Captain Tom charity spent £162,000 on management costs last year – more than it gave out in grants

The foundation set up in Captain Tom’s name paid out more in management costs than it did in grants in its first year, accounts show.

Financial statements published by the Captain Tom Foundation show that between May 2020 and May last year it spent £400,637, after taking in more than £1million of charitable donations.

Around £240,000 of the £400,000 of outgoings were spent on fundraising and admin costs, and £162,336 of that was spent on management.

Consultancy fees totaled £126,424, and £20,884 was spent on advertising and marketing. This is compared to £160,000, which was dished out in four grants to charities.

In the period, the Captain Tom Foundation supported MIND, Royal British Legion, children’s charity Helen & Douglas House, and palliative care charity Willen Hospice.

Commenting on its aims in its accounts, the charity said: “The foundation was dedicated to combating loneliness, championing education and equality and supporting those facing bereavement. During this time, we distributed donations to hospices and other charities close to Captain Tom’s heart.”

Captain Tom became a national hero in 2020 after walking 100 laps of his garden in aid of the NHS during the pandemic. His final lap was broadcast live on BBC Breakfast and he managed to raise a staggering £33million for NHS Charities Together, a federation of over 250 charities that support the health service.

As a result of Captain Tom’s fundraising, each of the members of NHS Charities Together was granted £35,000 in a first wave of hand-outs. In the second wave, money was calculated at £7 per staff member at each of the NHS trusts it supports.

The foundation was set up by Captain Tom’s family in 2020 to support organisations close to the military man’s heart. It’s mission is described as “inspiring hope where it is needed most.”

“The Foundation was set up by the family of Captain Sir Tom Moore, initially to secure a lasting legacy for the substantial fundraising efforts for NHS Charities together, which were raised via JustGiving,” the chairman, Stephen John Jones, wrote.

In their accounts, the foundation justified the high admin costs saying: “As a newly established charity, expenditure has been incurred in building the team, which for some months worked on a voluntary basis until funds were forthcoming.”

They added: “During this period, we also incurred costs in appointing The Philanthropy Company who provided expert support on governance and fundraising initiatives as well as working with our charity partners to identify initiatives that the Foundation could support and which would drive value and public benefit.”

Paperwork submitted to the Charity Commission showed that almost £696,000 remains unspent.

The Captain Tom Foundation said in a statement: “In the period 5 May 2020- 31 May 2021, The Foundation was dedicated to combating loneliness, championing education and equality and supporting those facing bereavement. During this time, we distributed donations to hospices and other charities close to Captain Tom’s heart.

“We also raised awareness through events such as Walk with Tom (Dec 2020) and The Captain Tom 100 (April 2021) which received 12.8 billion impressions on social media worldwide, got many people active and helped fight loneliness.

“As a charity in our infancy, we focused on fundraising for other charities close to Captain Tom’s heart and are very proud that through this campaign that we led, £1.4 million was raised in 3 days, this went directly to charities.”