Finance Score: 4

Governance Score: 9

Support Score: 9

Large legacies income: +1
Fundraising costs low: +3

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

Grant maker support: +9

Overall GiG Score: 22

FIRST STORY LIMITED

First Story brings talented, professional writers into schools serving low-income communities to work with teachers and students to foster creativity and communication skills.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
This charity has received considerable income from legacies in recent years
There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Established: 16 years

www.firststory.org.uk

info@firststory.org.uk

0207 481 7777

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
30/06/23		£765	£801	£-36	£58	£325	£325	4.9	9	96
30/06/22	*	£717	£637	£80	£44	£361	£353	6.7	8	60
30/06/21		£547	£513	£34	£44	£281	£281	6.6	8	0
30/06/20		£699	£659	£40	£56	£246	£242	4.4	9	30
30/06/19	*	£694	£1,001	£-307	£122	£206	£206	2.5	16	44
30/06/18		£736	£887	£-151	£62	£513	£513	6.9	15	0
30/06/17		£768	£798	£-29	£64	£664	£663	10	11	0
30/06/16		£659	£634	£25	£78	£693	£580	11	9	0
30/06/15		£629	£578	£51	£97	£668	£668	13.9	8	0
30/06/14		£715	£534	£181	£131	£617	£617	13.8	6	0
30/06/13		£535	£403	£132	£107	£435	£432	12.9	5	0
30/06/12		£354	£335	£19	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
30/06/11		£365	£225	£140	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
30/06/10		£170	£144	£25	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
30/06/09		£236	£117	£119	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

Show more rows -->

Show financials table -->

Download accounts

Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 7.6%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 7.2%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 37%
Liabilities/Income: 25%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 100%
Reserves/Spending: 4.9 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 5 months
Quick Ratio: 2.3

Asset Split ?

Listed activities

Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
Economic/Community Development/Employment
Education/Training

How it operates

Other charitable activities
Provides human resources
Provides services

Where it operates

Throughout England,

Who it helps

Children/Young People
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

9 employees
96 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

St Paul's Schools Foundation	£171,511
John Lyon's Charity	£112,000
Garfield Weston Foundation	£25,000
Leeds Community Foundation	£8,042

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Leeds Community Foundation - Leeds Young Writers Project
£8,042	18/01/2024	Grant to First Story
St Paul's Schools Foundation - Grant to First Story Ltd
£171,511	30/11/2023	London Voice Young Writers Programme
John Lyon's Charity - Uplift grant to First Story
£7,000	05/12/2022	Cost-of-Living Uplift
Department for Work and Pensions - BEYOND YOUR BRAND
£1,085	01/04/2022	The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to employers to create jobs for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit.
Department for Work and Pensions - BEYOND YOUR BRAND
£6,554	01/04/2021	To support customers aged 18-24 to be ready to take up kickstart vacancies.
John Lyon's Charity - Main grant to First Story
£105,000	10/03/2021 36	Young Writers Programme
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£25,000	23/10/2020	Main Grants award
Mercer's Charitable Foundation - Grant to First Story Ltd
£75,000	04/04/2019 37	Writer-in-Residence projects in London
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Achieving whole-school influence
£244,000	13/03/2019 36	To develop a writer-in-residence model to improve creative writing and achieve whole-school change across eight secondary schools through continuing professional development for teachers and student ....more To develop a writer-in-residence model to improve creative writing and achieve whole-school change across eight secondary schools through continuing professional development for teachers and student ambassador and parental engagement initiatives.
Dulverton Trust - North of England Writer-in-Residence Projects
£105,000	25/10/2018	North of England Writer-in-Residence Projects
Walcot Foundation - First Story Writer-in-Residence Programme in Lambeth
£27,222	21/11/2017 36	First Story Writer-in-Residence Programme in Lambeth
National Lottery Community Fund - : The First Story Term-Long Creative-Writing
£9,492	28/06/2017 12	This project will run a term-long writing programme for London schools which will result in their work being published into an anthology. This will develop pupils' literature skills, improving their ....more This project will run a term-long writing programme for London schools which will result in their work being published into an anthology. This will develop pupils' literature skills, improving their opportunities and chances in life.
BBC Children in Need - Grant to First Story
£60,059	14/06/2017 36	To deliver a variety of creative writing activities to children and young people experiencing local deprivation in London. The participants will experience increased confidence, improved ....more To deliver a variety of creative writing activities to children and young people experiencing local deprivation in London. The participants will experience increased confidence, improved communication skills and raised aspirations.
Dulverton Trust - the creative writing programme in the East Midlands
£60,000	23/10/2013	the creative writing programme in the East Midlands
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to First Story Ltd
£78,000	21/11/2012	Towards core costs of a programme that fosters creativity, literacy and talent in disadvantaged young people.
Dulverton Trust - creative writing projects in challenging Nottingham schools
£20,000	13/06/2012	creative writing projects in challenging Nottingham schools

Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (6)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Based on 5/6 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 44-75

BOBBY NAYYAR Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Programme Manager

CAREY SCOTT Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Chartered Accountant

DR SUSAN MARGARET HORNER Appointed: 2011, Occupation: Consultant

EDWARD JAMES BADEN-POWELL (Chair) Appointed: 2013, Occupation: Lawyer

HANNAH LOUISE BROWN Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Director Of Policy

SARAH ALEXANDRA MARSHALL Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Finance

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 25/02/2008, number: 1122939
Registered at Companies House on 29/01/2008, number: 06487410

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Bullying and harassment 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
Investment
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Volunteer management

Filing Record

15 returns made; AR22: 2 days late, AR19: 20 days late,

Main office

44
Webber Street
LONDON
SE1 8QW

Objectives

3.1 TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF YOUNG STUDENTS IN CHALLENGING UK SECONDARY SCHOOLS BY PROVIDING AND ASSISTING IN THE PROVISION OF FACILITIES NOT REQUIRED TO BE PROVIDED BY THE LOCAL EDUCATION AUTHORITY FOR EDUCATION IN CREATIVE WRITING;3.2 TO ADVANCE IN LIFE AND HELP YOUNG STUDENTS IN CHALLENGING UK SECONDARY SCHOOLS THROUGH THE PROVISION OF SUPPORT, OPPORTUNITIES AND ACTIVITIES WHICH FOSTER THEIR CREATIVITY, LITERACY AND TALENT TO BUILD SELF-CONFIDENCE, SKILLS AND ASPIRATION SO THEY MAY GROW TO FULL MATURITY AS INDIVIDUALS AND MEMBERS OF SOCIETY; AND3.3 TO PROMOTE THE ARTS AND, IN PARTICULAR, LITERATURE, POETRY AND CREATIVE WRITING BY:(A) INVITING, COMMISSIONING AND MAINTAINING SERVICES OF BRITISH WRITERS WHETHER SUCH SERVICES REQUIRE THE PAYMENT OF FEES BY THE CHARITY OR OTHERWISE; AND(B) ENCOURAGING AND ASSISTING IN PROMOTING, ADVANCING AND PUBLISHING THE WORKS OF BRITISH WRITERS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

Data Sources