The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust

The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust is a UK grant making charity controlled by one branch of the wealthy Wolfson family. The charity was created by a Trust Deed dated 14 July 1960 and was registered as a UK charity on 8 January 1965. As at 8 July 2010 the trustees were Thatcher's former Chief of Staff David Wolfson, his two sons Simon and Andrew, and Sara Leven. The Trust's original founder, Charles Wolfson, was David Wolfson's father and the brother of Isaac Wolfson who was chairman of Great Universal Stores and co-founder of the separate Wolfson Foundation.

Funding

The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust provided a total of £45,000 to Civitas between 2006 and 2008.. The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust provided £75,000 to Policy Exchange in 2007 and £143,666 in 2008. The Trust’s donations are not declared in its 2009 or 2010 accounts.

The Trust paid £75,000 to Policy Exchange in 2011 and £601,000 in 2012. In 2013, Policy Exchange refunded £63,040. These payments were recorded as related party transactions because Lord Wolfson of Apsley Guise was a Policy Exchange trustee.

The trust has funded other right-wing think-tanks including Civitas, the Social Affairs Unit, the Institute of Economic Affairs and the Adam Smith Research Trust and has also funded pro-Israel groups like the Israel-Diaspora Trust and the Anglo-Israel Association.

In 2003 the Guardian newspaper reported:

The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust made payments of £220,000 in 2000-01, and £230,000 the previous year, to a firm of solicitors of which trustee John Franks was a consultant. Lord Wolfson of Sunningdale, another trustee, said that Franks did not receive any remuneration for the work done on behalf of the charity and that the work of the law firm was costed against other firms. "We discussed this recently with the charity commission, as part of one of their random visits, and they were satisfied that this was an arm's-length transaction," said Wolfson.

