Finance Score: 5
Governance Score: 5
Support Score: 14
  • Low unrestricted reserves: -2
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Future income +5
  • 12+ Trustees: -1
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +14
Overall GiG Score: 24 ?

THE SHEILA MCKECHNIE FOUNDATION

The Foundation has established an Awards Scheme, currently with nine categories, as a means of identifying and developing the next generation of campaigners. A bespoke support programme is delivered to the winners of each category. More widely, the Foundation speaks out on behalf of the sector in order to champion the right to campaign.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers and there are significant future grants due to be received
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • There are 13 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12

Financial issues to consider:

  • Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end

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
31/03/23£641£661£-20£0£61£290.590
31/03/22£554£536£19£0£81£561.370
31/03/21£434£478£-44n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/20£529£465£64£0£106£982.550
31/03/19£322£341£-19n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/18£379£338£40n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/17*£405£399£6n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/16£380£396£-16n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/15£387£425£-38n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/14£264£259£6n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/13£327£325£2n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/12£366£372£-6n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/11£332£334£-2n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/10£326£321£5n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/09£279£234£45n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/08£207£206£1n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/07£201£216£-15n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/06£232£198£33n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 17%
Highest pay band: £90,000-£100,000
Liabilities/Assets: 74%
Liabilities/Income: 27%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 47%
Reserves/Spending: 0.5 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 1 months
Quick Ratio: 1
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 20 years

