01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC000470
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Operations cover all or most of Scotland
- Volunteers
- 101-250 volunteers
- Staff
- 49
- Postcode
- EH2 2PQ
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
The RSE is Scotland's National Academy. Our objectives are to encourage knowledge in all its forms and to apply that knowledge to the challenges facing the nation and the world. We are committed to sustaining world-class research while addressing three key challenges: climate change and environmental sustainability, economic prosperity and social cohesion and inclusion. We organise our work around five main interconnected programme areas: economy and enterprise, education, international, research and policy advice.During 2025–2026, the RSE assessed around 800 applications from researchers across 18 Scottish higher education institutions and awarded almost 200 grants worth £1.52m. Key highlights: • Over 4,300 attendees at RSE public events • 1,600 attendees at Curious, our summer ‘festival of knowledge’ • Over 60 events hosted, on a broad range of topics, showcasing the breadth & depth of the RSE fellowship -• Delivered talks and activities to more than 1800 pupils across Scotland
Charitable purposes
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
Activities
- It makes grants, donations, loans, gifts or pensions to individuals
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH, which was instituted by Royal Charter in 1783 for the advancement of Learning and useful Knowledge, shall consist of Fellows, Corresponding Fellows and Honorary Fellows.
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Total income | Donations | Charitable activities income | Trading income | Investment income | Other income | Total expenditure | Raising funds | Charitable activities spending | Other spending | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2026 | £4,772,673 | £335,430 | £3,116,579 | £312,364 | £1,008,300 | £0 | £6,349,181 | £977,397 | £5,371,784 | £0 | 49 | 1 October 2026 |
| 31 March 2025 | £7,401,753 | £1,344,224 | £3,092,996 | £322,477 | £979,056 | £1,663,000 | £5,760,490 | £731,177 | £5,029,313 | £0 | 49 | 19 December 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £4,762,652 | £308,616 | £3,154,153 | £272,716 | £1,027,167 | £0 | £5,273,140 | £583,205 | £4,689,935 | £0 | 49 | 23 December 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £4,696,802 | £292,208 | £3,266,138 | £260,561 | £877,895 | £0 | £5,460,832 | £571,126 | £4,889,706 | £0 | 49 | 6 December 2023 |
| 31 March 2022 | £7,505,475 | £285,609 | £6,142,653 | £272,058 | £805,155 | £0 | £7,134,752 | £517,118 | £6,617,634 | £0 | 49 | 3 November 2022 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- 22-26 George Street, Edinburgh
- Website supplied to OSCR
- www.rse.org.uk
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.