Grant recipients of the Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust in £ sterling
	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	Total (£)
Medical research & facilities
Action on Hearing Loss														57,732					57,732
Alzheimer's Society	60,677																		60,677
Acquired Aphasia Trust			5,000																5,000
Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust				500,000															500,000
Anna Freud National Centre														250,000					250,000
Arthritis Research UK															50,400				50,400
Asthma UK		25,000	50,000																75,000
Barts and the London Charity														375,000	375,000				750,000
Barts Cancer Centre of Excellence	54,400																		54,400
Bath Institute of Medical Engineering				25,000															25,000
Beds and Northants Multiple Sclerosis Centre		3,700																	3,700
British Diabetic Association			500																500
British Dyslexics		1,000	5,000																6,000
British Friends of Arad Medical Centre		10,000																	10,000
British Friends of the Hebrew University															50,000				50,000
British Heart Foundation			1,000	2,000															3,000
British Stammering Society		1,000																	1,000
Cancer Research UK			200	500															700
Cardiac Risk in the Young														59,861					59,861
Chai Cancer Care			2,500	3,000												83,100	75,000		163,600
Connect (Aphasia)		50,000																	50,000
CORE				60,001															60,001
Cornwall Air Ambulance																50,000			50,000
Cure Parkinsons Trust	100,000	100,000		200,000															400,000
Cystic Fibrosis Trust				1,000															1,000
Diabetes UK		1,000												100,000	100,000	100,000			301,000
DIPEx				5,000															5,000
Evalina Childrens Hospital	50,000																		50,000
Fight for Sight														64,928	54,124				119,052
Follicular Lymphoma Foundation																		125,000	125,000
Foundation for the Study of Infant Deaths		5,000																	5,000
Fund for Addenbrrokes	176,722	150,000																	326,722
Hadassah UK				150,810															150,810
Heart Cells Foundation				300,000															300,000
Heartline Association			1,000	1,000															2,000
Hemi Help		2,000	2,000	2,000															6,000
High Blood Pressure Foundation	26,000																		26,000
Hospital of St. John & St. Elizabeth				500															500
Imperial College London															250,000				250,000
Institute for Complementary Medicine	67,282	141,470	84,055	166,916															459,723
Institute of Orthopaedics			1,450																1,450
Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill															50,000				50,000
Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation														87,899	88,097				175,996
Kings College London	77,000	270,000		52,108										82,666		62,334			544,108
King Edward VII's Hospital			5,000																5,000
Lee Smith Research Foundation		5,000	22,500																27,500
Leukaemia Research Fund			10,000																10,000
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine																		125,000	125,000
Manchester Foundation Trust															150,000	150,000			300,000
Marie Curie Cancer Care			1,000																1,000
Maudsley Charity Fundraising																		666,667	666,667
Meningitis UK														60,000	60,000				120,000
Meningitis Now Foundation																60,000			60,000
MERU				2,000															2,000
MIND			500																500
MS Society														204,024					204,024
Multiple Sclerosis Resource Centre			2,000																2,000
Noahs Ark	7,500	7,500		5,000										150,000					170,000
Osteopathic Centre for Children		5,000																	5,000
Oxford Foundation for Theoretical Neuro-Science				100,000															100,000
Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Fund		5,000																	5,000
Parkinsons Disease Society				50,000															50,000
Progressive Supranuclear Palsy	47,721																		47,721
Prostate Cancer Research Centre			10,000																10,000
P.S.P. Association				47,000															47,000
Royal Botanical Gardens Kew				30,000															30,000
Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign				50,000															50,000
Royal Marsden Cancer Charity																	875,000		875,000
Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust														875,000	875,000	875,000			2,625,000
Samantha Dickson Research Trust	44,521																		44,521
Sir George Pinker Appeal				30,000															30,000
Special Care Baby Unit Fund Raising Society				1,000															1,000
Speech Language & Hearing Centre		10,000	5,000	10,000															25,000
Spinal Research			50,000																50,000
St Andrew's Group of Hospitals	50,000																		50,000
St Marks Hospital Foundation			500											157,500					158,000
Tavistock Trust for Aphasia			5,000	5,000															10,000
Tsad Kadima		5,000																	5,000
University College London														58,234	176,726	100,000	71,588	51,957	458,505
