Finance Score: 9

Governance Score: 5

Support Score: 2

Liabilities <10%: +3
Good reserves management: +3
Fundraising costs low: +3

Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Mainly male board: -1

Grant maker support: +2

Overall GiG Score: 16

SENSE ABOUT SCIENCE

Provide advice on scientific matters to the media, policymakers, the general public and others.Produce educational materials on scientific issues for the public as well as medical professionals and others.Respond to misleading or false information by providing the public with relevant scientific evidence.Promote the importance of independent scientific advice for public policy.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received modest backing from a grant maker
This charity has a robust balance sheet
Reserves management has been consistently within official guidelines
There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

The Board is predominantly male

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
05/04/23	£754	£746	£8	£16	£465	£388	6.2	11	25
05/04/22	£888	£715	£172	£10	£457	£373	6.3	10	30
05/04/21	£626	£545	£82	£10	£285	£204	4.5	9	30
05/04/20	£557	£686	£-129	£16	£203	£171	3	10	30
05/04/19	£665	£675	£-10	£19	£332	£226	4	11	40
05/04/18	£520	£641	£-121	£16	£342	£317	5.9	11	0
05/04/17	£621	£640	£-19	£59	£463	£463	8.7	10	0
05/04/16	£576	£555	£21	£56	£400	£400	8.7	9	0
05/04/15	£563	£572	£-8	£145	£380	£337	7.1	11	0
05/04/14	£457	£439	£19	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
05/04/13	£613	£384	£229	£40	£229	£229	7.1	8	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 2.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 2.1%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 41%
Highest pay band: £120,000-£130,000
Liabilities/Assets: 8%
Liabilities/Income: 5%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 84%
Reserves/Spending: 6.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 7 months
Quick Ratio: 9.3

Asset Split ?

Established: 12 years
(15 years as a company)

http://www.senseaboutscience.org/

hello@senseaboutscience.org

02074909590

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Education/Training

GiG Classification

Medical education & research

How it operates

Acts as an umbrella or resource body
Provides advocacy/advice/information
Sponsors or undertakes research

Where it operates

Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

11 employees
25 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

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.

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Nuffield Foundation - Strategic Fund Seedcorn Grant
£5,000	18/12/2019	Equipping society to negotiate the basis for confidence in applications of data
Nesta - AR00228
£4,650	03/09/2017 6	UK Alliance for Useful Evidence programme grant to Sense about Science Grant Ref AR00228
Nuffield Foundation - Cross-cutting grant
£28,956	25/07/2017	Evidence Matters: reviewing transparency in government’s use of evidence
JRSST-CT - Improving the reporting of government-commissioned research
£6,350	02/02/2017 3	to ensure the recommendation for a single, publicly searchable database of all government-commissioned research is pursued by government and to keep up the public and political pressure
Nuffield Foundation - Cross-cutting grant
£9,120	25/07/2016	Benchmarking transparency in government’s use of evidence: seeking cross-cutting system and culture change to support initiatives on evidence in policy
Nuffield Foundation - Cross-cutting grant
£33,854	18/04/2016	Benchmarking transparency in government’s use of evidence: seeking cross-cutting system and culture change to support initiatives on evidence in policy

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (10)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Based on 9/10 persons

Age Range of Trustees:

DR MICHAEL FITZPATRICK BA MB BS Appointed: 2012

DR MARIA ULRIKA FONJALLAZ BJORKSTEN Appointed: 2023

MICHAEL ALAN CONRADI Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Lawyer

PROFESSOR LESLEY YELLOWLEES Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Professor Emerita, Other trusteeship: CAMPAIGN FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING,

PROFESSOR PAUL GARNER Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Emiritus Professor

PROFESSOR WILLEM VAN SAARLOOS Appointed: 2021

PROF ROBIN HOWARD LOVELL-BADGE Appointed: 2014, Occupation: Scientist, Other trusteeship: PROGRESS EDUCATIONAL TRUST,

JAMES WREN Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Fundraising Director, Zsl, Other trusteeship: ESSEX WILDLIFE TRUST LIMITED,

JONATHAN BRUUN (Chair) Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Chief Executive, British Pharmacological Society, Other trusteeship: SCIENCE MEDIA CENTRE,

PAUL JAMES HARDAKER Appointed: 2012, Occupation: Charity Chief Executive, Other trusteeship: ROYAL METEOROLOGICAL SOCIETY,

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 29/02/2012, number: 1146170
Registered at Companies House on 11/12/2008, number: 06771027

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Campaigns and political activity 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
Paying staff
Risk management
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

11 returns made; all on time

Main office

Sense about Science
41 Portland Place
LONDON
W1B 1QH

Objectives

1 TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN ANY BRANCH OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH (INCLUDING SOCIAL SCIENCE) AND IN PARTICULAR BY THE DISSEMINATION OF SUCH RESEARCH AND USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT SUCH RESEARCH.2 TO PROMOTE (FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMUNITY) THE KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE PUBLIC OF, AND TO STIMULATE THE INTEREST OF THE PUBLIC IN, THE CREATION, PRESENTATION AND USE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

Data Sources