Finance Score: 11
Governance Score: 2
Support Score: 16
  • Good reserves management: +3
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Future income +5
  • 12+ Trustees: -1
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +16
Overall GiG Score: 29 ?

SUSTAIN: THE ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FOOD & FARMING

Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity. We represent around 100 national public interest organisations, and are independent from the agri-food industry.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Reserves management has been consistently within official guidelines
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • 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

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • Why are there 15 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12?

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£1,826£1,782£45£18£1,127£8946301
31/03/22£1,573£1,468£105£18£1,083£8737.1295
31/03/21£2,569£2,239£330£8£977£7744.12510
31/03/20£1,556£1,507£50£17£647£4133.32332
31/03/19£1,298£1,299£-2£16£597£3753.52230
31/03/18£1,195£1,070£124£10£599£3714.2220
31/03/17£1,196£1,380£-184£24£475£3493180
31/03/16£1,196£1,088£108£8£658£3483.8170
31/03/15£1,439£1,614£-175£43£551£4043130
31/03/14£1,507£1,528£-22£26£726£4863.8150
31/03/13£2,095£2,091£4£24£747£4672.7170
31/03/12£2,311£2,074£237£23£744£4532.6180
31/03/11£2,076£2,107£-31£22£507£4462.5260
31/03/10£1,832£1,890£-58£12£538£4342.8240
31/03/09£1,556£1,598£-42£16£596£3963170
31/03/08*£1,223£891£332£26£638£3414.6140
31/03/07£628£564£64£24£306£2635.6130
31/03/06£448£533£-85n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/05*£529£484£45n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/04£435£446£-10n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 1%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 9%
Highest pay band: £60,000-£70,000
Liabilities/Assets: 32%
Liabilities/Income: 30%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 79%
Reserves/Spending: 6 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 8 months
Quick Ratio: 2.4
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 32 years

www.sustainweb.org

sustain@sustainweb.org

02035596777

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Economic/Community Development/Employment
  • Environment/Conservation/Heritage
  • The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
GiG Classification
  • Environment conservation & animal welfare advocacy
How it operates
  • Acts as an umbrella or resource body
Where it operates
  • Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
  • 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
Esmee Fairbairn£760,000
Thirty Percy Foundation£750,000
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity£650,837
Trust for London£310,000
City Bridge Trust£277,664
Samworth Foundation£250,000
Joseph Rowntree Foundation£165,000
Rothschild Foundation£157,500
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Trust for London - Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
£130,000 01/02/2024
24
The funding is for continuation of the London Food Poverty Campaign, which engages the Greater London Authority, local authorities, food partnerships, food poverty alliances and other organisations, promoting policy and practice looking beyond ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to SUSTAIN: THE ALLIANCE FOR BETTER FOOD & FARMING
£700,000 12/12/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs for the alliance to enable policy, support and economic conditions for accelerated transition to nature-friendly farming and land use, and champion diversity in all forms
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Sustain
£165,000 08/07/2023
Derisking an Agroecological Transition
Rothschild Foundation - Grant to Sustain
£7,500 01/03/2023
Cost of living supplementary grant
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sustain
£10,000 20/02/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs as a Cost of Living Uplift
The Aim Foundation - Grant to Sustain
£94,998 01/02/2023
36
Advocating for universal free school meals in England
Barrow Cadbury Trust - Good Food Enterprise: From food aid to food trade
£80,800 15/11/2022
Grow the infrastructural support for Community Food Enterprises to reach social investment.
Rothschild Foundation - Grant to Sustain
£150,000 08/07/2022
Local Food Retail: a multi-organisational programme to catalyse better, fairer and more resilient trading in local food, to support nature friendly farmer-focused supply chains across the UK
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity - Fiscal Measures Campaign
£558,900 25/01/2022
A campaign for a new tax on unhealthy food and/or drink
Trust for London - Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming
£180,000 03/03/2021
The funding is for Sustain’s London Food Poverty Campaign, targeting local government to take action to reduce food poverty during and after Covid-19 through an annual report and engagement activities. It will deliver targeted campaigning and ....more
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Sustain; the alliance for better food and farming
£246,500 08/12/2020
36
£246,500 over 3 years (£84,500; £83,000; £79,000) towards salary costs of the Project Co-ordinator (3dpw), Project Officer (3dpw) and associated running costs to deliver a range of activities to support and protect London’s Community Gardens.
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Sustain; the alliance for better food and farming
£31,164 11/09/2020
towards the costs of a community gardening programme, as outlined in your application
Friends Provident Foundation - Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming - Food Systems for 1.5 degrees
£90,000 01/07/2020
We are in a time of climate and nature emergency, with land use and commodification key drivers of ecosystem harm, but also with major opportunities to cut emissions, restore nature and become more resilient. As with renewable energy, good practice ....more
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sustain
£50,000 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
Samworth Foundation - Transforming UK food and farming to tackle the climate and nature emergency
£250,000 11/03/2020
60
core funding to support their climate and nature emergency work
Thirty Percy Foundation - Grant to Sustain
£750,000 28/02/2020
Core costs
Guy's and St Thomas' Charity - Funding for multi-year project
£91,937 08/01/2020
Funding to Sustain
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Sustain
£150,000 12/07/2019
36
Farming, trading and climate resilience
DCMS - Age-friendly and Inclusive Volunteering
£55,332 01/04/2019
Engaging older volunteers in community gardens across London to grow food and share good practice
John Ellerman Foundation - Core costs
£150,000 24/01/2019
36
Towards core costs of the "Campaign for a Better Food Britain" and its policy advocacy work on sustainable fishing and farming
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming
£76,439 11/12/2018
To coordinate a collaborative alliance and movement of third-sector organisations, working with academics and legal and advocacy advisors, towards achievement of new Food Rights.
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to Sustain : the Alliance for Better Food and Farming
£10,000 06/12/2018
Growing Culture: Celebrating London's past and future food growing heritage
Greater London Authority - Good Food and Food Bank reports
£5,000 24/09/2018
To support publication of Good Food for London and Beyond the Food Bank 2018 reports.
Greater London Authority - Good Food and Food Bank reports
£5,000 24/09/2018
To support publication of Good Food for London and Beyond the Food Bank 2018 reports.
Greater London Authority - Good Food and Food Bank reports
£5,000 24/09/2018
To support publication of Good Food for London and Beyond the Food Bank 2018 reports.
Greater London Authority - Good Food and Food Bank reports
£5,000 24/09/2018
To support publication of Good Food for London and Beyond the Food Bank 2018 reports.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sustain
£500,000 19/09/2018
60
Towards core revenue support that will enable Sustain to take forward its key strategic aims over the next five years.
Greater London Authority - Grant to Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming
£15,000 30/07/2018
To support Captial Growth Programme - including the jobs and skills elements
Trust for London - Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming
£150,000 14/06/2018
30
The funding is to provide a roadmap of policies to reduce food poverty. Our work will be two-fold: working with local authorities and key stakeholders to implement strategic and affordable actions to tackle food poverty in the capital and amplifying ....more
Greater London Authority - Grant to Sustain: the alliance forr better food and farming
£5,500 12/09/2017
Contribute to the production of the 2017 Good Food for London and Beyond the Food Bank Reports
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Sustain: The Alliance for Better Food and Farming
£73,561 16/05/2017
We will coordinate a collaborative alliance and movement of third-sector organisations, working with academics and legal and advocacy advisors, towards achievement of new Food Rights.
Friends Provident Foundation - Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming - A million good jobs for better farming and land use
£75,000 07/06/2016
Mobilising Sustain's influential alliance and advocacy we will: Establish a UK target of 1 million good jobs in better farming and land-use; Systematically address barriers and opportunities: corporate, government, funding, training, planning, land.
National Lottery Community Fund - Sustain CAP development grant
£50,000 31/05/2016
6
This development funding will be used to help establish an alliance of groups aiming to ensure everyone in the UK has access to good food. It will bring together major national organisations working on food and poverty and builds on previous events ....more
City Bridge Trust - Grant to Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming
£144,800 23/09/2015
36
£144,800 over three years (£49,980; £54,900; £39,920) for 2dpw of the Project Officer’s salary; 2dpw of the Project Support Officer’s salary; plus related costs of the London Grows Project.
Greater London Authority - Grant to Sustain - The Alliance for better food and farming
£34,000 13/05/2015
Delivery of Capital Growth programme of food growing spaces in London
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Sustain
£300,000 06/11/2014
Towards the cost of enabling Sustain to consolidate and continue to deliver the Campaign for Better Hospital Food, securing binding standards of quality and sustainability.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (15)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 14/15 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 37-69
  • ALISON JANE SWAN PARENTE BA DL Appointed: 2016
  • ANDRE KPODONU Appointed: 2020
  • BRIDGET JENNIFER HENDERSON Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Research Officer
  • COBI-JANE OLUWATOBI AKINRELE Appointed: 2020
  • DAVID EDWARDS MR Appointed: 2020
  • DEIRDRE ALISON WOODS Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Community Food Practitioner/Consultant
  • DR KAWTHER HASHEM Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Nutritionist
  • JOSIE COHEN Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Head Of Policy And Campaigns
  • JYOTI FERNANDES Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Organic Farmer
  • KATHARINE HELEN BOYD Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Nutritionist
  • MIKE RAYNER (Chair), Occupation: Health Policy Researcher
  • ROB PERCIVAL Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Head Of Food Policy
  • SHEFALEE LOTH Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Nutritionist And Writer
  • STEPHANIE SLATER Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Chief Executive
  • VICTORIA WILLIAMS Appointed: 2014, Occupation: Food Specialist
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 12/03/1993, number: 1018643
  • Registered at Companies House on 19/12/1991, number: 02673194
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
  • Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • 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
20 returns made; AR08: 1 days late, AR05: 2 days late,
Recent reorganisation events:
  • Asset transfer in from HYPERACTIVE CHILDREN'S SUPPORT GROUP on 16/05/2024
Main office

The Green House
244-254 Cambridge Heath Road
LONDON
E2 9DA

Objectives

TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN AND TO INITIATE OR CARRY ON RESEARCH INTO ALL ASPECTS OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE POLICY PRODUCTION DISTRIBUTION AND CONSUMPTION WITH A VIEW TO IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC BY INCREASING THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND APPRECIATION OF THE WAY IN WHICH FOOD IS PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED AND THE EFFECTS THIS CAN HAVE ON HUMAN HEALTH AND THE HEALTH OF THE ENVIRONMENT ON WHICH HUMANS DEPEND

Defined Area of Benefit:

IN PRACTICE THE UNITED KINGDOM

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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