University of Edinburgh															100,000			100,000	200,000
University of Exeter															60,000	201,685			261,685
University of Liverpool																		156,000	156,000
University of Oxford - pharmacology	70,000	28,368																	98,368
University of Oxford - (Prof. Aziz)				189,873															189,873
University of Oxford - surgery		71,846	87,196																159,042
Weizmann UK														171,666					171,666
William Harvey Research Foundation				500															500
Grants made between £10,000 and £49,999																	148,200	117,000	265,200
Grants made between £5,000 and £9,999																		10,000	10,000
Grants made of less than £5,000																	2,000		2,000
Education
Angela Ruskin University			19,910																19,910
Anglia Polytechnic University		18,000																	18,000
Avondale Extra		1,000		2,000															3,000
Backup Trust				48,814															48,814
BEFORE Trust			25,000																25,000
Brasenose College		35,000																	35,000
British Council														133,333				133,333	266,666
British Friends of Bar Ilan University		75,000		8,000															83,000
British Friends of the Ariel Institute			35,000	61,794															96,794
Broughton Jewish Primary School														100,000					100,000
Camden Arts Centre														50,000					50,000
Central Synagogue																168,122			168,122
CER			10,000																10,000
Chicken Shed Theatre Trust		5,000	1,000	2,000															8,000
Chief Rabbinate Charitable Trust															280,000			140,000	420,000
Clifton College		2,000																	2,000
Dyson Perrins Museum Trust			5,000	3,000															8,000
Ellen Tinkham PTFA				25,000															25,000
ETGAR - re: London School of Economics															50,000				50,000
Federation of Synagogues		750	3,750	2,000															6,500
FSET Politeia			10,000																10,000
Hasmonean Primary School			33,112													180,000			213,112
Hertsmere Jewish High School Trust	1,000,000																		1,000,000
Highbury Grove School			47,419	65,395															112,814
Holocaust Educational Trust		25,000	25,000												50,000				100,000
Huntingdon Foundation		250,000		125,000															375,000
Immanuel College			1,000	10,000															11,000
Imperial College																250,000			250,000
Institute for Policy Research		30,000	5,000	75,000															110,000
Institute of Economic Affairs														50,000	50,000	50,000			150,000
Jewish Interactive														75,000	75,000	75,000			225,000
Jewish Learning Exchange		10,000		15,000											125,000	50,000		125,000	325,000
Jewish Music Institute		500	6,000																6,500
Jews Free School		2,750	2,000											262,000	262,000				528,750
Jewish Schools Network																	50,000		50,000
JFS Charitable Trust				2,000															2,000
Kisharon														89,392				50,000	139,392
London Jewish Cultural Centre	15,000	15,000	15,000	15,000															60,000
London School of Hygiene & Trop																125,000			125,000
London School of Jewish Studies														100,000	100,000		100,000	50,000	350,000
Mandelbaum Trust		15,000																	15,000
March of the Living																		95,000	95,000
Music in Secondary Schools Trust														350,000	350,000	350,000	350,000	350,000	1,750,000
National Holocaust Centre																		50,000	50,000
Noam Primary School																200,000			200,000
North West London Hewish Day School		5,000																	5,000
Norwood																400,000	200,000		600,000
Oxford Centre for Hebrew Studies	1,000																		1,000
Partnership for Jewish Schools															103,350	75,000			178,350
Plumpton College				10,000															10,000
Policy Exchange														385,454				500,000	885,454
Priors Court Foundation				10,000															10,000
Radley Foundation														50,000					50,000
Rosh Pinah Jewish Primary School		20,000																	20,000
Roundhouse Trust		50,000		1,000															51,000
School Aid		15,000																	15,000
Side by Side																50,000			50,000
Street Action																		67,000	67,000
Tikun														150,000	15,000	225,000	75,000	150,000	615,000
United Synagogue	100,000		5,000												53,920				158,920
Whitefield School														65,000	52,000				117,000
Wolfson Hillel Primary School																		100,000	100,000
Yavneh College Trust				500,000											207,000				707,000
Yeshuas Chaim Synagogue														50,000	50,000				100,000
Yesodey Hatorah Trust	100,000																		100,000
Grants made between £10,000 and £49,999																	297,000	439,560	736,560
Grants made between £5,000 and £9,999																			0
Grants made of less than £5,000																	25,745	4,144	29,889
Welfare
Abbeyfield				2,000															2,000
Action for Kids				5,000															5,000
Adam Smith Research Trust				12,000															12,000
Aguda Israel Organisation of GB			4,750	2,500															7,250
AISH Hatorah	150,000	150,000	150,000	75,000															525,000
Ajex Charitable Trust				500															500
