Finance Score: 3

Governance Score: 6

Support Score: 4

Low unrestricted reserves: -2
Strong growth: +2
Fundraising costs low: +3

Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Overall weighted support: +4

Overall GiG Score: 13

THE HUMAN MILK FOUNDATION

Overview

The Human Milk Foundation support the provision of equitable access to screened donor milk in hospital neonatal units across the UK. They also provide much needed donor milk to disadvantaged families in communities, and conduct scientific studies to progress research in the area.

Founders, Dr Natalie Shenker and Gillian Weaver have been successful in raising awareness of donor milk necessity and their collaboration with partners is propelling advancements. Donor milk demand has increased significantly in recent years, which they have responded to well by consistently delivering more milk annually and expanding locations to supply.

Source: Giving is Great

Mission:

To support parents to feed their babies with human milk, supply information, education and training across the field, and fund groundbreaking scientific research projects

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
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 unusually low relative to funds raised
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

Over half the Board have joined recently

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	£522	£555	£-33	£5	£197	£129	2.8	12	24
31/03/22	£469	£448	£21	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/21	£410	£286	£124	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/20	£235	£180	£56	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
?31/03/19	£57	£32	£25	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/03/18	£4	£1	£3	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0.9%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.9%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 14%
Highest pay band: £60,000-£70,000
Liabilities/Assets: 6%
Liabilities/Income: 2%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 66%
Reserves/Spending: 2.8 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 3 months
Quick Ratio: 6.1

Asset Split ?

Balance Sheet History

Comment: All income from sales relates to the sale of donated breast milk to NHS Hospitals accounted for on an accruals basis. Such sales are not subject to VAT and account for just over 50% of income

Source: Giving is Great

Established: 8 years

http://humanmilkfoundation.org

info@humanmilkfoundation.org

01442 505020

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

How you can help

What it does

The Human Milk Foundation provides screened donor milk to babies in hospital or the community, where breastfeeding is impossible or taking time to establish. The HMF also makes grants available for research and educational purposes, and develops programmes of education related to disseminating the science of human milk.

Listed activities

Education/Training
General Charitable Purposes
Human Rights/Religious Or Racial Harmony/Equality Or Diversity
The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives

GiG Classification

Outpatient support services

How it operates

Makes grants to organisations
Provides advocacy/advice/information
Provides buildings/facilities/open space
Provides other finance
Sponsors or undertakes research

Where it operates

Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

Children/Young People
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	£51,100
The EQ Foundation	£10,000
The Funding Network	£8,466
The Childhood Trust	£2,500

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Masonic Trust - MCF Matched Funding
£1,000	11/08/2021	Unrestricted matched funding in partnership with the local masonic province
The Childhood Trust - Help us save babies' lives with donor human milk
£2,500	22/06/2021	Much like donated blood, donor human milk is life-saving for premature babies. The Human Milk Foundation supplies donor milk to hospital neonatal intensive care units and to mums at home with cancer and other health conditions through The Hearts ....more Much like donated blood, donor human milk is life-saving for premature babies. The Human Milk Foundation supplies donor milk to hospital neonatal intensive care units and to mums at home with cancer and other health conditions through The Hearts Milk Bank and support parents through crisis.
The EQ Foundation - Grant to The Human Milk Foundation
£10,000	15/06/2021	Unrestricted via TFN
DCMS - DCMS VSCE CMC Covid Funding
£51,100	27/11/2020	"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public ....more "The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to operate, thereby reducing the burden on public services.2) To ensure essential services are provided to vulnerable people, both in the short and long term through increased community support through the work of charitable organisations."
The Funding Network - Milk donor screening programme
£8,466	05/12/2019	We currently turn down milk donations due to a lack of resources. This project would enable us to screen more of the women who want to donate their milk.

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (5)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

ANDREW DAVID HOPKINS Appointed: 2024

DR GEMMA PARTRIDGE Appointed: 2021

Gemma has lived experience of of HMF work having been a milk donor following the birth of her son. She is a Consultant Obstetrician with a special interest in maternal medicine at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, providing holistic care for women with diabetes and other medical conditions in pregnancy and beyond.....more

EMMA PICKETT Appointed: 2022

After spending 9 years as a primary school teacher and Deputy Head in inner London, Emma became a mother and realised how desperately breastfeeding support was needed by so many. She qualified as a Breastfeeding Counsellor with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers in 2007 and started volunteering on the Department of Health’s National....more

SIMON MORLEY Appointed: 2023

TINA LESLEY CROMBIE Appointed: 2020

Tina is co-founder and director of TCR UK Solutions, implementing scalable systems and processes for life science companies. She has 25 years’ life science business experience and is an experienced charity trustee

Legal constitution

Charity registered in England & Wales on 11/04/2017, number: 1172522

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

6 returns made; all on time

Main office

Human Milk Foundation
Gossoms End Health Centre
Victory Road
Berkhamsted
HP4 1DL

Objectives

THE OBJECT[S] OF THE CIO ARE:(1) THE PROTECTION AND PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH OF MOTHERS AND INFANTS IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION AND ADVICE IN ALL AREAS OF HUMAN MILK BANKING.(2) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION AND RESEARCH IN THE FIELD OF HEALTH IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF HUMAN MILK WITH THE DISSEMINATION OF THE USEFUL RESULTS OF SUCH RESEARCH.

Data Sources

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