Finance Score: -3

Governance Score: 5

Support Score: 7

Fundraising costs high: -3

12+ Trustees: -1
Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Overall weighted support: +7

Overall GiG Score: 9

FRIENDS OF THE NATIONS' LIBRARIES

Grants to promote the acquisition by national and regional libraries and archives of printed books, manuscripts and records of historical, literary, artistic, architectural, musical or such like interest and to assist the libraries in any other way which the Charity considers appropriate.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from several prominent grant makers recently
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

Why are there 17 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12?
Over half the Board have joined recently

Financial issues to consider:

Income has been volatile recently and was substantially in excess of spending in the latest year
Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?

Sources of Income ?

Y/E	Income £k	Spending £k	Surplus/ Deficit £k	Fundraising Cost £k	Total Funds £k	Unrestricted Funds £k	Mths Rsrvs	Staff	Volun- teers
31/12/23	£584	£377	£207	£90	£6,090	£0	n/a	0	3
31/12/22	£1,979	£1,427	£552	£63	£5,748	£2,323	19.5	0	3
31/12/21	£16,347	£15,350	£998	£68	£5,664	£2,767	2.2	0	2
31/12/20	£1,222	£758	£464	£40	£4,303	£0	n/a	0	1
31/12/19	£638	£652	£-13	£53	£3,952	£0	n/a	0	1
31/12/18	£289	£351	£-62	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/17	£356	£270	£87	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/16	£1,324	£203	£1,121	£12	£3,708	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/15	£803	£789	£14	£25	£2,364	£0	n/a	0	0
31/12/14	£260	£246	£14	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/13	£180	£231	£-51	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/12	£199	£185	£14	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/11	£112	£121	£-9	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/10	£135	£117	£19	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/09	£89	£109	£-20	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/08	£164	£173	£-9	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/07	£144	£212	£-68	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/06	£170	£167	£3	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/05	£122	£155	£-33	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a
31/12/04	£119	£129	£-10	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a	n/a

Show more rows -->

Show financials table -->

Download accounts

Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 28.9%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 27.1%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 1%
Liabilities/Income: 9%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 0%
Reserves/Spending: 0 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 30 months
Quick Ratio: 17.5

Asset Split ?

Balance Sheet History

Established: 62 years

www.fnl.org.uk

admin@fnlmail.org.uk

01491598083

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

Listed activities

Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science

GiG Classification

Performing and visual arts

How it operates

Makes grants to organisations

Where it operates

Northern Ireland, Scotland, Throughout England And Wales,

Who it helps

Other Defined Groups

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years

Garfield Weston Foundation	£250,000
The Berkeley Foundation	£80,000
Rothschild Foundation	£50,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Garfield Weston Foundation - Major Grants award
£250,000	20/05/2022	Bronte Manuscript
Rothschild Foundation - Grant to Friends of the National Libraries
£50,000	14/04/2022	To acquire the Charlotte Bronte manuscript.
The Berkeley Foundation - Honresfield Library Campaign
£40,000	10/08/2021	A grant in support of the purchase of the Honresfield Library collection
The Berkeley Foundation - Change to Prince of Wales Fund
£40,000	05/02/2020	One-off grant supporting the charitable objectives of Friends of the National Libraries within London, Birmingham and the South East.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Major Grants award
£256,000	13/12/2018	Saving the Whitehouse Ruskin Collection for the Nation

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (17)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Based on 16/17 persons

ARTEMIS CLARE ANTONIA COOPER Appointed: 2024

CHARLES ADAM LAURIE SEBAG-MONTEFIORE CBE

CHRISTOPHER HENRY CHARLES WHITTICK Appointed: 2023

DR AMINA SHAH Appointed: 2021

DR ANNA LISBET KRISTINA RAUSING Appointed: 2024

DR JESSICA PEARSALL GARDNER Appointed: 2017

DR RHODRI LLWYD MORGAN Appointed: 2024

JOAN SANBORN HARRIS WINTERKORN MBE Appointed: 2023

JOANNA MARGARET BARKER MBE Appointed: 2022

MARK HENRY STOREY Appointed: 2023

MARK PHILIP STEVENS Appointed: 2023

MARY ANNE FRANCES GIBSON Appointed: 2022

MR GEORDIE GREIG (Chair) Appointed: 2017

PROFESSOR KATHRYN SUTHERLAND Appointed: 2024

PROFESSOR RICHARD OVENDEN OBE Appointed: 2014, Occupation: Librarian

ROLAND FRANCIS KESTER KEATING Appointed: 2012

TINA MICHELLE MORTON Appointed: 2023

Legal constitution

Charity registered in England & Wales on 22/03/1963, number: 313020

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Complaints policy and procedures
Conflicting interests
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Investment
Risk management
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

Filing Record

20 returns made; all on time

Main office

PO BOX 4291
Reading
Berkshire
RG8 9JA

Objectives

THE PURCHASE OF BOOKS AND MANUSCRIPTS AS GIFTS TO THE NATIONAL LIBRARIES.(THE EXPRESSION NATIONAL LIBRARIES IS UNDERSTOOD PRIMARILY TO MEAN THE BRITISH MUSEUM, AND THE NATIONAL LIBRARIES OF SCOTLAND AND WALES; BUT THE SOCIETY WILL BE FREE, AS OCCASION ARISES, TO ASSIST ALSO UNIVERSITY, MUNICIPAL AND OTHER LIBRARIES TO SECURE PRINTED BOOKS OR MANUSCRIPTS WHICH HAVE SPECIAL INTEREST FOR THEM).

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources

Watch Inspiring Videos

Save the upside down forest

Change the ending - the pain of Alzheimers

Help Dads in prison stay in touch with their children