THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION

Registered charity 309657 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Ditchley addresses current global challenges and aims to shape the future by connecting people and ideas to "think new things, make new connections." Ditchley aims to deliver on its mission through a programme of events with the majority taking place at Ditchley Park, making full use of this important asset to the Foundation.

Causes: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£6.4m
Latest spending
£4.6m
Registered
1962
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity has sufficient funds to continue its activities on a going concern basis, supported by an invested portfolio valued at £61.2m and unrestricted free reserves of £101m. The trustees report that the legacy ensures long-term financial sustainability, with a strategic aim to build the invested portfolio to £70m and maintain a maximum 3% annual drawdown.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £150,001 - £160,000 — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median £70k)
“In the band £150,001 - £160,000” — page 35
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 3
“The number of employees whose employee benefits (excluding employer pension costs) exceeded £60,000 was: In the band £60,001 - £70,000 In the band £100,001-£110,000 In the band £150,001 - £160,000” — page 35
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: minimum of £400k of liquid reserves (held: £101.4m)
“We continue to have a minimum of £400k of liquid reserves available to the Foundation within a week. This sum was agreed as an appropriate amount of short-term reserve to cover contingencies such as major emergency repairs.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee donations
“In the year, 3 Trustees (2024: 4 Trustees) made donations totalling £8,960 (2024: £14,160) to the Foundation under the 1580 Fellowship Scheme.” — page 48
“The wife of the Foundation’s Director, K Arroyo, was paid £5,500 in the year (2024: £19,000) for interior design consultancy work as part of the second floor, east wing and lower ground floor projects.” — page 48
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Director's wife remuneration
“In the year, 3 Trustees (2024: 4 Trustees) made donations totalling £8,960 (2024: £14,160) to the Foundation under the 1580 Fellowship Scheme.” — page 48
“The wife of the Foundation’s Director, K Arroyo, was paid £5,500 in the year (2024: £19,000) for interior design consultancy work as part of the second floor, east wing and lower ground floor projects.” — page 48
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

In the news

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

Corporate structure

DITCHLEY PARK CONFERENCE CENTRE LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Amounts owed by group undertakings: £167,491

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.

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

4 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (4 freehold); recorded price paid £79k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Electoral Commission register entries

Entries on the Electoral Commission’s public register where this charity (or its company) appears as the source — typically sponsorship of an APPG or an overseas visit provided to an MP, which charities may lawfully do. Shown with the Commission’s own reference; this is a transparency record, not an allegation.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income
£6.4m
Total spending
£4.6m
Cost of raising funds
£237k
Reserves (reported)
£101.4m
Employees
60

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 3.7% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Canada · Oxfordshire · United States

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£6.4m£4.6m
31/03/2024£76.7m£4.5m
31/03/2023£1.6m£3.6m
31/03/2022£1.3m£3.1m
31/03/2021£1.2m£2.9m

Common questions

Is THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity has sufficient funds to continue its activities on a going concern basis, supported by an invested portfolio valued at £61.2m and unrestricted free reserves of £101m. The trustees report that the legacy ensures long-term financial sustainability, with a strategic aim to build the invested portfolio to £70m and maintain a maximum 3% annual drawdown. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP.

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

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £150,001 - £160,000 band, and 3 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include THE HDH WILLS 1965 CHARITABLE TRUST, THE MARTIN SMITH FOUNDATION, PETER STORMONTH DARLING CHARITABLE TRUST, THE SALISBURY POOL CHARITY COMPRISING THE FIRST MOIETY ESTABLISHED BY CLAUSE 2 OF THE DEED OF DECLARATION DATED 23RD MARCH 1976.

Known funders

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

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 THE DITCHAM PARK SCHOOL CHARITY ASSOCIATION.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION£6.4m£150,001 - £160,0003above—no doubt
THE DITCHAM PARK SCHOOL CHARITY ASSOCIATION FY2025£6.7m£90,001 - £100,000—unclear—no doubt
THE CHARTLEY FOUNDATION FY2024£242k—0unclear—no doubt
THE DIXON FOUNDATION FY2024£1.1m—0above—no doubt
THE DOW CLEWER FOUNDATION FY2024£258k—0unclear—no doubt
BELL HOUSE DULWICH FY2024£1.9m—0below—no doubt

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