Finance Score: 5
Governance Score: 1
Support Score: 13
  • Strong growth: +2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • No volunteer policy: -2
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Grant maker support: +13
Overall GiG Score: 19 ?

BLUE MARINE FOUNDATION 

Overview

BLUE aims to restore the ocean back to full health by creating marine reserves, restoring vital habitats, and establishing models of sustainable fishing. In a relatively short period of time, they have become a significant force with campaigns succeeding in catalysing bans on electric pulse fishing in EU waters and the creation of marine protected areas around UK overseas territories.

They have an impressive executive team, accomplished in the private sector and making waves in the third sector on a mission to see 30% of the world’s ocean under effective protection by 2030 and the other 70% managed in a responsible way.

Source: Giving is Great

Mission:

To restore the ocean to health by creating marine reserves, restoring vital habitats and establishing models of sustainable fishing
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • This charity is endorsed by a respected charity impact evaluator
  • There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Although this charity works with volunteers it does not have a Volunteer Management policy
  • One or more trustees receive payments or benefits from the charity for providing services to the charity
Established: 14 years

www.bluemarinefoundation.com

info@bluemarinefoundation.com

02078455850

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramXYouTube
UN SDGs
?
How you can help

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£11,300£9,502£1,798£665£9,711£3,4424.340150
31/03/22£7,790£6,209£1,581£167£8,096£2,9175.63340
31/03/21£6,312£4,158£2,154£167£6,566£2,0205.8230
31/03/20£4,046£3,621£426£213£2,412£1,0753.62020
31/03/19£4,189£3,363£827£180£1,986£8142.91430
31/03/18£2,085£2,048£36£81£1,159£5873.4100
31/03/17£2,024£1,619£406£82£1,123£6064.570
31/03/16*£2,140£1,964£176£108£717£5433.360
31/03/15£1,957£2,069£-112£273£541£342240
31/03/14£1,870£1,944£-75£319£653£487340
31/03/13£1,815£1,439£376£308£728£4914.130
31/03/12*£1,211£1,119£93£205£352£3523.820
31/03/11*£989£730£259£258£259£2594.300

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 6.3%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 7%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 8%
Highest pay band: £110,000-£120,000
Liabilities/Assets: 4%
Liabilities/Income: 4%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 35%
Reserves/Spending: 4.3 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 10 months
Quick Ratio: 17.6
Asset Split ?
Comment: Revenue in 2020/1 included an endowment of £2m from UK Government to deliver an annual income in perpetuity for community projects chosen by Ascension Island representatives to make up for income that would have been received from the sale of fishing licences.

Source: Giving is Great

What it does
Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) exists to combat overfishing and the destruction of biodiversity through the creation of large-scale marine reserves and by delivering new models of sustainable fishing.
Listed activities
  • Animals
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • Education/Training
  • Environment/Conservation/Heritage
How it operates
  • Other charitable activities
  • Provides services
  • Sponsors or undertakes research
Where it operates
  • Belize, British Indian Ocean Territory, Chile, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Maldives, Saint Helena, Scotland,
Who it helps
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • Other Defined Groups
  • The General Public/Mankind
Who works here?
  • 40 employees
  • 150 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

Endorsed by:
  • UBS Optimus
Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years
John Ellerman Foundation£435,570
Garfield Weston Foundation£200,000
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch£80,500
The EQ Foundation£75,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£25,000 16/05/2023
Big Give Green Match
John Ellerman Foundation - Improving ocean protection and management around UK Sovereign Base Akrotiri in Cyprus
£99,425 25/10/2022
Improving ocean protection and management around UK Sovereign Base Akrotiri in Cyprus
John Ellerman Foundation - Core costs
£37,000 25/10/2022
Core costs
Dulverton Trust - Measuring and monitoring Solent restoration
£34,925 08/06/2022
Measuring and monitoring Solent restoration
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£25,000 16/05/2022
Big Give Green Match
John Ellerman Foundation - BLUE resourcing 2 members of marine team staff (head of marine conservation and marine team member) Fieldwork expenses
£149,145 15/12/2021
36
BLUE resourcing 2 members of marine team staff (head of marine conservation and marine team member) Fieldwork expenses
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - Blue Marine Foundation
£58,500 27/10/2021
Support for the Blue Marine Foundation (BLUE) to project an immersive video simulation representing the climate change mitigation and adaptation benefits offered by blue carbon habitats in the main ....more
The Aim Foundation - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£33,550 08/10/2021
Feasibility study of an integrated ecosystem approach to restore connected habitats of East Anglia's coastal waters
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (3 Years) award
£100,000 09/07/2021
Core Costs/Unrestricted Grant
LUND TRUST - UK Sturgeon Project
£10,000 23/05/2021
To reverse the decline of the UK’s native sturgeon species.
The EQ Foundation - Grant to Blue Marine
£25,000 15/05/2021
Unrestricted
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, UK Branch - Blue Marine Foundation
£22,000 03/03/2021
Support for the Blue Marine Foundation to hold a blue carbon conference in June 2021 and build a coalition of marine NGOs and climate scientists focused on advancing domestic blue carbon/blue climate ....more
John Ellerman Foundation - Core costs
£150,000 26/11/2020
Core costs
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (3 Years) award
£100,000 03/07/2020
Core Costs/Unrestricted Grant
Seafarers UK - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£7,750 04/04/2019
Grant funding to support an apprenticeship feasability study, within the Plymouth Marine Park area, aimed at recruiting local young people into the fishing community.
Seafarers UK - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£7,750 04/04/2019
Grant funding for an apprenticeships feasability study - within the Plymouth Marine Park area - which aims to recruit local young people into the fishing community inc train them with the skills ....more
Dulverton Trust - Baseline mapping of the Solent Oyster Restoration Project
£34,500 25/10/2018
Baseline mapping of the Solent Oyster Restoration Project
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (2 Years) award
£100,000 23/05/2018
Core Costs
Dulverton Trust - Restoring Solent Ecosystem Health
£35,000 14/06/2017
Restoring Solent Ecosystem Health
John Ellerman Foundation - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£150,000 23/03/2016
36
Towards the core costs of its work in the UK and the Overseas Territories, tackling overfishing and promoting sustainable fishing.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Blue Marine Foundation
£150,000 24/04/2014
Towards the Lyme Bay Fisheries and Conservation Reserve, a project working with local fishing communities to develop a model for the sustainable and equitable management of marine resources.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 40-84
  • CRAIG DAVIES Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Chartered Accountant
  • DR ARLO BRADY Appointed: 2012, Occupation: Director Public Relations, Freud Communications
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 30/07/2010, number: 1137209
  • Registered at Companies House on 03/03/2010, number: 07176743
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
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • 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
13 returns made; AR16: 2 days late, AR12: 13 days late, AR11: 15 days late,
Main office

Somerset House
Strand
LONDON
WC2R 1LA

Objectives

1 TO PROMOTE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC THE CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE PHYSICAL AND NATURAL ENVIRONMENT BY PROMOTING MARINE PRESERVATION AND THE PREVENTION OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY DECLINE; AND 2 TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE CONSERVATION PROTECTION AND IMPROVEMENT OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT

Defined Area of Benefit:

UNDEFINED. IN PRACTICE, NATIONAL.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase

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