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← Omega Research Foundation Limited

2024-03-31-accounts

Company number: 5224240 Charity Number: 1105918

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Report and financial statements For the year ended 31[st] March 2024

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Reference and administrative information

for the year ended 31[st] March 2024

Company number 5224240

Charity number 1105918

Registered office and operational address Bridge 5 Mill 22A Beswick Street Ancoats Manchester M4 7HR

Trustees Trustees, who are also directors under company law, who served during the year and up to the date of this report were as follows:

Michael Reed Chair Steven Lindsay Treasurer Rick Seccombe (resigned 10[th] October 2023) Natalie Wilkins Josephine Dresner Ian Bell Jevon Clayton Annalena Wolcke (appointed 4[th] July 2023) Safa Al Ahmad (appointed 1[st] June 2024) Company Secretary Fiona Gorton Bankers The Co-operative Bank plc 1 Balloon Street Manchester M60 4EP The Charity Bank Limited Fosse House 182 High Street Tonbridge TN9 1BE Nationwide Building Society Kings Park Road Moulton Park Northampton NN3 6NW Auditors Slade & Cooper Limited Beehive Lofts Jersey Street Manchester M4 6JG

Auditors

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Omega Research Foundation Limited

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] March 2024

The trustees present their report and the audited financial statements for the year ended 31[st] March 2024. Included within the trustees’ report is the directors’ report as required by company law.

Reference and administrative information set out on page 1 forms part of this report. The financial statements comply with current statutory requirements, the memorandum and articles of association and the Statement of Recommended Practice - Accounting and Reporting by Charities: SORP applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with FRS 102.

Objectives and activities

The objects of the Omega Research Foundation are:

To promote human rights.

To advance the education of the public in the subject of international peace, human rights, and the causes of conflict.

Omega works to:

Investigate and expose the global manufacture, trade, procurement, testing, and use of military, security, and police (MSP) weapons, equipment, and techniques and related human rights and international humanitarian law violations.

Provide expert analysis and policy proposals to strengthen national, regional, and international controls.

Share our specialist knowledge , including through training, briefings, capacity building, and technical assistance.

So that:

We strengthen relationships with other NGOs and human rights monitors, journalists, judges and other legal professionals, political figures, private entities, unions, state institutions, law enforcement agencies, and international and regional institutions.

These key stakeholders are empowered with knowledge of the manufacture, trade, procurement, testing, and use of MSP weapons, equipment, and techniques, and their human rights impacts for a range of communities.

We collectively advocate for change.

So that:

Controls related to the manufacture, trade, procurement, testing, and use of weapons, equipment, and techniques are human rights-compliant.

These controls are effectively implemented and monitored.

Those who perpetrate violations are held to account.

So that:

Human rights and international humanitarian law violations are not committed or facilitated by people using military, security, and policing weapons, equipment, and techniques.

In setting our objectives and planning our activities, the Trustees have given careful consideration to the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in particular to its supplementary public benefit guidance on advancing education and on promotion of human rights. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives that have been set. All activities are undertaken to further the organisation's charitable objectives for the public benefit.

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Omega Research Foundation Limited

Trustees’ annual report

for the year ended 31[st] March 2024

The charity’s main objectives for the financial year 2023-24 were:

The aims, objectives and activities of the charity are kept under ongoing review by the trustees to ensure they remain focused on the charity’s stated purposes.

This report looks at what the charity has achieved and the outcomes of its work in the reporting period. The trustees report the success of each key activity and the benefits arising from the charity’s work.

Achievements and performance

Investigate and expose

An important part of Omega’s work is to investigate governments, companies, and individuals involved in the global trade in military, security, and police (MSP) weapons, equipment, and techniques, and related human rights and international humanitarian law violations. This involves researching and investigating all aspects of the industry including the manufacture, trade, procurement, testing, and use or misuse of the weapons and equipment.

Milipol France, Robin Ballantyne © Omega Research Foundation

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Trustees’ annual report

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In November 2023, Omega attended the Milipol Paris arms fair at the invitation of the organiser. We visited company stands to check that no law enforcement equipment prohibited under the EU AntiTorture Regulation or French Law was being promoted. Company brochures, posters, and stands were checked for any promotion of prohibited equipment and we informed the fair organisers when anything of concern was discovered. We found four Chinese companies promoting prohibited items, including spiked batons, thumbcuffs and weighted leg cuffs: after the fair organisers’ compliance team was alerted, the material was removed. In addition to prohibited equipment, we also collected information on electric shock stun guns, batons and gloves, and ammunition containing multiple projectiles. Omega classifies these types of law enforcement equipment as ‘inherently abusive’ and believes they should be prohibited. We worked with Amnesty France and the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture to advocate for the strengthening of French, EU and international trade controls to prohibit such abusive equipment.

Omega continued work to support victims and survivors of state violence and their fight for justice. This included intervening in cases we identified as strategically important. For instance, Laurent Theron suffered irreversible loss of sight during a 2016 protest when a French police officer threw an explosive grenade towards him. Mr Theron took his case to the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that the use of the grenade was neither necessary nor proportionate. Omega and our partner REDRESS, who work for justice and reparation for survivors of torture, submitted a third-party intervention to the court, examining the indiscriminate nature of explosive grenades that disperse kinetic impact projectiles and the incompatibility of their use against protesters with the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. The case continues.