www.smk.org.uk

info@smk.org.uk

02037525644

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
  • General Charitable Purposes
GiG Classification
  • Social advocacy & research
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides human resources
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland,
Who it helps
  • Other Defined Groups
  • 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
The Blagrave Trust£255,300
Joseph Rowntree Foundation£150,000
Trust for London£138,000
Tudor Trust£92,000
Barrow Cadbury Trust£60,000
Paul Hamlyn Foundation£54,000
Esmee Fairbairn£25,000
John Ellerman Foundation£17,500
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Trust for London - Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£55,000 16/01/2024
12
This funding is a contribution towards SMK's policy work.
The Blagrave Trust - Pathways Fund
£93,000 06/11/2023
Open Collective - Radical Body Multi-year Grant
The Blagrave Trust - Young People in Policy Making Fund
£120,900 17/07/2023
Warren young people in policy making
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Charity Reform Group - Learning proposal
£30,000 02/03/2023
The Charity Reform Group is a programme to promote the reforming role of the charity sector, in keeping with Sheila McKechnie Foundation’s role as the infrastructure body for campaigning. This ....more
The Blagrave Trust - Infrastructure and Fieldbuilding Grants
£30,000 31/01/2023
Young Campaigner of the Year Award - multi-year sponsorship
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Backbone grants 2018/19 - supporting a thriving civil society
£4,000 18/01/2023
SMK provides training and support to those seeking to bring about positive social change. SMK is a powerful voice for this community, working to influence public offices and provide opportunities for ....more
John Ellerman Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£7,500 24/11/2022
Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Core Support for an Operations Manager
£30,000 20/10/2022
To enable SMK to create a new role of Operations Manager
Trust for London - Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£3,000 29/09/2022
This is a cost of living uplift for grant reference 360G-trustforlondon-MAIN-S2-01.06.2021-9155
The Blagrave Trust - National Campaigner Awards 2022
£5,400 01/09/2022
Sponsoring the Young Campaigner Award at the SMK annual awards for one more year. Additional welfare grant: total funding increased by £400 in December 2021.
AB Charitable Trust - A grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£3,500 09/12/2021
A restricted grant of £3,500 towards the Defending Civic Space project. The Defending Civic Space project is a scoping project on threats to civic space in the UK, including identifying capacity, ....more
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£10,000 06/12/2021
Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£150,000 27/11/2021
Core costs
Trust for London - Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£80,000 06/10/2021
24
The funding is for the practical application, dissemination and evaluation of tools developed on SMK's Power Sharing Project. The aim is to catalyse system-wide change toward a more equitable civil ....more
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Covid-19 Emergency Funding
£20,000 23/07/2021
The Sheila McKechnie Foundation (SMK) was established in 2005 to help develop a new generation of campaigners who are tackling the root causes of injustice. Set up in memory of Dame Sheila McKechnie, ....more
Tudor Trust - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£90,000 11/03/2021
36
over three years as unrestricted funding for a national charity which champions and supports civil society campaigning
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Core Funding 2021 -2023
£30,000 22/02/2021
24
Core funding to enable SMK to realise its ambition of a stronger more confident civil society sector working for change
Tudor Trust - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£2,000 15/01/2021
as an additional grant to support staff, volunteer and trustee wellbeing, to assist the organisation deliver its charitable purpose more effectively
John Ellerman Foundation - SMK NATIONAL CAMPAIGNER AWARDS
£5,000 26/11/2020
SMK NATIONAL CAMPAIGNER AWARDS
The Blagrave Trust - National Campaigner Awards 2021
£6,000 17/11/2020
Sponsoring the Young Campaigner Award at the SMK annual awards
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£25,000 12/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
John Ellerman Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£5,000 28/11/2019
12
Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£41,816 26/06/2019
A programme to explore how the law can be better leveraged to better drive social change – a one-day conference with wider engagement before and after
Trust for London - Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£100,000 05/06/2019
24
The funding is to increase civil society’s understanding, appetite and capability to involve people with lived experience in social change in London. It will particularly explore what involvement ....more
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£120,000 16/03/2019
36
Core costs
John Ellerman Foundation - Core costs
£150,000 29/11/2018
36
Towards core costs to provide support to the campaigning sector through policy and advocacy work, training and consultancy
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£15,000 16/10/2018
12
To fund their Social Change Project in its second year with key objectives around convening, advocating and capacity-building
Barrow Cadbury Trust - The Social Change Project continuation
£30,000 11/10/2018
21
Continuing to build capacity and make the case for civil society's role in creating positive social change
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Backbone grants 2018/19 - supporting a thriving civil society
£200,000 21/09/2018
60
SMK provides training and support to those seeking to bring about positive social change. SMK is a powerful voice for this community, working to influence public offices and provide opportunities for ....more
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - The Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£15,000 06/08/2018
Delivery of Phase Two of The Social Change Project (TSCP), which endeavours to understand how change happens today and how we can strengthen civil society’s ability to bring about change.
Tudor Trust - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£75,000 23/01/2018
36
over three years as continuation funding towards a UK-wide programme of workshops aimed at novice campaigners, alongside the provision of consultancy support to a small number of organisations each ....more
The Blagrave Trust - National Campaigner Awards
£15,000 21/11/2017
Sponsorship of Best Campaign by young people
The Blagrave Trust - The Social Change Project
£10,000 25/08/2017
Campaigning for social change
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Understanding social change
£20,000 21/07/2017
10
A collaborative project to better understand and boost effectiveness of campaigning for social justice
Trust for London - Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£48,000 15/06/2017
36
The funding is to support and boost the ability of organisations in London to create change, by: 1. Continuing our successful Influencing Change programme, supporting at least 30 campaigners per year ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£210,990 25/04/2017
36
Towards unrestricted core costs to support campaigners and continuation of the Grassroots Action Support (GAS) Fund.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Understanding Social Change
£20,000 27/02/2017
18
Understanding Social Change will convene a new community of interest aimed at building knowledge and tools that can support campaign effectiveness; build greater legitimacy for campaigning and help ....more
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - The Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£20,000 25/10/2016
To put social change under the microscope and develop knowledge and understanding of the tools and techniques used to achieve it.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£46,425 24/08/2015
15
Towards the development and piloting of a gender equality campaign training programme and award.
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Influencing Change - Midlands programme
£48,000 12/07/2014
To deliver 'Influencing Change' - in the West Midlands, training and network building for grassroots activists.
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£66,900 05/02/2014
The Mark of a Great Campaigner
Tudor Trust - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£77,500 28/01/2014
36
over three years as continuation funding towards the running costs of Voices for Change, a UK-wide programme of workshops aimed at novice grassroots campaigners
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£180,000 18/09/2013
Towards core costs to support grassroots campaigners.
National Lottery Community Fund - Campaign Central: Supporting marginalised people to create change
£10,000 17/01/2013
12
This is a project by a charity in Islington. The group will use the funding to develop its online resources to meet the needs of people and groups who face barriers to obtaining training and ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£25,000 09/08/2011
Towards a programme of small grants to support grass roots campaigners with administration costs.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£126,234 15/07/2010
36
Towards Project costs Towards the costs of a national network of co-ordinators including fees, management costs and evaluation.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sheila McKechnie Foundation
£25,000 10/03/2010
12
Towards Delegated Grant-Making Towards a programme of small grants to support grass roots campaigners.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (13)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 21-60
  • ALEX KENT Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Chief Executive
  • ANTHONY BURTON Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Retired
  • DEBORAH DOANE Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Consultant
  • EMILIJA RUDZINSKAITE Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Learning And Engagement Coordinator
  • GILLIAN LAZONBY Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Lawyer
  • JULIET CAN Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Director
  • KIMBERLY TANAKA GARANDE Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Charity Worker
  • PATRICK STEEN Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Communications And Marketing
  • PETER MOOREY Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Campaigner
  • RICHARD LANE Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Director Of External Affairs
  • SAMI GICHKI Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Unemployed
  • STUART DAVIS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Management Accountant
  • ZAINAB ALI KHAN Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Commissioning, Original Documentaries
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 21/02/2005, number: 1108210
  • Registered at Companies House on 13/01/2005, number: 05331412
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
18 returns made; AR17: 15 days late,
Main office

Shelter
88 Old Street
London
EC1V 9HU

Objectives

TO PROMOTE THE EFFICIENCY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF CHARITIES AND THE EFFECTIVE APPLICATION OF RESOURCES FOR CHARITABLE PURPOSES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC BY RAISING THE STANDARD OF AND PROMOTING EXCELLENCE IN CAMPAIGNING ON BEHALF OF CHARITABLE PURPOSES IN PARTICULAR BY:(A) AWARDING INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CONDUCTED EFFECTIVE AND LAWFUL CAMPAIGNS THAT FURTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSES;(B) RAISING AWARENESS OF GOOD PRACTICE IN CAMPAIGNING;(C) PROVIDING INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE CAMPAIGNING IN FURTHERANCE OF CHARITABLE PURPOSES.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

Tips for Selecting Charities

Which areas of philanthropy are most effective?
The text of this post is taken from an article on the Effective Altruism forum. It suggests that you can achieve the most impact by supporting causes that fight extreme poverty, improving animal welfare....more
Our Top Tips for Philanthropy
Here are some ideas to help you gain more satisfaction from your philanthropy and confidence that the causes you have selected are impactful. Engage your brain, as well as your heart You....more
How to become a Philanthropist
In this Blog we outline a strategy to help people who are new to philanthropy and for those who feel dissatisfied with the impact they are having. Effective philanthropy is immensely rewarding for donors,....more

Giving is Great