Amber Foundation				1,000															1,000
Anglo-Israel Association			5,000																5,000
Aspire			500	2,500															3,000
Barnet Youth Zone																		66,400	66,400
Beis Yisroel Organisation				1,000															1,000
Beit Halochem														100,000	149,000	150,000	100,000	122,500	621,500
Bowles Rocks Trust				2,000															2,000
Breakaway			7,500																7,500
British Council																	133,334		133,334
British Friends of the Jaffa Institute		5,000	1,000																6,000
British WIZO			1,000																1,000
Brondesbury Park Synagogue														750,000	750,000				1,500,000
Broughton Jewish Opportunity Fund																		90,000	90,000
Business Opprtunities		250																	250
Camp Simcha														50,000					50,000
Central School of Ballet			500																500
Central Synagogue General Charities Fund		10,000	10,000	12,000															32,000
Centre for Jewish Christian Relations			5,000																5,000
Chai Cancer Care														77,500	75,000			75,000	227,500
Changing Faces		1,000	1,000																2,000
Chelsea Pensioners Appeal			500,000																500,000
Children's Charity		75,000																	75,000
Chief Rabbinate Trust																	140,000		140,000
Churchill Lines Foundation																		100,000	100,000
Civitas		10,000	20,000	25,000															55,000
Colfe's Charitable Trust			2,000																2,000
Community Security Trust	50,000	60,000	60,000	70,000										100,000	200,000		200,000	100,000	840,000
Conference of European Rabbis		300																	300
Cornwall Community Foundation				4,000															4,000
Council for a Beautiful Israel			5,000	5,000															10,000
Council for Christians and Jews		45,000		40,000															85,000
Cricket Foundation			1,000																1,000
Cued Speech Association UK				10,000															10,000
Dalaid																75,000	75,000	50,000	200,000
Dame Vera Lynn Trust	10,000																		10,000
Dogs for the Disabled			500																500
Duke of York Sports Foundation			10,000																10,000
Dunkirk Little Ships Restoration Trust			1,000																1,000
Eastside Young Leaders Academy			5,000																5,000
Edward Elgar Foundation				2,000															2,000
Elephant Family			1,000																1,000
Emunah				500															500
Fair Havens Hospice				750															750
Falkand Islands Memorial Chapel				10,000															10,000
Family Links				1,000															1,000
Fenely Family			2,000	2,000															4,000
Finchley Synagogue																		87,000	87,000
Foundation and Friends of Royal Botanic Garedens Kew	41,000	41,000	41,000																123,000
Friends of Beit Issie Shapiro			10,000	10,000															20,000
Friends of Bnei Akiva		5,000	25,000	30,000															60,000
Friends of General Orphans Home for Girls - Jerusalem			4,750	2,500															7,250
Gurkha Welfare Trust				2,000															2,000
Hampstead Theatre			5,000	5,000															10,000
Hannah Levy House			5,000																5,000
HCPT The Pilgrimage Trust				500															500
Headway		1,500																	1,500
Hillel Foundation		2,000																	2,000
Historic Royal Palaces																		50,000	50,000
Home Farm Trust		2,000	4,000	2,000															8,000
Hospital Kosher Meals Service		1,000	500	1,000															2,500
Hunt & Almshouse Charity	45,000																		45,000
I. Rescue		5,000	5,000	5,000															15,000
Impakt Aid	20,000																		20,000
Imperial War Museum															100,000				100,000
Institute for Policy Research																50,000	50,000		100,000
Institute of Economic Affairs		10,000	10,000	20,000															40,000
International Tiger Moth Charitable Trust				1,000															1,000
Israel Diaspora Trust			2,000	2,000															4,000
Jerusalem Foundation				5,000															5,000
Jewish Agency for Israel																		50,000	50,000
Jewish Association for the Mentally Ill				500															500
Jewish Blind Society		55,000																	55,000
Jewish Book Council				1,000															1,000
Jewish Care		350,000	350,000	350,000										413,000	405,000	400,000	400,000	400,000	3,068,000
Jewish Child's Day		500																	500
Jewish Leadership Council														50,000	50,000	50,000	50,000		200,000
Jewish Marriage Council			1,000	500															1,500
Jewish Museum		50,000																	50,000
JFS																	500,000		500,000
JNF Givol				25,000															25,000
Kisharon																	50,000		50,000
Lanaido UK				10,000															10,000
Level 2 Youth Project			1,000	1,000															2,000
Lifeline for the Old				5,000															5,000
Listening Books			5,000	5,000															10,000
London Zoo		10,000																	10,000
Lord Lieutenants Fund for Youth in Cornwall			1,000																1,000
Lords Taverners			500																500
Maccabi GB		1,000	1,500																2,500
Magen David Adom		2,000																	2,000
Maggs Day Centre				1,000															1,000