Provide expert analysis

Our research, technical assistance, and policy proposals have been key in strengthening controls governing the trade and use of law enforcement equipment globally.

United Nations

Omega was central to important developments towards international rules banning the trade in inherently abusive goods, and regulating the export of law enforcement weapons and equipment that can be misused for torture. Omega provided research, technical assistance, and policy advice to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture in drafting the UN Thematic study on the global trade in weapons, equipment and devices used by law enforcement and other public authorities that are capable of inflicting torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment . The Special Rapporteur’s study included recommendations to regulate the trade, and has already informed State and civil society policy and action promoting a Torture-Free Trade Treaty.

Omega provided key inputs to the 2024 UN Model Protocol for Law Enforcement Officials to Promote and Protect Human Rights in the Context of Peaceful Protests. We are also assisting with other elements of the Practical Toolkit being developed by Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association, with the support of UNODC and OHCHR. These tools will be promoted to states across the world, providing a human rights-based alternative to the coercive crowd control practices that have become increasingly prevalent, and which have led to serious human rights violations of protesters globally. Omega’s contributions strengthened language on the use of force, and insisted on specific protections for children, as well as stronger language to emphasise the absolute prohibition of torture.

Omega continued to supply technical expertise and data on companies trading in ‘tools of torture’ and on use of equipment, to the Special Rapporteur on Torture for a range of states she was examining, and for her subsequent thematic report on good practices in prison management.

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Examples of types of equipment identified by the Special Rapporteur on Torture as being inherently cruel, inhuman or degrading and therefore considered to be prohibited: Weighted leg cuffs (top-left), Spiked baton (top-right), Thumbcuffs (bottom-left), Electric shock shield (bottom-right). © Omega Research Foundation

European Union (EU)

As a member of the EU Commission’s Informal Expert Group for the Implementation of the EU AntiTorture Regulation, Omega provided technical assistance to Commission officials to strengthen this important legally binding instrument, continuing our close working relationship with the EU built up over many years. Commission-proposed revisions that would further restrict the export of goods that can be used for torture to third countries are likely to be published in late 2024. The strengthening of export rules would be doubly significant, making it more difficult for abusive regimes to acquire goods for torture and repression, and setting a precedent which would likely be replicated in other regions.

Council of Europe (CoE)

Since its adoption in 2021, Omega has promoted and facilitated full implementation of the Council of Europe Recommendation addressing the trade in torture goods. We briefed both the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and the EU Mission to the Council of Europe on the contemporary European torture trade and made recommendations for strengthening CoE regional torture-free trade measures in advance of a February 2024 meeting between the 46 Council of Europe Committee of Ministers and UN torture prevention bodies. The CoE is now reviewing implementation of the CoE Recommendation and seeking how this can be strengthened.

Inter-American system

In November 2023, Omega joined 23 other civil society organisations in presenting our concerns regarding the human rights impact of less lethal weapons to the Inter-American Commission on Human

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Rights in a thematic hearing. Separately, Omega and CEJIL (a human rights organisation working in the Latin American region) submitted an amicus brief to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, encouraging the Court to consider the creation of Inter-American standards on the manufacture, trade, and acquisition of less lethal weapons, in the context of an advisory opinion requested of the Court by Mexico. These activities sought to promote the development of legislation prohibiting and preventing torture and ill-treatment in the region. This process is ongoing and we will continue to support it.

Supporting partners to drive change locally

In Brazil, Omega drafted a memo on the use of instruments of restraint in healthcare settings to inform a draft protocol being developed by the Rondonia State Mechanism to Prevent and Combat Torture. This protocol was requested by judicial authorities in response to the Mechanism’s documentation of the inhumane use of restraints on ill prisoners. The draft protocol to end such practices awaits approval from judicial authorities.

Omega provided technical assistance concerning use of multiple kinetic impact projectiles to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture during her October 2023 mission to Chile. Acting on this advice, the Special Rapporteur subsequently recommended that Chilean authorities prohibit the manufacture, trade, and use of multiple KIPs and withdraw them from law enforcement armouries.

Omega supported efforts to reform the policing of protests in Colombia. This included giving an online presentation to Colombian civil society organisations and also gave a presentation in one of a series of police reform roundtable meetings, attended by policing authorities and local civil society organisations and facilitated by the local UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. The result of this process is a draft resolution and decree which is being reviewed by the Office of the President. Advances in the draft include the prohibition of kinetic impact projectiles during protests.

Omega provided technical assistance to Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS, an Argentinian organisation) around the violent repression of protests in January and February 2024 in Argentina. We provided information on equipment in the context of protests, including identification of specific weapons and their origin (based on images and company information), and detailed the human rights concerns specific to the use of this equipment. This has informed their advocacy and awareness-raising.

At the request of senior officials, Omega and OMCT provided technical expertise concerning the limits on the use of electric shock projectile weapons and chemical irritants in places of detention, to the Ministry of Justice of a government in Latin America. As a result, the Ministry developed internal guidance and stricter criteria concerning the acquisition of certain less lethal weapons for use in prisons.

