Finance Score: -5

Governance Score: 9

Support Score: 15

Liabilities <10%: +3
Multiple Deficits and declines: -5
Fundraising costs high: -3

Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Grant maker support: +15

Overall GiG Score: 19

PROGRESSIVE FARMING TRUST LIMITED

The Progressive Farming Trust is committed to developing sustainable land management and food production systems based on organic/ agroecological principles; fostering knowledge exchange and influencing public debate with sound evidence, to help meet human nutritional needs with safe, affordable, high quality food that enhances the natural environment and ensures the health and wellbeing of all.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

This charity has a robust balance sheet
A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government and there are significant future grants due to be received
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

Income has been volatile and on several occasions in recent years less than spending
Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised

Established: 43 years

www.organicresearchcentre.com

Hello@organicresearchcentre.com

01488658298

Charity Commission for England and Wales

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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
31/10/22	£747	£1,086	£-339	£179	£1,651	£931	10.3	23	2
31/10/21	£1,192	£1,221	£-29	£136	£2,175	£1,272	12.5	21	3
31/10/20	£2,164	£1,394	£770	£101	£2,271	£1,450	12.5	20	5
31/10/19	£965	£1,824	£-858	£54	£1,089	£532	3.5	22	5
31/10/18	£1,192	£1,346	£-154	£80	£1,947	£1,374	12.2	23	0
31/10/17	£1,741	£1,231	£510	£60	£2,102	£1,501	14.6	26	0
31/10/16	£1,000	£1,063	£-63	£65	£1,591	£1,570	17.7	23	0
31/10/15	£883	£1,125	£-242	£33	£1,667	£1,648	17.6	19	0
31/10/14	£1,018	£1,185	£-167	£11	£1,863	£1,846	18.7	19	0
31/10/13	£968	£1,038	£-69	£14	£1,739	£94	1.1	23	0
31/10/12	£990	£1,206	£-215	£69	£1,789	£1,732	17.2	22	0
31/10/11	£1,119	£1,191	£-72	£18	£1,986	£1,943	19.6	23	0
31/10/10	£1,212	£1,369	£-157	£78	£2,064	£2,064	18.1	18	0
31/10/09	£1,001	£1,005	£-4	£166	£2,221	£2,220	26.5	18	0
31/10/08	£1,028	£1,080	£-52	£96	£2,225	£2,225	24.7	18	0
31/10/07	£967	£936	£31	£54	£2,278	£2,278	29.2	18	0
31/10/06	£1,209	£1,155	£54	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/10/05	£945	£939	£6	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/10/04	£2,415	£716	£1,699	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 26.6%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 17.3%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 4%
Liabilities/Income: 9%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 56%
Reserves/Spending: 10.3 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 7 months
Quick Ratio: 3.2

Asset Split ?

Listed activities

Education/Training
Environment/Conservation/Heritage

How it operates

Other charitable activities
Provides advocacy/advice/information
Sponsors or undertakes research

Where it operates

Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

Other Defined Groups
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

23 employees
2 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.

Major supporters in last 5 years

Esmee Fairbairn	£270,000
John Ellerman Foundation	£120,750
The Linbury Trust	£120,000
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	£68,479
Rothschild Foundation	£60,600
Garfield Weston Foundation	£25,000
Dulverton Trust	£20,000
Mark Leonard Trust	£13,033

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to PROGRESSIVE FARMING TRUST LIMITED
£50,000	13/12/2023	Towards project costs to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use on intensively managed grasslands in the UK by engaging with multiple stakeholders to co-create innovative and integrated solutions to the ....more Towards project costs to reduce nitrogen fertiliser use on intensively managed grasslands in the UK by engaging with multiple stakeholders to co-create innovative and integrated solutions to the challenge
Mark Leonard Trust - For a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of crop science relating to regenerative agriculture.
£13,033	24/10/2023	For a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) of crop science relating to regenerative agriculture.
The Linbury Trust - Agricology - ORC
£120,000	20/06/2023	A grant over three years towards the Agricology resource to contribute to the farm engagement strand.
Rothschild Foundation - Grant to Organic Research Centre
£600	01/03/2023	Cost of living supplementary grant
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Progressive Farming Trust Limited
£20,000	13/02/2023	Towards unrestricted core costs as a Cost of Living Uplift
Rothschild Foundation - Grant to Organic Research Centre
£60,000	08/07/2022	To showcase the Waddesdon Estate on Agricology as a leading example of agroecological transition and innovation, providing inspiration to those considering sustainable farming.
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - European Thematic Network for unlocking the full potential of Operational Groups on alternative weed control
£2,151	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10053183
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Agroforestry at the forefront of farming sustainability in multifunctional landscapes in Europe
£47,579	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10039700
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Re-Livestock : Facilitating Innovations for Resilient Livestock Farming Systems
£9,280	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10048150
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - LIVESEEDING: Organic seed and plant breeding to accelerate sustainable and diverse food systems in Europe
£9,469	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10049671
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Progressive Farming Trust Limited
£200,000	19/01/2022 36	Towards core costs to extend the audience and reach of Agricology to help farmers transition to nature friendly forms of farming.
Dulverton Trust - Optimum Shelter Belt Project
£20,000	28/10/2021	Optimum Shelter Belt Project
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£25,000	08/10/2021	Knowledge Exchange Programme, Autumn 2021
Tedworth Charitable Trust - Core costs
£10,000	10/09/2021	Towards core costs
John Ellerman Foundation - Proportion of CEO salary, a Fundraising Officer and a new Donor Database.
£120,750	21/05/2020 36	Proportion of CEO salary, a Fundraising Officer and a new Donor Database.
Tedworth Charitable Trust - Core costs
£20,000	26/07/2016	Towards core costs.

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Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees: 32-71

DR DONALD PECK Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Retired, Other trusteeships: INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC POLICY RESEARCH, FOUNDATION RACHEL AND PAMELA SCHIELE,

HONOR MAY ELDRIDGE Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Policy Lead

JAKE PICKERING Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Senior Manager Agriculture

NED JONATHAN WESTAWAY Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Barrister

PROFESSOR CHRISTINE ANNE WATSON Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Academic

PROFESSOR JANET CAROLINE DWYER Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Professor Of Rural Policy

SEETA RAJANI Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Finance And Operations Manager

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 06/11/1980, number: 281276
Registered at Companies House on 19/08/1980, number: 01513190

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Conflicting interests
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Volunteer management

Filing Record

19 returns made; all on time

Main office

T/A ORGANIC RESEARCH CENTRE
Trent Lodge
Stroud Road
CIRENCESTER
GL7 6JN

Objectives

3 OBJECTS3.1 THE CHARITY’S OBJECTS ARE SPECIFICALLY RESTRICTED TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION BY THE PROMOTION, ENCOURAGEMENT AND ADVANCEMENT OF KNOWLEDGE OF, AND RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTS INTO AGRICULTURE, ORGANIC FARMING AND TECHNICAL, ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL SCIENCES AND APPROPRIATE OR INTERMEDIATE TECHNOLOGY WHETHER WITHIN THE UK OR OTHERWISE.3.2 NOTHING IN THE ARTICLES SHALL AUTHORISE AN APPLICATION OF THE PROPERTY OF THE CHARITY FOR PURPOSES WHICH ARE NOT CHARITABLE IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 7 OF THE CHARITIES AND TRUSTEE INVESTMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 2005 AND/OR SECTION 2 OF THE CHARITIES ACT (NORTHERN IRELAND) 2008

Defined Area of Benefit:

THE UNITED KINGDOM AND OVERSEAS

Data Sources