Finance Score: 3
Governance Score: 8
Support Score: 5
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • 12+ Trustees: -1
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +5
Overall GiG Score: 16 ?

PORCHLIGHT 

Porchlight is an independent registered charity working across Kent, East Sussex and Bexley. We help vulnerable and isolated people get support with their mental health, housing, education and employment. We provide children, young people and adults with the advice, guidance and skills to live independently in the future, play an active role in their local community and fulfil their potential.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Spending has increased over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • There are 14 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12
Established: 50 years

www.porchlight.org.uk

headoffice@porchlight.org.uk

01227760078

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
31/03/23£13,979£13,329£650£386£4,548£3,8613.521950
31/03/22£13,731£12,912£820£316£3,898£3,0642.822950
31/03/21£12,643£12,060£582£216£3,038£2,4392.422462
31/03/20£12,329£12,063£265£213£2,455£1,9261.922673
31/03/19£10,848£11,110£-262£225£2,190£1,6611.823382
31/03/18£10,240£9,830£411£145£2,452£1,8052.22250
31/03/17£8,680£8,546£134£111£2,041£1,8232.61930
31/03/16£6,098£5,776£322£112£1,907£1,6823.51690
31/03/15£6,372£6,431£-59£145£1,585£1,3592.51860
31/03/14£6,054£6,207£-153£75£1,644£1,3832.71580
31/03/13£5,735£5,391£344£79£1,797£1,5443.41480
31/03/12£4,677£4,373£305£83£1,453£1,2463.41270
31/03/11£4,684£4,405£279£93£1,148£9092.51300
31/03/10£4,307£4,180£127£55£869£6381.81160
31/03/09£3,617£3,498£118£35£743£5241.81030
31/03/08£3,107£3,044£63£32£625£4131.6940
31/03/07£2,849£2,817£32£38£561£3321.4880
31/03/06£2,527£2,457£71£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/05£2,231£2,190£41£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/04£1,934£1,837£96£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 2.8%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 2.9%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 1%
Highest pay band: £120,000-£130,000
Liabilities/Assets: 26%
Liabilities/Income: 11%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 85%
Reserves/Spending: 3.5 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 1.4
Asset Split ?
Listed activities
  • Accommodation/Housing
  • Education/Training
  • The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
How it operates
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides buildings/facilities/open space
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Bexley, East Sussex, Kent,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Other Defined Groups
Who works here?
  • 219 employees
  • 50 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
National Lottery Community Fund£488,462
DCMS£87,917
Co-Op Foundation£18,785
Co-Operative Group£1,197
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Porchlight
£1,197 22/10/2022
The BeYou Project offers a safe, welcoming and non-judgemental space for young people in Kent & Medway who identify as LGBT+ or are questioning their sexual orientation and/or gender identity.
National Lottery Community Fund - Porchlight Integrated Communities
£488,462 11/02/2021
38
The organisation will use funding to reengage people who have experienced homelessness into their communities. This will be done across six hubs in the Kent area. It will work with people to raise ....more
Co-Op Foundation - Porchlight STC Expand application
£9,904 18/01/2021
Looking into the impact of covid on community and their project.
DCMS - VSCE CMC Fund
£4,000 25/09/2020
NET, Comic Relief and Children in Need will use this funding to provide: increased support to vulnerable people and hidden groups, thus reducing the burden on public services; reach local grassroots ....more
DCMS - Coronavirus Community Support Fund
£83,917 08/07/2020
"The fund aims to:1) To reduce closures of essential charities that provide essential services to vulnerable groups during the COVID-19 crisis by ensuring they have the financial resources to ....more
Co-Op Foundation - STC Explore
£8,881 03/10/2019
Will facilitate discussions with local people on how best to use community spaces and mobilise residents to take action. They will establish a steering group and regular meetings, and organise a ....more
Co-Operative Group - Grant to Porchlight
£5,540 04/08/2017
The Triple A programme is a residential training/activity programme where homeless clients re-build their self-confidence and social skills
National Lottery Community Fund - SEL/2/8 - Aspirations for Life (Aspirations)
£1,170,035 03/02/2017
36
The funding will be used to work with people who have primary or secondary mental health issues and are furthest from the labour market. The project aims to help them move into sustainable ....more
Lankelly Chase Foundation - SystemsChangers
£3,000 19/07/2016
12
To support a member of staff to attend the Systems Changers development programme for frontline workers
National Lottery Community Fund - SEL/2/8 Aspirations for Life
£49,740 26/04/2016
12
The funding will be used to develop a stage two proposal with the help of a dedicated development manager to in turn align with the over-arching aim of encouraging the local community to help the ....more
National Lottery Community Fund - Porchlight Helpline & Rough Sleeper Service
£498,000 12/08/2015
48
The funding will enable this homelessness charity’s 24 hour helpline and rough sleeper service to continue. The helpline offers support, signposting and advice to people who are homeless, at ....more
Henry Smith Charity - Grant to Porchlight
£85,000 04/12/2014
36
towards three years' salary of an Employment Coordinator at a project providing a jobs, education and training programme for vulnerable homeless people in Kent and Croydon
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (14)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 13/14 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 40-68
  • ADAM LOTT Appointed: 2024, Occupation: Director
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 26/04/1974, number: 267116
  • Registered at Companies House on 18/01/1974, number: 01157482
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
  • 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
20 returns made; all on time
Main office

Porchlight
18-19 Watling Street
CANTERBURY
CT1 2UA

Objectives

A) THE RELIEF OF POVERTY, SICKNESS AND OLD AGE IN PARTICULAR (BUT WITHOUT IN ANY WAY LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING WORDS) FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POVERTY OF PERSONS WHO BY REASON OF MENTAL OR PHYSICAL INFIRMITY ARE UNABLE TO FULFIL THEIR DUTIES AS CITIZENS OR THEIR OBLIGATIONS TO THEIR EMPLOYERS.B) THE RELIEF OF THOSE IN NEED BY REASON OF YOUTH, AGE, ILL-HEALTH, DISABILITY OR FINANCIAL HARDSHIP IN PARTICULAR BY THE PROVISION OF HOUSING, HOSTELS, OTHER HOUSING ACCOMMODATION AND ANY ASSOCIATED AMENITIES, SERVICES, ADVICE, ADVOCACY, TRAINING OR ASSISTANCE.C) THE ADVANCEMENT OF PUBLIC EDUCATION IN (INCLUDING RESEARCH AND DISSEMINATING THE USEFUL RESULTS OF THAT RESEARCH INTO) THE PROVISION OF HOUSING AND HOUSING RELATED SERVICES TO THOSE IN NEED.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

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

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