Omega supported efforts to stop US police using injurious munitions against protesters and those deprived of their liberty. State law requires all California law enforcement agencies to publicly report on how military equipment was used in the previous year. Omega worked with the American Friends Service Committee and local civil society organisations to support their call for a ban on the use of multiple projectile ‘scattershot’ munitions by the Sheriff of Alameda County. Omega provided technical assistance, policy advice, and advocacy, including using the Special Rapporteur on Torture’s list of items that should be prohibited, at the Alameda County Board of Supervisors meetings in 2023 and 2024. This advocacy resulted in the Alameda Sheriffs’ office deciding to phase out several models of multiple projectile (scattershot) munitions, committing to not use scattershot munitions on prisoners in Santa Rita’s mental health unit, to “research alternatives” to these munitions, and reporting that they did not use scattershot munitions over the last year. Further advocacy to remove all multiple projectile munitions continues.

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UK

Omega chairs National Taser Stakeholders Advisory Group meetings, attended by senior commanding police officers responsible for Less Lethal Weapons in UK Policing, representatives from the College of Policing, Home Office, Ministry of Defence and other officials. We lobbied for changes in police training on Taser, raised concerns around cases and injuries, and commented on policy proposals. We also participate in ‘Less Lethal Weapons Working Group’ meetings, obtaining unique information on police weapons developments in UK policing, as well as operational data on use of force and weapons. We attended meetings reviewing the use of the Taser 7 weapon, and sat on the group assessing the new Taser weapon, Taser 10, which has commenced a testing process for introduction into UK policing, suggesting changes to the process, and raising concerns that this new ’10 shot Taser’ was inappropriate for UK policing. We presented at the National Police Chief’s Council’s International Taser Conference in May 2023, the only human rights voice at the event, where we raised concerns about the ‘Taser drone’ developed with UK Government grants since 2020 and now being assessed for introduction into UK policing. We successfully lobbied against the export of Taser weapons from the UK to police in British Overseas Territories, which would have been contrary to extant UK export laws, and influenced the proposed UK police Taser training proposal for police in Anguilla.

We grew our relationship with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), holding meetings on cases of Taser use, and use of Taser against children. We lobbied for mandatory referral to the IOPC of all uses against children – sadly not yet achieved.

Through attending the Less Lethal Weapons Working Group, we met with the prison service, discovering that they were procuring Tasers and other new weapons, including riot control agent compressed gas launchers, for use by their National Tactical Response Group. We established new contacts with prison reform and oversight organisations, and informed their freedom of information requests and preparations for possible judicial review of decisions taken by Ministers.

Share our specialist knowledge

Omega’s expertise and technical knowledge feeds into the work of many other organisations around the world. We run training sessions, write briefings, and offer technical assistance to support the work of other organisations.

Training and capacity building

Omega partnered with organisations working in Bangladesh, France, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Peru, and Uzbekistan, organising training on issues related to torture and other illtreatment, which we delivered to over 150 people, including protest monitors, prison monitors, and other human rights defenders.

As part of our work supporting CSOs and human rights defenders, Omega worked with the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) to revise and expand IRCT’s Protest Toolkit to include additional information on documenting law enforcement weapons and equipment used. The toolkit is designed to help protest monitors record and document injuries inflicted by law enforcement officers at a protest or in detention. The new toolkit was translated into Bengali and used in our training for Bangladeshi human rights defenders in November 2023.

Omega worked closely with the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR), providing technical expertise, text, and videos for an updated module on Tactical Options and the Use of Force in the context of policing assemblies, for the ODIHR Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association assembly monitoring e- learning course. The course, designed for law enforcement officials and human rights monitoring bodies, is available online. Omega also led a session on the same theme as part of an ODIHR training

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event for Assembly Monitors for Ligue des droit des hommes (LDH), a French human rights organisation, in March 2024, in Paris.

Omega works with National Preventive Mechanisms (NPMs), who are mandated under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture to make unannounced monitoring visits to places of deprivation of liberty, as well as with National Human Rights Institutions, providing them with information and training on monitoring the use of weapons and equipment in places of detention. Omega has an established relationship with OSCE-ODIHR and the University of Exeter, with whom we organise workshops and training sessions on monitoring weapons and restraints in places of detention. In this reporting period, we co-organised two of these trainings for the NPMs of France and Slovakia, with the workshops tailored to the specific mechanism. We worked with participants to develop followup actions for the NPM and recommendations for the relevant authorities.

Training the Slovakian NPM © OSCE-ODIHR

In June 2023 Omega co-organised a workshop with OSCE-ODIHR in Almaty, Kazakhstan entitled “monitoring the use of weapons and methods of restraint by law enforcement personnel in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan”. The two-day workshop was for Ombuds institutions, the National Preventive Mechanisms of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and the National Human Rights Institution of Uzbekistan. It provided an opportunity for them to share experiences, issues, and good practice.

European Parliament

Omega presented on the human rights impacts of police weapons and use of force, and controls on the trade and use of such weapons, at an ‘Exchange of views on the use of force by the police under the Rule of Law’ organised by the Democracy, Rule of Law, and Fundamental Rights Monitoring Group at the EU Parliament. Although policing is controlled at a national level and the EU parliament has no authority over policing, the event informed policing and policy professionals both at an EU level and in member states.

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Support to journalists and others

Omega responded to an ongoing range of requests for technical expertise, including:

Eye injuries

Over the past five years, there has emerged a global crisis of eye injuries, including blinding, caused by police use of multiple kinetic impact projectiles in crowd control operations, sometimes using shotgunfired metal pellets (often using hunting ammunition), or projectiles made of rubber or plastic. In Colombia, Omega participated in a February 2024 hearing of the Colombian Senate’s Human Rights Commission dealing with ocular injuries incurred during protests. We collaborate with local survivor group Movimiento en Resistencia Contra las Agresiones Oculares del Escuadrón Móvil Antidisturbio (MOCAO), who co-organised the event and invited Omega to speak about the global nature of this issue. The aim of the hearing was to create political will to ensure full remedy for survivors and to prevent future violations.

In March 2024, Omega spoke at the UK premiere of the film ‘Reborn Eyes – Surviving Ocular Mutilation’ at the University of Exeter. The film, about survivors of police violence in Colombia, was made by Lucía Guerrero Rivière from the University, who had worked with MOCAO. Omega spoke about monitoring the use of police weapons in torture and the need for a ban on multiple kinetic impact projectiles.

In March 2024, Omega delivered the keynote speech to Fair Trials’ Legal Experts Advisory Panel (LEAP) Conference in Brussels, Belgium. Titled ‘ Blindings and broken trust: Controls on the use of force in protests and prisons’ Omega’s presentation highlighted injuries and other human rights violations and the urgent need to control use of force and weapons by law enforcement officials globally and noted the Special Rapporteur on Torture’s report. Some 50 lawyers from LEAP's network attended from almost all EU states, plus Switzerland and Albania.

Torture-Free Trade Network

Omega continued to be a key driver of building this global movement. As a member of the Core Group of the Torture-Free Trade Network, we collaborated with civil society from around the world, building connections, conducting shared advocacy missions, and developing the campaign for a Torture-Free Trade Treaty. Omega’s expertise has informed the direction of civil society’s work on the campaign. We meet regularly as the Core Group organisations and support and facilitate wider Network meetings. As part of an international civil society delegation from this Network, Omega staff conducted bilaterial meetings with state representatives to the United Nations in New York during the UN General Assembly in October 2023, briefing on the issue, encouraging further engagement in the Alliance for Torture-Free Trade, and calling on States to work towards a Torture-Free Trade Treaty.

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United Against Torture Consortium

With torture still widespread, Omega has joined forces with another five of the world’s leading anti-torture organisations, in partnership with over 200 civil society organisations and other partners in more than 100 countries. Together, we will strengthen and expand the anti-torture movement by pooling expertise in torture prevention, protection, rehabilitation, and strategic litigation.

The United Against Torture Consortium brings Omega, the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT), and REDRESS together with the global memberships of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), and the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT).

Survivors’ experiences and, for those who wish, their direct participation, will be at the centre of the Consortium’s torture prevention, rehabilitation, and justice processes, both nationally and internationally.

There is an urgent need to tackle the current global rise of autocracy, the shrinking space for civil society, an alarming acceptance of torture among some sectors of the public, and the dire need to deliver justice to survivors amid unprecedented levels of systematic and widespread torture.

Together, we are more than the sum of our parts and we will work innovatively, tirelessly, and strategically to strengthen and expand the anti-torture movement for a world free of torture and ill-treatment.

Protecting and promoting human rights and democracy is a key ~~/~~ priority of EU external action and one of the founding values of the European Union, which provides funding to the Consortium.

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Strategy

Omega undertook a major strategic planning exercise in 2020/21. This led to the development of a Theory of Change for the organisation, as detailed in the Objectives and Activities section of this report above and available on the Omega website. This organisational Theory of Change informs Omega’s work and is kept under regular review. We plan to revisit the organisation’s overarching Strategy in 2025/26.

As part of our regular strategic review Omega identified a need to renew the Omega website to improve our visibility, communications and information sharing. Our completely redesigned website now includes more information, highlights of our technical expertise, and links to our research database thus enabling us to share data and information more easily with our audience. The website was built during this financial year and launched in April 2024. This has resulted in increased traffic and interactions.

Financial review

At the end of the financial year, Omega had total Reserves of £201,341. Of this, £52,934 was held in restricted reserves to be spent on ongoing projects, £98,176 in designated reserves to be released over the following financial year, and £50,231 in general reserves.

Fundraising

The long-term financial viability of Omega depends on continual fundraising, in a climate of shrinking donor funding for human rights work. Omega raises most of its income through grant funding, though has started to receive some donations from the public in the last few years. Omega has received no complaints relating to fundraising activity.

In June 2023, a four-year Financial Framework Partnership Agreement began between the EU and the international United Against Torture consortium, in which Omega is a core partner along with the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), Redress, the International Federation of Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (FIACAT) and the Association for the Prevention of Torture (APT). An initial three-year torture prevention grant under this Agreement also started in June 2023.

The third year of a grant from the Oak Foundation started in May 2023. This will be the final grant from the Oak Foundation as they are prioritising other areas of funding. In January 2023, Omega started the second year of a three-year grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and started a two-year grant from the Open Society Foundations, securing funding from them for the first time. Omega also received a one-year grant from the Network for Social Change covering the financial year. Omega has worked hard through the financial year and beyond to try to diversify our funding base and find new sources of funds.

