Charity Accounts Intelreading the accounts so you don’t have to

EDWARD PENLEY ABRAHAM RESEARCH FUND

Registered charity 309659 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as EDWARD PENLEY ABRAHAM - RESEARCH FUND

The charity's objective is the furtherance of medical, biological and chemical research in the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and Lincoln College Oxford and more broadly within the university of Oxford and its associated colleges. Grants are made by the trustees, in the context of the trust deed and available resources, to support both current and future research.

Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · Grant history (this charity is a funder) · Get email alerts

Latest income
£2.2m
Latest spending
£6.8m
Registered
1967
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £3,094,806 for the year ended 5 April 2025, primarily due to a significant increase in grant awards to £6,054,432. Despite this deficit, the charity holds substantial unrestricted reserves of £153,354,483, which the trustees confirm are sufficient to meet all current commitments and future grant obligations.

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

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Investments (98% of income)
“Investments F 3 2,201,056 - 2,201,056 2,253,084 - 2,253,084” — page 11
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: sufficient unrestricted reserves to ensure the long term sustainability of the Charity... and to allow it the flexibility to practically consider all grant applications of any reasonable value (held: £153.4m)
“The Trustees aim to retain sufficient unrestricted reserves to ensure the long term sustainability of the Charity, without expending the expendable endowment fund unless necessary, and to allow it the flexibility to practically consider all grant applications of any reasonable value.” — page 5
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustees are also trustees of a related charity (Guy Newton Research Fund).
“Professor GM Griffiths, Professor HR Woudhuysen (until 34 August 2024), Professor MJA Freeman and Mr NR Clifford are also trustees of the Guy Newton Research Fund, a related charity.” — page 23
“As at 5 April 2025 the Edward Penley Abraham Research Fund was entitled to 91.91% of joint investments held. All investment income and associated costs have been apportioned on the above basis.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Joint investments held with Baillie Gifford and Lansdowne Partners.
“Professor GM Griffiths, Professor HR Woudhuysen (until 34 August 2024), Professor MJA Freeman and Mr NR Clifford are also trustees of the Guy Newton Research Fund, a related charity.” — page 23
“As at 5 April 2025 the Edward Penley Abraham Research Fund was entitled to 91.91% of joint investments held. All investment income and associated costs have been apportioned on the above basis.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

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

Total income
£2.2m
Total spending
£6.8m
Cost of raising funds
£670k
Reserves (reported)
£153.4m
Employees
1

Per its annual return, largest income source: Investments (99% 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: 30.0% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Oxfordshire

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
05/04/2025£2.2m£6.8m
05/04/2024£2.5m£2.8m
05/04/2023£2.3m£3.2m
05/04/2022£2.5m£5.0m
05/04/2021£2.0m£10.6m

Common questions

Is EDWARD PENLEY ABRAHAM RESEARCH FUND financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £3,094,806 for the year ended 5 April 2025, primarily due to a significant increase in grant awards to £6,054,432. Despite this deficit, the charity holds substantial unrestricted reserves of £153,354,483, which the trustees confirm are sufficient to meet all current commitments and future grant obligations. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Gravita Audit Oxford LLP.

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
NNS FOUNDATION1£5.1m
WORCESTER COLLEGE OXFORD ENDOWMENT TRUST1£675k
THE BROOMTON FOUNDATION1£500k
Tinsley Charitable Trust1£85k
JUVENILE DIABETES RESEARCH FOUNDATION LIMITED1£38k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE LORNA AND YUTI CHERNAJOVSKY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
EDWARD PENLEY ABRAHAM RESEARCH FUND£2.2m—0above—no doubt
THE LORNA AND YUTI CHERNAJOVSKY BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION FY2025£508k—0above—no doubt
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA (USA) FOUNDATION LIMITED FY2025£7.6m—0unclear—no doubt
KIDNEY RESEARCH YORKSHIRE FY2025£181k—0above—no doubt
LEAGUE OF FRIENDS OF UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL SOUTHAMPTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST FY2025£335k—0unclear—no doubt
THE GUY NEWTON RESEARCH FUND FY2025£186k—0unclear—no doubt

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