Finance Score: 0

Governance Score: 6

Support Score: 3

Poor Liquidity: -1
Deficit latest year: -2
Fundraising costs low: +3

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

Grant maker support: +3

Overall GiG Score: 9

THE SOFA PROJECT

SOFA PROJECT IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE WITH THE CHARITABLE AIMS OF SUPPORTING THE REHABILITATION OF PRISONERS THROUGH WORK OPPORTUNITIES IN THE ORGANISATION. THESE ACTIVITIES MAINLY COMPRISE THE RE-USE OF UNWANTED/DONATED FURNITURE AND DOMESTIC APPLIANCES BY REFURBISHING THEM AND SUPPLYING THEM AT LOW PRICES TO PEOPLE ON LOW INCOMES.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

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 dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

This charity is not recognised by HMRC for Gift Aid according to its latest published return

Financial issues to consider:

Liquidity appears to have been slender at the latest year end
Income was lower than spending in the latest year

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		£594	£663	£-69	£11	£23	£23	0.4	21	1
31/03/22		£585	£571	£14	£11	£92	£92	1.9	21	5
31/03/21		£699	£638	£60	£10	£77	£77	1.5	21	5
31/03/20		£642	£641	£1	£9	£17	£17	0.3	28	5
31/03/19		£735	£745	£-10	£11	£16	£16	0.3	34	10
31/03/18	*	£732	£763	£-31	£12	£26	£26	0.4	34	0
31/03/17		£1,006	£1,009	£-3	£25	£57	£57	0.7	38	0
31/03/16		£1,027	£1,051	£-23	£25	£60	£60	0.7	30	0
31/03/15	*	£1,107	£1,043	£64	£4	£86	£86	1	26	0
31/03/14		£1,138	£1,132	£6	£25	£22	£9	0.1	26	0
31/03/13		£802	£793	£10	£25	£15	£4	0.1	22	0
31/03/12		£834	£847	£-14	£150	£6	£5	0.1	20	0
31/03/11		£954	£974	£-20	£139	£19	£2	0	27	0
31/03/10		£835	£827	£8	£148	£39	£4	0.1	23	0
31/03/09		£736	£790	£-55	£140	£32	£12	0.2	18	0
31/03/08		£922	£982	£-59	£119	£86	£77	0.9	20	0
31/03/07		£1,126	£1,092	£34	£18	£146	£136	1.5	23	0
31/03/06		£1,129	£1,033	£96	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/05		£774	£841	£-68	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/04		£664	£807	£-142	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 2%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 1.7%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 84%
Liabilities/Income: 20%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 100%
Reserves/Spending: 0.4 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 1 months
Quick Ratio: 0

Asset Split ?

Established: 41 years

www.sofaproject.org.uk

info@sofaproject.org.uk

0117 954 7808

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Economic/Community Development/Employment
Education/Training
Environment/Conservation/Heritage
The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty

GiG Classification

Services for homeless & excluded people & ex-offenders

How it operates

Provides services

Where it operates

Bath And North East Somerset, Bristol City, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire,

Who it helps

Other Defined Groups
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

21 employees
1 volunteer

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.

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Quartet Community Foundation - Grant to Sofa Project
£250	19/02/2024	As requested by the donor to support the charitable purposes of helping relieve poverty, promoting social inclusion and protecting the environment through reuse and recycling.
Quartet Community Foundation - Grant to Sofa Project
£500	21/11/2022	As requested by the donor.
Quartet Community Foundation - Grant to Sofa Project
£10,000	21/07/2021 12	To hire a web developer to restructure and enable its website for e-commerce, online collection of donations, payments and promotion.
Quartet Community Foundation - Grant to Sofa Project
£250	02/07/2021	As requested by the donor towards the work in supporting the community by the recycling and low-cost sale of unwanted furniture and household items and providing employment and training opportunities ....more As requested by the donor towards the work in supporting the community by the recycling and low-cost sale of unwanted furniture and household items and providing employment and training opportunities for people excluded from the workplace.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Multi-Year Grant (2 Years) award
£50,000	02/05/2018	How prisoners (lifers) are helping low-income families through furniture and appliance recycling in Bristol
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Sofa Project
£50,000	12/11/2014	Sofa Project provides work experience for sex offenders to help them prepare for life beyond prison and to reduce the risk of their re-offending.
Lloyds Bank Foundation - Grant to Sofa Project
£20,000	30/05/2012	the salary of the Deputy Operations Supervisor
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to SOFA Project
£69,200	19/01/2012	Towards the costs of sustaining a pre-release and pre-employment rehabilitation opportunity for long-sentence sex offenders.

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Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)

Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 48-80

OLUFUNMILOLA BURAIMOH-ADEMUYEWO Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Retired Marketing Director

SHELLEY STURDY Appointed: 2023, Occupation: Deputy Branch Manager

COLIN SMART Appointed: 2021, Occupation: None

MOIRA BOOTH Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Retired

KEITH HICKS Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Retired

MR C NEILD Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Retired

PETER TEMPLETON Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Retired

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 08/06/1983, number: 287088
Registered at Companies House on 08/02/1983, number: 01697726

Gift Aid

NOT 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
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
Volunteer management

Filing Record

20 returns made; AR18: 1 days late, AR15: 45 days late,

Main office

THE SOFA PROJECT
48-54 WEST STREET
ST. PHILIPS
BRISTOL
BS2 0BL

Objectives

2.1(A) THE RELIEF OF POVERTY BY RENOVATING AND SUPPLYING FURNITURE, HOUSEHOLD GOODS AND DOMESTIC AND ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT TO PERSONS WHO ARE IN CONDITIONS OF NEED HARDSHIP OR DISTRESS.2.1(B) TO PROMOTE SOCIAL INCLUSION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT BY PREVENTING PEOPLE BECOMING SOCIALLY EXCLUDED, RELIEVING THE NEEDS OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO ARE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED AND ASSISTING THEM TO INTEGRATE INTO SOCIETY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE PROVISION OF TRAINING, EDUCATION, REHABILITATION AND EMPLOYMENT AND VOLUNTEERING OPPORTUNITIES.FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS ARTICLE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED MEANS BEING EXCLUDED FROM SOCIETY, OR PARTS OF SOCIETY, AS A RESULT OF ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: UNEMPLOYMENT; FINANCIAL HARDSHIP; YOUTH OR OLD AGE; ILL HEALTH (PHYSICAL OR MENTAL); SUBSTANCE ABUSE OR DEPENDENCY INCLUDING ALCOHOL AND DRUGS; DISCRIMINATION ON THE GROUNDS OF SEX, RACE, DISABILITY, ETHNIC ORIGIN, RELIGION, BELIEF, CREED, SEXUAL ORIENTATION OR GENDER RE-ASSIGNMENT; POOR EDUCATION OR SKILLS ATTAINMENT; RELATIONSHIP AND FAMILY BREAKDOWN; POOR HOUSING (THAT IS HOUSING THAT DOES NOT MEET BASIC HABITABLE STANDARDS); CRIME (EITHER AS A VICTIM OF CRIME OR AS AN OFFENDER REHABILITATING INTO SOCIETY).2.1(C) TO PROTECT AND PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT BY RECYCLING AND RE-USING MANUFACTURED GOODS AND CHATTELS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources