Biggest charity employers 2026 — by headcount

Staff headcount reported in the annual return — the charities employing the most people · snapshot 2026-07-28

# Charity EmployeesLatest income
01 NUFFIELD HEALTH 19,361 £1.45bn
02 SAVE THE CHILDREN INTERNATIONAL 16,153 £1.10bn
03 United Learning LTD 11,294 £790m
04 THE HALO TRUST 11,216 £166m
05 THE BRITISH COUNCIL 9,446 £1.01bn
06 THE NATIONAL TRUST FOR PLACES OF HISTORIC INTEREST OR NATURAL BEAUTY 8,746 £766m
07 MSI REPRODUCTIVE CHOICES 8,724 £310m
08 BARNARDO'S 7,404 £340m
09 ROYAL MENCAP SOCIETY 7,394 £244m
10 COMMUNITY INTEGRATED CARE 6,443 £197m
11 THE ORMISTON TRUST 6,196 £437m
12 CARDIFF UNIVERSITY 6,092 £634m
13 THE MINES ADVISORY GROUP 5,809 £99.3m
14 CHANGE, GROW, LIVE 5,715 £340m
15 CANCER RESEARCH UK 5,169 £735m
16 THE SHAW TRUST LIMITED 4,998 £291m
17 OASIS CHARITABLE TRUST 4,978 £344m
18 THE GIRLS' DAY SCHOOL TRUST 4,726 £373m
19 METHODIST HOMES 4,698 £283m
20 BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION 4,545 £411m
21 ACTION FOR CHILDREN 4,395 £163m
22 LLOYD'S REGISTER FOUNDATION 4,163 £692m
23 OXFAM 4,084 £339m
24 ST ANDREW'S HEALTHCARE 4,081 £236m
25 THE ORDERS OF ST JOHN CARE TRUST 3,834 £234m
26 MARIE CURIE 3,582 £181m
27 TURNING POINT 3,521 £192m
28 SWANSEA UNIVERSITY 3,448 £326m
29 UNITED RESPONSE 3,358 £107m
30 THERA TRUST 3,346 £101m
31 THE BRITISH RED CROSS SOCIETY 3,286 £287m
32 Waythrough 3,183 £165m
33 SENSE, THE NATIONAL DEAFBLIND AND RUBELLA ASSOCIATION 2,956 £102m
34 AUTISM INITIATIVES GROUP 2,881 £93.1m
35 LEONARD CHESHIRE DISABILITY 2,606 £141m
36 United Church Schools Trust 2,581 £185m
37 THE ENGLISH HERITAGE TRUST 2,548 £155m
38 ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PROTECTION OF BIRDS 2,486 £195m
39 SUE RYDER 2,462 £106m
40 WELLCOME TRUST 2,377 £569m
41 AUTISM INITIATIVES (UK) 2,316 £72.6m
42 THE NATIONAL AUTISTIC SOCIETY 2,265 £102m
43 HCT GROUP 2,225 £124m
44 AFFINITY TRUST 2,162 £72.4m
45 UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH WALES/PRIFYSGOL DE CYMRU 2,129 £225m
46 UNIVERSITY OF WALES:TRINITY SAINT DAVID 2,120 £210m
47 MACINTYRE CARE 2,061 £71.2m
48 THE SALVATION ARMY SOCIAL WORK TRUST 2,016 £240m
49 METHODIST INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS TRUST 1,977 £118m
50 REAL LIFE OPTIONS 1,949 £55.6m
51 THE AVENUES TRUST GROUP 1,945 £67.2m
52 DOGS TRUST 1,943 £143m
53 HF TRUST LIMITED 1,900 £85.0m
54 ALZHEIMER'S SOCIETY 1,896 £144m
55 FUSION LIFESTYLE 1,865 £5.1m
56 THE ROYAL NATIONAL LIFEBOAT INSTITUTION 1,859 £251m
57 THE GUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND ASSOCIATION 1,847 £156m
58 GREENSLEEVES HOMES TRUST 1,845 £89.1m
59 DOGS TRUST LEGACY 1,815 £67.3m
60 CANAL & RIVER TRUST 1,805 £233m
61 THE DISABILITIES TRUST 1,800 £74.9m
62 AQA EDUCATION 1,798 £280m
63 ROYAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS 1,791 £153m
64 MACMILLAN CANCER SUPPORT 1,782 £246m
65 THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION 1,765 £168m
66 THE PEOPLE'S DISPENSARY FOR SICK ANIMALS 1,760 £129m
67 FITZROY SUPPORT 1,748 £58.8m
68 THE BRANDON TRUST 1,715 £77.6m
69 GENERAL MEDICAL COUNCIL 1,713 £168m
70 NCFE 1,709 £49.5m
71 ST MUNGO COMMUNITY HOUSING ASSOCIATION 1,682 £124m
72 We Are With You 1,670 £87.0m
73 CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY 1,660 £149m
74 ALTERNATIVE FUTURES GROUP LIMITED 1,638 £80.7m
75 THE SALVATION ARMY 1,610 £338m
76 BANGOR UNIVERSITY 1,597 £160m
77 CANTERBURY CHRIST CHURCH UNIVERSITY 1,574 £354m
78 THE CITY AND GUILDS OF LONDON INSTITUTE 1,506 £175m
79 ELIM FOURSQUARE GOSPEL ALLIANCE 1,497 £83.9m
80 THE NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR THE PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO CHILDREN 1,484 £120m
81 BH LIVE 1,483 £48.1m
82 THE FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE LIMITED 1,458 £246m
83 UNIVERSITY OF CHESTER 1,430 £154m
84 THE PRIORY OF ENGLAND AND THE ISLANDS OF THE MOST VENERABLE ORDER OF THE HOSPITAL OF ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM 1,418 £107m
85 THE FREMANTLE TRUST 1,411 £49.5m
86 ST MONICA TRUST 1,392 £53.7m
87 JISC 1,382 £151m
88 RUSKIN MILL TRUST LIMITED 1,374 £74.4m
89 DEPAUL INTERNATIONAL 1,338 £73.5m
90 PRIFYSGOL ABERYSTWYTH 1,319 £127m
91 AGE UK 1,317 £132m
92 GENOME RESEARCH LIMITED 1,301 £180m
93 TRUSTEES OF THE LONDON CLINIC LIMITED 1,287 £188m
94 THE ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BLIND PEOPLE 1,286 £95.9m
95 JEWISH CARE 1,279 £81.8m
96 THE EXTRACARE CHARITABLE TRUST 1,278 £69.9m
97 NATIONAL STAR FOUNDATION 1,269 £49.6m
98 THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 1,267 £125m
99 NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL 1,251 £109m
100 VICTIM SUPPORT 1,234 £52.7m

Figures as reported to the Charity Commission for England and Wales — Scottish and Northern Irish charities are registered separately and are not included. Reserves, headcount, grants and investment income come from each charity's detailed annual return, which only larger charities file. Annual returns lag the present by up to a year or more. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.