Dorchester Abbey

Registered charity 1133787 · since 2010dorchester-abbey.org.uk·International·Updated 29 October 2026

At a glance

£14,075

Annual giving, year to 31 December 2025

From filed accounts

Key takeaways

Dorchester Abbey's giving is built around three routes: larger Christian organisations it has supported for many years, charities with a particular local connection, and charities recommended by a Tea Room helper or congregant.
Its stated geographic focus is world-wide, but the categories suggest a request fits best where it has one of these links to the Abbey.
Its latest annual report gives one total of £14,075, which may include grants to individuals, and no grant range is stated, so a modest, clearly costed request is the realistic size to plan for.
No application process is published, so a short introductory message to the contact it shows is the sensible first step, and a recommendation from a congregant or Tea Room helper is likely to be the stronger route.
The Abbey mainly supports groups it already knows, so a cold approach with no link to the parish or to Christian or local work is unlikely to be a good use of time.

Overview

Dorchester Abbey is a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (charity number 1133787).

Dorchester Abbey is a charity whose PCC of Dorchester Abbey seeks to promote the whole mission of the Church in the ecclesiastical parish, by being welcoming, engaging and inclusive in its worship, teaching and use of its resources. All profits from the Abbey Tea Rooms are paid into the Abbey's General Fund, and over £10,500 goes to charitable causes world-wide. Its giving falls into three categories: larger Christian organisations the parish has supported over many years, charities with a particular local connection, and charities recommended by a Tea Room helper or congregant.

What they fund

Priority Areas

The PCC’s Christian mission is expressed through worship, teaching and the use of its resources, alongside charitable giving through the Abbey. Its published description of mission giving groups support for larger Christian organisations with which the parish has a longstanding relationship, charities with a particular local connection, and charities recommended by a Tea Room helper or congregant because they have helped a family member or have a particular need. Other donations come through special collections at services, fundraising events and responses to emergencies. Part of the Abbey Tea Rooms’ profits goes to charitable causes worldwide; the remainder supports the Guest House and Abbey. Its report records grants to charities, without identifying individual recipients.

Themes

Christian organisations
Locally connected charities

Geographic Focus

Priority: World-wide.

How to apply

No application process is published in the charity's annual report, its register entry or its website. The contact shown is for getting in touch.

Where they fund

Where it says it funds

International

Similar funders

Funders supporting work similar to Dorchester Abbey.

Grants

Not included above: 1 with no named recipient.

Five years of accounts

Financial year	Income	Expenditure	Grants paid	Accounts document
year to 31 December 2021	£223,296	£200,316	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2021
year to 31 December 2022	£230,912	£198,747	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2022
year to 31 December 2023	£1,286,938	£259,642	£13,637	Accounts for year to 31 December 2023
year to 31 December 2024	£277,782	£262,743	—	Accounts for year to 31 December 2024
year to 31 December 2025	£328,131	£316,730	£14,075	Accounts for year to 31 December 2025

Income vs grants paid

IncomeGrants paid

Total value each financial year

YE 2023

£13,637 grants

YE 2025

£14,075 grants

Grants paid stayed within income across the 2 years shown.

Grants paid, year to 31 December 2023: grants to institutions, as reported on the charity register (Part B).
Grants paid, year to 31 December 2025: the accounts do not say whether this is grants awarded or paid.

Figures from the charity’s filed accounts and its register entry. The document icon links to the charity’s entry on the Charity Commission register, where its filed accounts can be found.