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THE GORDON FOUNDATION

Registered charity 312092 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Foundation is established to educate or contribute to the education of boys and girls having particular regard to those with a specific boarding or educational need with a view to fitting them for further education or for earning their livelihood.

Objects

TO EDUCATE OR CONTRIBUTE TO THE EDUCATION OF BOYS AND GIRLS HAVING PARTICULAR REGARD TO THOSE WITH A SPECIFIC BOARDING OR EDUCATIONAL NEED, WITH A VIEW TO FITTING THEM FOR FURTHER EDUCATION OR FOR EARNING THEIR LIVELIHOOD, SUCH OBJECT BEING IN CONTINUATION OF THE WORK OF THE UNINCORPORATED INSTITUTION KNOWN AS THE GORDON BOYS' HOME, ESTABLISHED IN JULY 1885 AS A NATIONAL MEMORIAL TO GENERAL GORDON.

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: Education/training · website · Get email alerts

Registered contact address: Surrey Heath, South East, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income
£21.8m
Latest spending
£21.2m
Registered
1963
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net income of £696,216 for the year ended 31 August 2025, with total unrestricted funds of £14,470,805. However, the trustees note that free reserves are negative, defined as total unrestricted funds having eliminated the net book value of unrestricted fixed assets, and have set a policy to restore and build these reserves. The charity holds significant long-term liabilities, including bank loans totaling approximately £6.2 million, and manages a defined benefit pension scheme which showed an asset surplus that was not recognized due to insufficient evidence of recoverability.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy
“Free reserves, defined as total unrestricted funds having eliminated the net book value of unrestricted fixed assets, are negative and the Foundation Committee have set a policy to restore and build free reserves” — page 11
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

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

In its annual return the charity told the Commission it is also regulated by: Financial Conduct Authority; Ofsted (Office For Standards In Education). This is the charity’s own declaration; it is not a rating and has not been verified by the Commission or 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.

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 31/08/2025

  • Government income: £31,377 — grants £31,377 (1); under 1% of the £21,827,449 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 39 (£60,001–£70,000: 18; £70,001–£80,000: 15; £80,001–£90,000: 3; £90,001–£100,000: 1; £100,001–£110,000: 1; £150,001–£200,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2024

  • Government income: £30,466 — grants £30,466 (1); under 1% of the £19,319,910 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 31 (£60,001–£70,000: 15; £70,001–£80,000: 9; £80,001–£90,000: 5; £90,001–£100,000: 1; £130,001–£140,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/08/2023

  • Government income: £188,675 — grants £188,675 (1); 1% of the £18,194,658 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 24 (£60,001–£70,000: 15; £70,001–£80,000: 5; £80,001–£90,000: 1; £90,001–£100,000: 1; £100,001–£110,000: 1; £130,001–£140,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

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

Corporate structure

THE GORDON ENTERPRISES UK LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Turnover: £545k
  • Profit before tax: £188k
  • Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £188k
  • The company is part of a VAT group, creating joint and several liability for VAT liabilities across the group.
“Gift aid donation to The Gordon Foundation - (188,330)”

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — The Gordon Foundation (matched by registered charity number).

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)

2 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Trustpilot: Gordons scores 3.2/5 from 1 reviews (source) — reviews usually concern the charity’s shops or services, not its charitable performance.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook (7,116 followers) · instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/08/2025)

Total income
£21.8m
Total spending
£21.2m
Cost of raising funds
£235k
Reserves (reported)
£14.5m
Employees
287

Reported reserves equal ~8.2 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (90% 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: 1.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.7%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Surrey

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/08/2025£21.8m£21.2m
31/08/2024£19.3m£19.2m
31/08/2023£18.2m£18.4m
31/08/2022£16.3m£16.5m
31/08/2021£14.1m£15.7m

Common questions

Is THE GORDON FOUNDATION financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net income of £696,216 for the year ended 31 August 2025, with total unrestricted funds of £14,470,805. However, the trustees note that free reserves are negative, defined as total unrestricted funds having eliminated the net book value of unrestricted fixed assets, and have set a policy to restore and build these reserves. The charity holds significant long-term liabilities, including bank loans totaling approximately £6.2 million, and manages a defined benefit pension scheme which showed an asset surplus that was not recognized due to insufficient evidence of recoverability. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Alliotts LLP.

Who funds THE GORDON FOUNDATION?

Funders whose own accounts filings name THE GORDON FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include THE GIRDLERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE GIRDLERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£25k
THE GIRDLERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£21k
THE GIRDLERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2024£19k
THE GIRDLERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£16kSelected Appeals

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
THE UNITED WORLD COLLEGES (INTERNATIONAL)1£610k
THE VALENTINE CHARITABLE TRUST1£30k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION1£25k
THE GEORGE GOODSIR CHARITABLE TRUST1£5k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with NOTTINGHAM GORDON MEMORIAL TRUST FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE GORDON FOUNDATION£21.8m——below—no doubt
NOTTINGHAM GORDON MEMORIAL TRUST FOR BOYS AND GIRLS FY2025£37k—0above—no doubt
THE BOURNE FOUNDATION FY2025£36k—0unclear—no doubt
THE NORLAND FOUNDATION FY2025£6.7m——unclear—no doubt
THE GRANGE SCHOOL HARTFORD LIMITED FY2025£17.0m——unclear—no doubt
THE HORIZON FOUNDATION FY2025£459k——above—no doubt

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