Finance Score: 1
Governance Score: 6
Support Score: 9
  • Multiple Deficits: -2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • No volunteer policy: -2
  • 12+ Trustees: -1
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +9
Overall GiG Score: 16 ?

READ - THE READING AGENCY

The Reading Agency works every day towards a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life - from toddlers to children to young adults, prisoners and older people - irrespective of age or economic background. It advocates that reading can tackle life's big challenges, from social mobility to mental health.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Although this charity works with volunteers it does not have a Volunteer Management policy
  • Why are there 15 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12?
  • Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

  • On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/24£3,035£3,137£-102£28£1,168£8243.23013
31/03/23£3,044£3,655£-611£163£1,271£1,1023.6270
31/03/22£2,974£2,824£151£95£1,882£1,0984.7280
31/03/21£6,497£6,171£326£106£1,731£1,0692.1250
31/03/20?£3,414£2,891£523£103£1,405£7673.2260
31/03/18£2,734£2,604£130£137£565£2771.3230
31/03/17£2,629£2,514£115£208£435£1920.9300
31/03/16£3,013£2,926£87£232£321£1050.4290
31/03/15£2,964£3,122£-159£85£267£2501290
31/03/14£2,802£2,812£-9£84£425£3441.5230
31/03/13*£2,298£2,138£161£72£435£3121.7220
31/03/12£2,094£2,126£-33£65£274£2081.2200
31/03/11*£1,978£2,074£-97£75£307£2861.7170
31/03/10*£2,209£2,381£-172£92£403£2831.4180
31/03/09£1,805£2,271£-466£126£575£4432.3210
31/03/08£2,089£2,119£-30£84£1,041£7864.4160
31/03/07?£2,946£2,564£382£84£1,071£8253.9100
30/09/05£1,717£1,384£332n/an/an/an/an/an/a
30/09/04*£1,185£996£189n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0.9%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.9%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 12%
Highest pay band: £120,000-£130,000
Liabilities/Assets: 45%
Liabilities/Income: 32%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 71%
Reserves/Spending: 3.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 4 months
Quick Ratio: 1.4
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 24 years

www.readingagency.org.uk

info@readingagency.org.uk

0207 324 2544

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
  • Education/Training
  • General Charitable Purposes
GiG Classification
  • Other education support
How it operates
  • Acts as an umbrella or resource body
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Other Defined Groups
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
DCMS£4,679,141
The Charity of Sir Richard Whittington£300,000
Garfield Weston Foundation£75,000
The Foyle Foundation£50,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
The Foyle Foundation - Learning (MGS)
£50,000 18/09/2023
to widen the audience for Quick Reads, a publishing programme to support the engagement of less confident readers
DCMS - Investment funds
£30,000 08/09/2022
We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of ....more
DCMS - Investment Funds
£185,000 22/11/2021
We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of ....more
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award WCF award - COVID19 response
£75,000 05/02/2021
Weston Culture Fund to Regular Grant
DCMS - National Portfolio Organisation 2018-22
£484,141 01/04/2020
The wider aim of the scheme is: We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has ....more
DCMS - TRA:Culture Recovery Fund
£450,000 01/04/2020
To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - Reading Well / Reading Friends
£3,530,000 01/04/2020
The wider aim of the scheme is: We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has ....more
The Charity of Sir Richard Whittington - Grant to The Reading Agency
£300,000 11/02/2020
36
Get Islington Reading - building a reading community, inspiring young people to develop and sustain a love of reading by connecting schools and public libraries, focusing on the critical transition between primary and secondary school.
The Bromley Trust - Restricted grant towards the Reading Ahead Programme in prisons
£40,000 09/01/2019
36
The Reading Agency is working for a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life by running reading programmes for all ages, abilities and backgrounds.This is a three year grant restricted to the Reading Ahead Programme encouraging the ....more
The Bell Foundation - Reading Ahead for Esol Y3
£140,029 08/10/2018
Reading Ahead, run by The Reading Agency, is a reading for pleasure initiative currently used in UK prisons. The Bell Foundation funded The Reading Agency to model best practice for using Reading Ahead with prisoners who speak English as a ....more
The Bromley Trust - Restricted grant towards the Reading Ahead Programme in prisons
£10,000 01/11/2017
12
The Reading Agency is working for a world where everyone is reading their way to a better life by running reading programmes for all ages, abilities and backgrounds.This is a one year grant restricted to the Reading Ahead Programme encouraging the ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - The Reading Well Challenge
£50,000 15/09/2015
9
The funding will be used to develop proposals for a reading scheme for older people, including those with dementia and carers, and those concerned about symptoms. The project will test different incentives and approaches, like groups, author events ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to The Reading Agency
£186,000 12/12/2013
Towards strategic digital development to increase the reach of its programmes and provide year-round engagement for children.
Dulverton Trust - Digital Skills for Disadvantaged Young People
£50,332 24/10/2012
Digital Skills for Disadvantaged Young People
National Lottery Community Fund - Reading Activists
£346,500 08/12/2010
36
This project encourages young people to get involved with local libraries. The MyVoice project is a national project initially working with 20 library services each year across the North West, London, South East and North East. The project will ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to The Reading Agency
£48,000 15/09/2009
12
Towards Project costs Towards the salary of the project manager to develop, deliver and collect evaluation data for a new adult literacy programme and to cover costs for the tutor and library staff.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (15)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 32-69
  • AIMEE JANE FELONE Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Co-Founder
  • BARONESS ELIZABETH SANDERSON Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Political Advisor
  • DEREK O'GARA Appointed: 2012, Occupation: Finance Director
  • DAVID RICHARD SHELLEY Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Director
  • DAVINIA-LOUISE GREEN Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Director
  • JAMES CRAIG SANDERSON Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Director
  • MANDY TERESA DE WAAL Appointed: 2023
  • MAUREEN CARMEL CORISH Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Managing Director
  • MICHAEL EDWIN LEWIS Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Manager
  • MOHAMMED ZOINUL ABIDIN Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Head Of Universal Services:Lbbd
  • PAUL NICHOLAS KELLY Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Chief Financial Officer
  • SUE LESLEY WILLIAMSON Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired
  • SUSAN CLAIRE HALL Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Finance Director
  • TERESA MARY CREMIN Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Director
  • VERA OWEN Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Policy Adviser
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 08/03/2001, number: 1085443
  • Registered at Companies House on 11/01/2000, number: 03904882
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Filing Record
19 returns made; AR13: 1 days late, AR11: 2 days late, AR10: 9 days late, AR04: 85 days late,
Main office

24 BEDFORD ROW
LONDON
WC1R 4EH

Objectives

TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC BY THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF READING AND THE PROMOTION OF LITERACY SKILLS

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED. IN PRACTICE ENGLAND AND WALES

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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