How we raise and spend our money

• How we are funded
• How we spend our money
• Our endowment
• Venue services

How we are funded

Total income for 2010 amounted to £14.1 million (£13.8 million in 2009), of which £9.4 million (£9.1 million) was generated from charitable activities and £4.7 million (£4.7 million) was derived from the investment portfolio, other activites and other incoming resources.

We fund our work through three main sources:

• Income from charitable activities: This includes fees paid for leadership programmes and events, plus grants and commissions from a variety of organisations for particular policy or development projects.
• Income from generated funds: This includes the returns earned on our investments, income from venue services and rent received from other organisations who share our headquarters building.
• The King's Fund is also pleased to receive monies through donations and legacies. Find out more about leaving a lasting legacy for tomorrow's health care.

How we spend our money

Total expenditure of the Fund was £17.3million in 2010 (£17.6 million). We used our income to support four key objectives in 2010. These are set out below with some examples of how we achieved them:

To be the most influential, independent source of health care policy ideas and analysis in England

Net expenditure after fees and grants was £2.3 million (£2.2 million)

• We published seventeen major policy reports which were well received and began a range of projects which will report during 2011
• We launched a major inquiry into the quality of general practice which was mainly completed in 2010
• We published 54 blogs and extended our range of audio and video content 
• We were a key voice in the election debate, with products including a bespoke section of the website.

To be the most reliable source of independent health care policy information, insight and support for the key audiences of the Fund

Net expenditure after fees and grants was £0.9 million (£0.6 million)

• We produced more blogs, audio and video content and writing specifically for a web audience
• We held 19 paid for events, attracting more than 2,000 delegates
• Our positive parliamentary mentions increased by 40per cent on 2009.

To be a centre of innovative, high-impact development interventions, supporting the changing nature of leadership in health care

Net expenditure after fees and grants £0.3 million (£1.1 million)

• We refreshed our portfolio with 86 per cent uptake on our in-house programmes
• Our range of clinical leadership programmes attracted 181 participants
• We launched the Commission on Leadership and Management in the NHS.

To be a leading force in the application of ideas and interventions for frontline staff that achieve measurable improvements in health care

Net expenditure after fees and grants £1.5 million (£1.3 million)

• We formed a directorate of Health Care Improvement which brought together a number of successful existing programmes, namely Point of Care, Enhancing the Healing Environment, the Safer Births programme and the GSK IMPACT Awards
• We published journal articles and took up national and international speaking engagements to talk about our work on health care improvement.

Our endowment

The King's Fund was formed in 1897 as an initiative of the then Prince of Wales to support London's voluntary hospitals. Donations in the first year totalled £227,000 – worth more than £20 million today – and high levels of donations continued to be made for the next 50 years or so.

After the NHS was established in 1948, The King's Fund changed its focus to respond to the new needs of a predominantly tax-funded health service, and our major funding sources changed accordingly. In the early years donations were distributed as grants and when this declined, after 1948, the funds remaining (the 'endowment') were invested to provide both regular income and capital growth to support future initiatives. Find out more about our history and past work