Reserves policy

Omega holds Restricted Reserves , being unspent funding provided for specific projects, and Unrestricted Reserves which can be subdivided into Designated Reserves , being the proportion of multiyear core grant funding relating to future years as stated in the grant agreement, and the General Fund .

The trustees have reviewed Omega’s Reserves Policy and have concluded that an upper and lower limit of reserves held in the General Fund should be set bearing in mind the objective of holding such reserves. That is, reserves in the General Fund are intended to underpin the organisation’s solvency and

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the continuity of its operations. However, the size of these reserves should not be excessive. Excessive reserves would lead to resources being idle and unused for long periods.

In relation to the upper limit the trustees have taken into consideration the experience of the last ten years. In that period Omega has received three grants from the European Commission via the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights, each lasting around three years, with fifteen months between the first two, and ten months between the second and third. These grants have typically provided around 70% of the organisation’s income. In order to underpin the organisation‘s solvency during the periods waiting for the next grant receipt or between grants, the trustees consider holding a maximum reserves in the General Fund of a year of basic operating costs to be reasonable. Basic operating costs in 2023/24 are around £400,000 per annum - £33,000 per month.

In relation to the lower limit should it become apparent that no further major grant is to be expected from the European Commission or from an alternative grant provider, Omega would need to drastically restructure and reduce its size and scope of operations. The trustees estimate that the costs associated with such a restructuring and reduction would amount to five months of basic operating costs which currently would be around £165,000.

Reserves in the General Fund at the end of 2023-24 stood at £50,231 which is below the target limits of £165,000 to £400,000. This is mitigated by the Designated fund balance of £98,176, but trustees are aware that further fundraising is a priority, and if unsuccessful there may be a need for some level of restructuring. The situation is under active review, and after the year end, staff reduced their hours and pay to support the long-term future of the organisation.

Plans for the future

We will continue to:

Structure, governance and management

The organisation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, incorporated on 7[th] September 2004 and registered as a charity on 16[th] September 2004.

The company was established under a memorandum of association which established the objects and powers of the charitable company and is governed under its articles of association.

The Omega Research Foundation may by ordinary resolution appoint a person who is willing to act as a trustee and determine the rotation in which any additional trustees are to retire. The Trustees are also directors and members of the company. Trustees are recruited following the Trustee Recruitment Policy, which states that vacancies should be advertised and applications invited.

All trustees give their time voluntarily and receive no benefits from the charity. Any expenses reclaimed from the charity are set out in note 11 to the accounts.

New trustees go through an induction process and are given the option of training in any aspect of directorship that they feel is necessary.

Trustees meet 4-5 times per year and make decisions on the medium and long term aims and activities of the organisation, including: funding strategies; methods of attaining the organisation’s objectives;

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organisational policies; and staffing levels. The Board of Trustees also monitors the overall performance and achievements of the organisation. The Omega Research Foundation has a principal staff of seven to whom the day to day management of the organisation is delegated. This includes project management and financial administration.

The trustees regularly review the risks to which the Omega Research Foundation is exposed and ensure that adequate systems and processes are in place to manage those risks.

The trustees reviewed their application of the Charity Governance Code’s principles and recommended practice during the year to ensure Omega’s governance standards remain high. Trustees and staff are alert to the need to ensure equity, diversity and inclusion in all their policies and operations. All trustees have undertaken training in diversity and recently agreed to update the diversity policy. Recruitment of new trustees took place later in 2023 and steps were taken to make the role open to a diverse range of candidates.

Members of the charity guarantee to contribute an amount not exceeding £1 to the assets of the charity in the event of winding up. The total number of such guarantees at 31[st] March 2024 was 7 (2023: 7). The trustees are members of the charity but this entitles them only to voting rights. The trustees have no beneficial interest in the charity.

At 31 March 2024 Omega employed five full-time and one part-time research staff, and a part-time administrative & finance officer. Omega also had four volunteers during the year; some recruited through the University of Manchester, where student volunteers can submit their time with Omega towards an application for the Stellify Award. Omega operates a flat management structure, with decisions being taken collectively by staff. After two years’ service, all staff are paid at the same rate (pro-rata), which is set periodically by the trustees, taking account of inflation and the charity’s available resources.

The trustees and staff of Omega would like to pay tribute to Rick Seccombe, a past trustee and long-time supporter and friend of Omega from our very beginning, who sadly died in October 2024. We will miss his sage advice and calm counsel.

Statement of responsibilities of the trustees

The trustees (who are also directors of Omega Research Foundation for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

Company law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:

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The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.

In so far as the trustees are aware:

The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and dissemination of financial statements may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions.

Auditors

Slade & Cooper Ltd were re-appointed as the charitable company's auditors during the year and have expressed their willingness to continue in that capacity.

This report has been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime of the Companies Act 2006.

The trustees’ annual report has been approved by the trustees on 5[th] December 2024 and signed on their behalf by

Steven Lindsay

Treasurer

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Independent auditors’ report

to the members of

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Omega Research Foundation Limited (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2024, which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities (including the income and expenditure account), the Balance Sheet and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).

In our opinion the financial statements:

Basis for opinion

We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.

Conclusions relating to going concern

In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.

Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.

Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the trustees with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.

Other information

The trustees are responsible for the other information. The other information comprises the information included in the trustees’ annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon.

In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine

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to the members of

Omega Research Foundation

whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.

We have nothing to report in this regard.

Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006

In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:

Matters on which we are required to report by exception

In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the trustees’ report.

We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement set out on page 13, the trustees (who are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company law) are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.

Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the

16

Independent auditors’ report

to the members of

Omega Research Foundation

aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The specific procedures for this engagement and the extent to which these are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:

Because of the inherent limitations of an audit, there is a risk that we will not detect all irregularities, including those leading to a material misstatement in the financial statements or non-compliance with regulation. This risk increases the more that compliance with a law or regulation is removed from the events and transactions reflected in the financial statements, as we will be less likely to become aware of instances of non-compliance. The risk is also greater regarding irregularities occurring due to fraud rather than error, as fraud involves intentional concealment, forgery, collusion, omission or misrepresentation.

A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.

Use of our report

This report is made solely to the charitable company’s members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charitable company’s members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and the charitable company’s members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.

Christy Yun Hing Lau FCCA CTA DChA Senior Statutory Auditor

for and on behalf of Slade & Cooper Limited Statutory Auditors Beehive Mill, Jersey Street, Manchester, M4 6JG

23[rd] December 2024

17

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure account)

for the year ended 31 March 2024

Unrestricted
funds
Note
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
873
Charitable activities
4
10,467
Investments
5
4,578
Total income
15,918
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
19,699
Charitable activities
7
89,994
Total expenditure
109,693
(93,775)
9
(93,775)
Transfer between funds
(20,812)
Net movement in funds for the year
(114,587)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
262,994
Total funds carried forward
148,407
Net income/(expenditure) before
net gains/(losses) on
investments
Net income/(expenditure) for
the year		 Restricted
funds
£
-
388,105
-
388,105
-
360,306
360,306
27,799
27,799
20,812
48,611
4,323
52,934		 Total funds
2024
£
873
398,572
4,578
404,023
19,699
450,300
469,999
(65,976)
(65,976)
-
(65,976)
267,317
201,341		 Total funds
2023
£
1,324
300,680
942
302,946
86,925
287,203
374,128
(71,182)
(71,182)
-
(71,182)
338,499
267,317

The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.

A full comparative SOFA is available on the last page of the financial statements.

18

Omega Research Foundation Limited Company number 5224240

Balance sheet as at 31 March 2024

Note
£
£
Current assets
Debtors
14
60,209
Cash at bank and in hand
170,867
Total current assets
231,076
Liabilities
Creditors: amounts falling
due in less than one year
16
(29,735)
Net current assets
201,341
Total assets less current liabilities
201,341
Net assets
201,341
The funds of the charity:
Restricted income funds
17
52,934
Unrestricted income funds:
Designated fund: Long term grants
18
98,176
General funds
18
50,231
Total charity funds
201,341
2024		 £
£
128,252
164,227
292,479
(25,162)
267,317
267,317
267,317
4,323
247,914
15,080
267,317
2023		 £
£
128,252
164,227
292,479
(25,162)
267,317
267,317
267,317
4,323
247,914
15,080
267,317
2023
267,317
267,317
4,323
247,914
15,080
267,317

These accounts are prepared in accordance with the special provisions of part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies and constitute the annual accounts required by the Companies Act 2006 and are for circulation to members of the company.

The notes on pages 20 to 35 form part of these accounts.

Approved by the trustees on 5th December 2024 and signed on their behalf by:

Steven Lindsay (Treasurer)

19

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024

1 Accounting policies

The principal accounting policies adopted, judgments and key sources of estimation uncertainty in the preparation of the financial statements are as follows:

a Basis of preparation

The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102), second edition - October 2019 (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Companies Act 2006 and UK Generally Accepted Accounting Practice.

The charity has applied the exemption available to small charities in the Charities SORP (FRS 102) and does not include a Statement of Cash Flows in these Financial Statements.

Omega Research Foundation Limited meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy note.

b Preparation of the accounts on a going concern basis

The trustees consider that there are no material uncertainties about the charitable company's ability to continue as a going concern.

No key judgments which the trustees have made which have a significant effect on the accounts.

The trustees do not consider that there are any sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities within the next reporting period.

c Income

Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the item(s) of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably.

Income from government and other grants, whether ‘capital’ grants or ‘revenue’ grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred.

Income received in advance of a provision of a specified service is deferred until the criteria for income recognition are met.

20

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

d Donated services and facilities

Donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised as income when the charity has control over the item, any conditions associated with the donated item have been met, the receipt of economic benefit from the use by the charity of the item is probable and that economic benefit can be measured reliably. In accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102), general volunteer time is not recognised; refer to the trustees’ annual report for more information about their contribution.

On receipt, donated professional services and donated facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount the charity would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.

e Interest receivable

Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the Bank.

f Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available to spend on activities that further any of the purposes of charity.

Designated funds are unrestricted funds of the charity which the trustees have decided at their discretion to set aside to use for a specific purpose. The charity has one designated fund, the long term grants fund, which holds grant income awarded under multi-year grants. This is transferred to the general fund over the life of the grant.

The remaining unrestricted funds are the general funds of the charity.

Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity. Some grants which fall into this category are paid in arrears, after expenditure has already occured, which can leave restricted funds in deficit for short periods of time.

g Expenditure and irrecoverable VAT

Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to make a payment to a third party, it is probable that settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified under the following activity headings:

Irrecoverable VAT is charged as a cost against the activity for which the expenditure was incurred.

21

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

h Allocation of support costs

Support costs are those functions that assist the work of the charity but do not directly undertake charitable activities. Support costs include back office costs, finance, personnel, payroll and governance costs which support the charity's programmes and activities. These costs have been allocated between cost of raising funds and expenditure on charitable activities. The bases on which support costs have been allocated are set out in note 8.

i Tangible fixed assets

Individual fixed assets costing £5,000 or more are capitalised at cost and are depreciated over their estimated useful economic lives. There are currently no fixed assets.

j Debtors

Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount due after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.

k Cash at bank and in hand

Cash at bank and cash in hand includes cash and short term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.

22

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

l Creditors and provisions

Creditors and provisions are recognised where the charity has a present obligation resulting from a past event that will probably result in the transfer of funds to a third party and the amount due to settle the obligation can be measured or estimated reliably. Creditors and provisions are normally recognised at their settlement amount after allowing for any trade discounts due.

m Financial instruments

The charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value.

n Foreign currencies

Transactions entered into in currencies other than sterling are included in the accounts after conversion at the bank rate in force on the date.

o Pensions

Employees of the charity are entitled to join a defined contribution ‘money purchase’ scheme. The charity’s contribution is restricted to the contributions disclosed in note 10. The costs of the defined contribution scheme are included within staff costs in note 6, 7 and 8, and are allocated between funds in proportion to the allocation of staff time.

The money purchase plan is managed by TPT Retirement Solutions (previously The Pensions Trust) and the plan invests the contributions made by the employee and employer in an investment fund to build up over the term of the plan a pension fund which is then converted into a pension upon the employee’s normal retirement year age when eligible for a state pension. The total expense ratio of the plan is 0.69% and this is deducted from the investment fund annually. The charity has no liability beyond making its contributions and paying across the deductions for the employee’s contributions. The contributions outstanding at the year-end were £2,154 (2023: £1,835).

2 Legal status of the charity

The charity is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales and has no share capital. In the event of the charity being wound up, the liability in respect of the guarantee is limited to £1 per member of the charity. The registered office address is disclosed on page 1.

23

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

3 Income from donations and legacies

Current reporting period
Unrestricted
£
Donations
873
Total
873
Previous reporting period
Unrestricted
£
Donations
1,324
Total
1,324
4
Income from charitable activities
Current reporting period
Unrestricted
£
European Commission grant
-
Oak Foundation grant
-
10,467
Total
10,467
Previous reporting period
Unrestricted
£
Oak Foundation grant
-
14,000
Open Society Foundations
121,803
OPCAT Special Fund
-
Network for Social Change
18,837
58,819
Total
213,459
Joseph Rowntree Charitable
Trust grant
Other income from charitable
activity
Other income from charitable
activity		 Restricted
£
-
-
Restricted
£
-
-
Restricted
£
325,865
62,240
-
388,105
Restricted
£
62,660
-
-
24,561
-
-
87,221		 Total 2024
£
873
873
Total 2023
£
1,324
1,324
Total 2024
£
325,865
62,240
10,467
398,572
Total 2023
£
62,660
14,000
121,803
24,561
18,837
58,819
300,680

24

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

5 Investment income

Current reporting period
Income from bank deposits
Previous reporting period
Income from bank deposits
Cost of raising funds
Staff costs
Accommodation
Governance costs (see note 8)
Support costs (see note 8)		 Unrestricted
£
4,578
4,578
Unrestricted
£
942
942		 Restricted
£
-
-
Restricted
£
-
-
Total 2024
£
15,011
635
428
3,625
19,699		 2024
£
4,578
4,578
2023
£
942
942
Total 2023
£
64,337
2,000
2,461
18,127
86,925

6 Cost of raising funds

All expenditure on cost of raising funds is unrestricted.

25

7 Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

Analysis of expenditure on charitable activities
Staff costs
Accommodation
Publishing (including websites)
Share of grant relating to partner organisations
Governance costs (see note 8)
Support costs (see note 8)
Restricted expenditure
Unrestricted expenditure
Research
Travel
Training provision		 Total 2024
£
280,006
11,851
17,906
12,666
6,890
806
41,669
10,888
67,618
450,300
2024
£
360,306
89,994
450,300		 Total 2023
£
166,380
5,173
5,120
22,283
23,544
11,460
-
6,365
46,878
287,203
2023
£
91,472
195,731
287,203

26

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

8 Analysis of governance and support costs

Current reporting period
Staff costs
Office costs
Audit fees
Allocated as follows:
Cost of raising funds
Charitable activities
Previous reporting period
Staff costs
Office costs
Audit fees
Allocated as follows:
Cost of raising funds
Charitable activities		 Support
£
40,939
30,304
-
71,243
3,625
67,618
71,243
Support
£
50,112
14,678
215
65,005
18,127
46,878
65,005		 Governance
£
4,789
3,557
2,970
11,316
428
10,888
11,316
Governance
£
5,510
1,678
1,638
8,826
2,461
6,365
8,826		 Total 2024
£
45,728
33,861
2,970
82,559
Total 2023
£
55,622
16,356
1,853
73,831

The charity has one activity and therefore support costs are not apportioned.

