Finance Score: 1
Governance Score: 3
Support Score: 11
  • Low unrestricted reserves: -2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +11
Overall GiG Score: 15 ?

OPENTRUST 

The object of the Trust is the advancement of education, nationally and internationally, in the social, enviromental, political and biological sciences, economics, law, the arts and media communication and other recognised scholarly subjects
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
  • 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

Financial issues to consider:

  • Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end
Established: 23 years

https://theopentrust.org.uk/

opentrustfinance@gmail.com

01223316766

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies House
UN SDGs
?

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
31/12/22£1,214£804£410£0£834£410.600
31/12/21£905£917£-12£1£425£240.300
31/12/20£703£744£-41£0£437£150.200
31/12/19£805£520£285£0£478£160.400
31/12/18*£837£986£-149£0£193£120.100
31/12/17£528£363£165£0£342£40.100
31/12/16£308£212£96£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/15£276£254£22£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/14£139£148£-9£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/13£296£247£48£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/12£273£262£10£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/11£149£159£-10£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/10£201£242£-41£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/09£299£405£-106£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/08£297£398£-101£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/07£752£601£151£15£267£190.400
31/12/06£629£530£99£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/05£294£500£-206£0£0£0n/a00
31/12/04£349£791£-441£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 0%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 0.1%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 8%
Liabilities/Income: 6%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 5%
Reserves/Spending: 0.6 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 12 months
Quick Ratio: 9.3
Asset Split ?
Listed activities
  • Education/Training
How it operates
  • Makes Grants to Organisations
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind

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
Joseph Rowntree Foundation£174,316
David & Elaine Potter Foundation£160,000
The Legal Education Foundation£76,500
LUND TRUST£50,000
The Baring Foundation£40,000
The Joffe Trust£30,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Open Trust
£117,000 18/03/2023
Pushing for better information rights
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£40,000 23/11/2021
Core support of the charitable aspects of openDemocracy
Joseph Rowntree Foundation - Grant to Open Trust
£57,316 09/07/2021
12
Strengthening the right to information for more transparent and accountable governance
The Legal Education Foundation - Strengthening transparency mechanisms in post-Brexit Britain
£76,500 07/07/2021
Working with the media, policymakers, and civil society to assess and increase transparency, accountability, and the protection of rights by examining the effectiveness of legal mechanisms that allow ....more
LUND TRUST - Towards openDemocracy Russia (oDR)
£50,000 23/05/2021
Towards a non-partisan media project that covers political and social developments in the post-Soviet space.
The Joffe Trust - Open Democracy
£30,000 02/10/2020
12
Support investigative journalism in the post Soviet space linked to the UK as an offshore centre
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£60,000 02/09/2020
12.5
Core support of the charitable aspects of openDemocracy
The Baring Foundation - Grant to Open Trust
£40,000 23/06/2020
A legal challenge calling for transparency concerning the government's refusal to publish details of the COVID-19 NHS datastore.
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£60,000 03/07/2019
12
Core funding of openDemocracy
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£50,000 16/07/2018
12
Core support of openDemocracy
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£50,000 27/06/2017
12
Core support of openDemocracy
Friends Provident Foundation - OpenTrust - openDemocracy project: New thinking for the British economy
£65,000 07/06/2016
openDemocracyUK (oD-UK) will publish a prominent two year series to stimulate new thinking on transforming Britain's economy. We will drive tangible change of our economic system by building an ....more
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£60,000 15/03/2016
12
Core support of openDemocracy
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£30,000 29/04/2015
12
Core support of openDemocracy
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£20,000 30/09/2014
Core support of ourKingdom
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£25,000 01/07/2014
Core support of openDemocracy
David & Elaine Potter Foundation - Core funding
£100,000 25/06/2013
Core support of openDemocracy
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (5)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split

Age Range of Trustees:
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 30/04/2001, number: 1086404
  • Registered at Companies House on 14/11/2000, number: 04107837
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Conflicting interests
Filing Record
19 returns made; AR18: 13 days late,
Main office

5 MADINGLEY ROAD
CAMBRIDGE
CB3 0EE

Objectives

THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION, NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY, IN THE SOCIAL, ENVIRONMENTAL, POLITICAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES, ECONOMICS, LAW, THE ARTS AND MEDIA COMMUNICATION AND OTHER RECOGNISED SCHOLARLY SUBJECTS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

WORLDWIDE

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

Tips for Selecting Charities

Which areas of philanthropy are most effective?
The text of this post is taken from an article on the Effective Altruism forum. It suggests that you can achieve the most impact by supporting causes that fight extreme poverty, improving animal welfare....more
Our Top Tips for Philanthropy
Here are some ideas to help you gain more satisfaction from your philanthropy and confidence that the causes you have selected are impactful. Engage your brain, as well as your heart You....more
How to become a Philanthropist
In this Blog we outline a strategy to help people who are new to philanthropy and for those who feel dissatisfied with the impact they are having. Effective philanthropy is immensely rewarding for donors,....more

Giving is Great