Mentor		10,000																	10,000
Mudchute			2,000																2,000
National Childrens Orchestra of GB			1,000																1,000
National Missing Persons Helpline	67,000																		67,000
National Youth Theatre of GB			500																500
Natural History Museum		1,000																	1,000
Next Charitable Trust	100,000																		100,000
Nightingale House Home for Aged Jews			150,000	150,000										100,000			100,000	100,000	600,000
North London Hospice	5,000	5,000	7,500	7,000															24,500
Norwood			10,000	10,000										102,000				205,000	327,000
Ohel Sarah		2,500	2,500	2,500															7,500
Outside Foundation															150,000				150,000
Outward Bound Trust			250																250
Padstow Sea Cadets		2,000																	2,000
Peace Insight			1,000																1,000
Perdiswell Young Peoples Leisure Clubs			3,000	3,000															6,000
Policy Exchange			75,000	143,666			75,000	601,000	-63,040	128,000	414,650	70,000	283,700	385,454		100000	100,000		2,313,430
Primary Club			500																500
Queen Alexandra Hospital Home				5,000															5,000
Racing Welfare		1,000		5,000															6,000
Rainbow Trust			5,000																5,000
Remap			2,000																2,000
Richard House Children's Hospice			250																250
Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust				49,000															49,000
Royal College of Music			2,000																2,000
RNLI		250																	250
Safe Hounds			5,000																5,000
Shabaton Choir			5,000	2,000															7,000
Social Affairs Unit		10,000	10,000																20,000
SSAFA Forces Help Central Office		250	1,000	1,000															2,250
St. Elizabeth's Centre		5,000																	5,000
St. Raphael's		1,000																	1,000
Street Action																75000	75,000		150,000
Tikun				75,000															75,000
3C's Charity			500																500
Trinity College Holiday Scheme			2,000																2,000
United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA)														67,500					67,500
United Trusts		30,000	30,000	30,000															90,000
University Chaplaincy Board			1,000	1,000															2,000
Victory Services Club				10,000															10,000
Westminster Children's Society		10,000																	10,000
Wheel Power			1,000																1,000
Wooden Spoon Society			500																500
World Jewish Relief	100,000	2,000	1,000	2,000														65,000	170,000
Yeshuas Chaim Synagogue																50000	50,000		100,000
Zoological Society of London				25,000															25,000
ZSV Trust		500	500																1,000
Grants made between £10,000 and £49,999																	1,155,760	739,307	1,895,067
Grants made between £5,000 and £9,999																		45,000	45,000
Grants made of less than £5,000																	122,644	32,750	155,394
Other
Benevolent Aid Fund	250,750	89,500																	340,250
Blond McIndoe Research				49,300															49,300
B'nai Brith Hillel Foundation (Bournemouth)			6,052																6,052
B'nai Brith Hillel Foundation (Leicester)			93,333																93,333
Charlie Waller Memorial Trust				50,000															50,000
Children's Trust				50,000															50,000
Jewish Educational Fund		304,000																	304,000
Kings College Hospital				50,000															50,000
Child Bereavement Trust	21,125	21,460	21,984	24,125															88,694
Beth Jacobs School		25,000																	25,000
Magen David Adom UK			100,000																100,000
Rentals foregone on charitably let properties
B'nai Brith Hillel	142,928	149,000	118,964																410,892
Family Welfare Association	18,750	21,000	22,000	22,000															83,750
Torah Teminah Primary School	17,500																		17,500
Yakar Education Foundation	10,068																		10,068

Data Sources:

• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2005.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2006.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2007.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2008.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2009.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2010.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2011.
• [ The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2012.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2014.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2015.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2016.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2017.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2018.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2019.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2020.
• The Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust, Report and Financial Statements for the Year Ended 5 April 2021.

People

Trustees

• Simon Wolfson
• Sara Levene
• Andrew Wolfson
• David Wolfson

Contact

Charles Wolfson Charitable Trust

8/10 Hallam Street

London, W1W 6NS

See also

• Charitable spending of the largest 100 UK family foundations