/2023

Employees paid over £60,000: 3 (£60,001–£70,000: 1; £80,001–£90,000: 1; £110,001–£120,000: 1)
Has a trading subsidiary
Grant-making is its main activity

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Corporate structure

Registered company of the charity Companies House 02155645
Trading subsidiary: VIRGIN UNITE TRADING LIMITED Companies House 03126284

VIRGIN UNITE TRADING LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts

Turnover: £2.1m
Profit before tax: £38k
Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £84k
The Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Virgin Foundation (also known as Virgin Unite).

“The Company paid a distribution under gift aid to its parent entity of £83,795 in 2024 (2023: £92,943).”

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Richard Branson — “All overheads are covered by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group, which means that 100% of all donations received go directly to initiative…” (source page)
Virgin Group — “All overheads are covered by Richard Branson and the Virgin Group, which means that 100% of all donations received go directly to initiative…” (source page)

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

STELLMASZEK, Felix — director, appointed 12/03/2026on trustee list
HANWAY, Tony — director, appointed 02/12/2025on trustee list
MWANZA, Angela — director, appointed 02/12/2025on trustee list
DEVEREUX, Ivo — director, appointed 02/10/2025on trustee list
SHAH, Shrina — director, appointed 18/06/2024on trustee list
HUMPHREY, Nicola Audrey — director, appointed 02/08/2022on trustee list
BRANSON, Holly Katie Templeman, Dr — director, appointed 05/11/2009on trustee list

Official officers record.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income

£18.2m

Total spending

£17.2m

Cost of raising funds

£2.1m

Reserves (reported)

£17.5m

Employees

6

Reported reserves equal ~12.2 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (84% 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: 11.8% of total income — above the median for charities its size (3.7%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Angela Mwanza
Felix Stellmaszek
HOLLY KATIE TEMPLEMAN BRANSON
Ivo Devereux
Nicola Humphrey
Shrina Shah · trustee of 1 other charity
Tony Hanway

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

Operates in: Australia · Canada · Jamaica · South Africa · Throughout England · United States

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/12/2025	£18.2m	£17.2m
31/12/2024	£21.5m	£18.1m
31/12/2023	£22.0m	£15.8m
31/12/2022	£10.2m	£12.2m
31/12/2021	£11.9m	£12.5m

Common questions

Is THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that consolidated unrestricted reserves increased to £13,715,000, with free reserves standing at £5.9 million against a policy target of six months' expenditure. The charity reported a net income surplus of £981,000, driven by voluntary income of £15,203,000, while total charitable expenditure amounted to £15,022,000. The trustees confirmed the financial statements were prepared on a going concern basis, citing sufficient funds to meet liabilities for at least 12 months. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by KPMG LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the Over £100,000 band.

Who funds THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include BIG CHANGE CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
BIG CHANGE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£10k
BIG CHANGE CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£10k

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
POWER TO CHANGE TRUST	1	£129k
BACK ON THE MAP LIMITED	1	£53k

Charities like this

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

THE VIRGIN MONEY FOUNDATION income £3.3m
VINCI UK FOUNDATION income £277k
VIVACITY income £558k
UNITE THE UNION BENEVOLENT FUND income £149k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
THE VIRGIN FOUNDATION	£18.2m	Over £100,000	—	above	—	no doubt
THE VIRGIN MONEY FOUNDATION FY2025	£3.3m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
VINCI UK FOUNDATION FY2025	£277k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
VIVACITY FY2025	£558k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
UNITE THE UNION BENEVOLENT FUND FY2025	£149k	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt

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