Finance Score: -5

Governance Score: 9

Support Score: 6

Excess liquidity: -1
Large legacies income: +1
Multiple Deficits: -2
Fundraising costs high: -3

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

Grant maker support: +6

Overall GiG Score: 10

BRITISH EYE RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Fight for Sight funds pioneering research into the prevention and treatment of blindness and eye disease.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
This charity has received considerable income from legacies in recent years
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

Liquidity appeared to be considerably in excess of CC guidelines at the latest year end especially considering the historic stability of income
On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised

Established: 19 years

www.fightforsight.org.uk

info@fightforsight.org.uk

02072643900

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

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
31/03/23		£4,842	£4,346	£496	£1,132	£8,132	£7,661	21.2	17	0
31/03/22		£3,514	£3,898	£-384	£923	£8,013	£7,473	23	10	1
31/03/21		£6,416	£4,149	£2,267	£1,155	£8,220	£7,895	22.8	18	1
31/03/20		£3,332	£4,705	£-1,373	£1,710	£4,934	£3,870	9.9	23	80
31/03/19		£2,908	£5,676	£-2,768	£1,480	£6,633	£6,082	12.9	20	80
31/03/18		£3,501	£5,554	£-2,053	£1,299	£9,077	£7,799	16.9	21	0
31/03/17		£3,792	£4,974	£-1,182	£1,229	£11,238	£9,483	22.9	19	0
31/03/16		£4,524	£5,232	£-708	£1,220	£10,208	£6,000	13.8	15	0
31/03/15		£4,011	£4,885	£-874	£1,099	£11,543	£6,500	16	13	0
31/03/14		£3,243	£5,156	£-1,913	£1,076	£11,515	£7,000	16.3	15	0
31/03/13		£3,765	£4,939	£-1,174	£1,044	£13,063	£4,900	11.9	13	0
31/03/12		£4,708	£4,958	£-250	£969	£12,075	£4,500	10.9	12	0
31/03/11		£4,811	£4,474	£337	£832	£12,163	£3,700	9.9	11	0
31/03/10		£3,058	£3,582	£-524	£681	£11,143	£3,200	10.7	9	0
31/03/09		£3,446	£4,323	£-877	£837	£7,305	£3,200	8.9	10	0
31/03/08		£3,485	£3,102	£383	£676	£13,903	£3,200	12.4	9	0
31/03/07	*	£2,786	£2,931	£-145	£686	£14,573	£2,656	10.9	6	0
31/03/06		£715	£412	£303	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 25.5%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 27%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 8%
Highest pay band: £120,000-£130,000
Liabilities/Assets: 48%
Liabilities/Income: 158%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 94%
Reserves/Spending: 21.2 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: -9 months
Quick Ratio: 0.3

Asset Split ?

Listed activities

Disability
Economic/Community Development/Employment
Education/Training
General Charitable Purposes
The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives

How it operates

Makes Grants to Organisations
Sponsors or undertakes research

Where it operates

Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

People With Disabilities
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

17 employees

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

RS Macdonald Charitable Trust	£60,000
The Clothworkers Foundation	£50,000
The Berkeley Foundation	£20,000
Foundation Scotland	£275

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Foundation Scotland - Grant to Fight for Sight
£150	01/12/2021	Donation from Alan G R Findlay
The Berkeley Foundation - Emergency Covid-19 grant
£20,000	10/03/2021	To develop the charity's youth leadership programme
RS Macdonald Charitable Trust - Characterisation of an animal model for cornea stromal dysfunction: the ZNF469 mouse knockout
£60,000	23/11/2020	Aiming to understand more about corneal biology and increase knowledge regarding the cornea’s normal development. This study will provide knowledge regarding what goes wrong in diseases where the ....more Aiming to understand more about corneal biology and increase knowledge regarding the cornea’s normal development. This study will provide knowledge regarding what goes wrong in diseases where the cornea becomes overly thin.
Foundation Scotland - Grant to Fight for Sight
£125	05/11/2020	General charitable donation from Alan Findlay
The Clothworkers Foundation - Grant to Fight for Sight
£50,000	27/06/2019	towards a comprehensive report on ophthalmology research in the UK which will develop an evidence base highlighting the underfunding of vision-related research in the UK and place Fight for Sight and ....more towards a comprehensive report on ophthalmology research in the UK which will develop an evidence base highlighting the underfunding of vision-related research in the UK and place Fight for Sight and its partners in a much stronger position to lobby gover
RS Macdonald Charitable Trust - Developing a patient-specific therapy for uveitis
£60,000	28/11/2018	“Uveitis” accounts for 15% of all blindness and describes inflammation within the eye. New and improved treatments are desperately required. This project led by Dr Heather Wilson at the ....more “Uveitis” accounts for 15% of all blindness and describes inflammation within the eye. New and improved treatments are desperately required. This project led by Dr Heather Wilson at the University of Aberdeen is focused on developing an alternative approach to treatment of uveitis, namely patient-specific, “customised” cell therapy.
Masonic Trust - MCF Medical Research
£200,000	23/05/2018	A grant to fund 2 PhD studentships to conduct research into Sight Loss
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (3 Years) award
£45,000	14/02/2018	Developing interventions to improve quality of life in visually impaired children
RS Macdonald Charitable Trust - Developing a novel therapy for AMD
£60,000	25/05/2016	Age-related macular degeneration affects approximately 513,000 people in the UK who are over 50. This project led by Dr Alan Stewart at the University of St Andrews is focused on what happens at a ....more Age-related macular degeneration affects approximately 513,000 people in the UK who are over 50. This project led by Dr Alan Stewart at the University of St Andrews is focused on what happens at a cellular and molecular level at an early stage so that preventive therapies may be developed.

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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: 43-69

ALINA KESSEL Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Advertising Executive, Other trusteeship: GLYNDEBOURNE PRODUCTIONS LIMITED,

DARREN BARKER Appointed: 2023, Occupation: General Management

DR AMIT PATEL Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant, Other trusteeship: LIVING STREETS (THE PEDESTRIANS ASSOCIATION),

DR HEATHER GILES (Chair) Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Pharmaceutical Executive

ELIZABETH HONER Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Director

KEITH FELTON Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Retired

LY LAM Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Financial Services

PROF MARIA FRANCESCA CORDEIRO Appointed: 2016

SYLVESTER OPPONG Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Corporate Finance Advisor

VICTORIA CURREY Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Hr Director

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 26/09/2005, number: 1111438
Registered at Companies House on 02/08/2005, number: 05525503

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Event History

05/09/2019 - Asset transfer in from THE CHELTENHAM OPHTHALMOLOGY
14/09/2020 - Asset transfer in from JR AND SA BROOKS CHARITABLE TRUST

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
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
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

18 returns made; AR07: 15 days late,

Recent reorganisation events:

Asset transfer in from THE CHELTENHAM OPHTHALMOLOGY on 05/09/2019
Asset transfer in from JR AND SA BROOKS CHARITABLE TRUST on 14/09/2020

Main office

Fight For Sight
18 MANSELL STREET
LONDON
E1 8AA

Objectives

1. For the public benefit to relieve people in need by reason of blindness or visual impairment and advancing education and health in all areas relating to blindness and sight loss, in particular, but not limited to, providing grants. 2. Carrying out research into and making grants for the purpose of research into and promoting by all available means the study of disease in relation to the eye and allied subjects and generally improving the standard of knowledge of the means of prevention, diagnosis and methods of treatment and cure thereof. 3. Doing all other things as are incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects and are considered to be charitable within the laws of England and Wales.”

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources