# The Cup Trust

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/02/06/cup-trust/
- Published: 2013-02-06T15:37:51+00:00
- Author: Finbar Cullen

According to its [website](http://thecuptrust.com), The Cup Trust (1129044) “seeks
to raise funds to enable us to make grants to other UK based registered charities”.
It also states that it will, at some stage, list details of all grants it awards.
According to its [entry](http://www.charity-commission.gov.uk/Showcharity/RegisterOfCharities/CharityWithoutPartB.aspx?RegisteredCharityNumber=1129044&SubsidiaryNumber=0)
on the Charity Commission website, the Trust has a preference for small or start
up charities that seek to benefit children and/or young adults. In 2009/2010, the
Trust had an income of over £97,000,000, which was all spent. The Trust received
a donation of £100,000 from The Somerton Charitable Trust (an “unconnected charity”).
In 2010/2011, income and expenditure were listed at over £78,000,000. In 2011/2012,
income was just over £5,000, with no expenditure noted.

Third Sector magazine, The Times, and other publications, etc., have expressed some
concern that The Trust appears to be an attempt to use charitable status for tax
avoidance. The Trustee is Mountstar (PTC) Limited. The Charity Commission has issued
a press release, noting that “the Times and Daily Mirror articles about the Cup 
Trust have caused serious concern, not just among members of the public who give
so generously to charities, but also among the many thousands of charities that 
demonstrate high standards of probity, ethics and governance and do so much to support
vulnerable people in society”.   The Charity Commission had previously opened an
investigation into the charity (March 2010) following concerns raised about its 
governance, its activities and how its funds were raised and applied.

So, there’s something unusual going on. The Charity Commission and a number of journalists
are monitoring the situation. It will be interesting to see what happens to all 
that money.

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Finbar Cullen, [Research**Plus**](http://www.researchplus.co.uk)

 

 

 * **[Charity Commission might no longer provide copies of governing documents](https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/02/27/charity-commission-might-no-longer-provide-copies-governing-documents/)**(
   27 February 2013)
 * **[The Charity Commission website will move to GOV.UK this month](https://fundraising.co.uk/2014/09/15/charity-commission-website-will-move-gov-uk-month/)**(
   15 September 2014)
 * **[Charity Commission reminds charities to file accounts on time](https://fundraising.co.uk/2015/01/19/charity-commission-reminds-charities-to-file-accounts-on-time/)**(
   19 January 2015)