27

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

9 Net income/(expenditure) for the year

This is stated after charging/(crediting):

Auditor's remuneration - audit fees
Auditor's remuneration - other
Staff costs
Staff costs during the year were as follows:
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs
Allocated as follows:
Cost of raising funds
Charitable activities
Support costs
Governance costs		 2024
£
2,415
60
2024
£
298,541
27,276
14,928
340,745
15,011
280,006
40,939
4,789
340,745		 2023
£
1,485
60
2023
£
251,208
22,570
12,561
286,339
64,337
166,380
50,112
5,510
286,339

10 Staff costs

No employee has employee benefits in excess of £60,000 (2023: Nil).

The average number of staff employed during the period was 7 (2023: 7).

Omega operates a flat management structure, with decisions being taken collectively by staff. The key management personnel of the charity comprise the trustees and the staff team. The total employee benefits of the key management personnel of the charity were £345,745 (2023: £291,339).

28

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

11 Trustee remuneration and expenses, and related party transactions

Neither the management committee nor any persons connected with them received any remuneration during the year (2023: Nil).

No (2023: One) members of the management committee received travel and subsistence expenses during the year (2023: £5).

Aggregate donations from related parties, were nil (2023: Nil).

There are no donations from related parties which are outside the normal course of business and no conditions were attached to donations from related parties.

No trustee or other person related to the charity had any personal interest in any contract or transaction entered into by the charity, including guarantees, during the year (2023: Nil).

12 Government grants

The government grants recognised in the accounts were as follows:

European Commission 2024
£
325,865
325,865		 2023
£
-
-

The European Commission grant was the first payment to cover 95% of costs on the project "United Against Torture Consortium project". Some of the grant was unspent at the year end (see note 17).

29

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

13 Corporation tax

The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or Section 256 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects. No tax charges have arisen in the charity.

14 Debtors

Grants receivable
Trade debtors
Prepayments and accrued income		 2024
£
52,500
3,894
3,815
60,209		 2023
£
122,500
2,754
2,998
128,252

Grants receivable consists of the final 9 months of a 3 year grant from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. This is held in the Long term grants designated fund (see note 18). There were amounts recoverable in more than one year (2023: £52,500)

15 Cash at bank and in hand

2024
£
Short term deposits
165,248
Cash at bank and on hand
5,619
170,867
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2024
£
Short term compensated absences (holiday pay)
11,021
Other creditors and accruals
10,321
Taxation and social security costs
8,393
29,735		 2023
£
132,026
32,201
164,227
2023
£
9,624
8,499
7,039
25,162

16 Creditors: amounts falling due within one year

30

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

17 Analysis of movements in restricted funds

Total
Oak Foundation
Global Giving
OPCAT Special Fund
Total
Previous
reporting period
Global Giving
Current reporting
period
Oak Foundation
Network for Social
Change
European
Commission		 Balance at
1 April
2023
£
-
2,470
1,853
-
4,323
Balance at
1 April
2022
£
5,338
3,236
-
8,574		 Income
£
325,865
62,240
-
-
388,105
Income
£
62,660
-
24,561
87,221		 Expenditure
£
(274,906)
(64,710)
(1,853)
(18,837)
(360,306)
Expenditure
£
(65,528)
(1,383)
(24,561)
(91,472)		 Transfers
£
1,975
-
-
18,837
20,812
Transfers
£
-
-
-
-		 Balance at
31 March
2024
£
52,934
-
-
-
52,934
Balance at
31 March
2023
£
2,470
1,853
-
4,323

31

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

17 Analysis of movements in restricted funds (cont.)

Name of Description, nature and purposes of the fund restricted fund

European Funding for the United Against Torture Consortium project Commission Oak Foundation Funding to continue work on the European "Anti Torture" Regulation, and work on the Alliance for Torture Free Trade, and on torture prevention work in Brazil Global Giving Funding for further development of the database, including providing access to external individuals and organisations. Network for Social Funding for monitoring proposed new weapons and tactics within UK Change police, plus some core funding OPCAT Special Fund Funding from the United Nations Special Fund of the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture to strengthen the capacity of the Brazilian National Preventive Mechanism

Restricted funds are donations which the donor has specified are to be solely used for particular areas of the charity’s work or for specific projects being undertaken by the charity. Some grants which fall into this category are paid in arrears, after expenditure has already occured, which can leave restricted funds in deficit for short periods of time.

32

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

18 Analysis of movement in unrestricted funds

General fund
Previous
reporting period
General fund
Designated fund:
Long term grants
Designated fund:
Long term grants		 Balance
at 1 April
2023
£
15,080
247,914
262,994
Balance
at 1 April
2022
£
137,425
192,500
329,925		 Income
£
15,918
-
15,918
Income
£
90,311
125,414
215,725		 Expenditure
£
(109,693)
-
(109,693)
Expenditure
£
(282,656)
(282,656)		 Transfers
£
128,926
(149,738)
(20,812)
Transfers
£
70,000
(70,000)
-		 As at 31
March 2024
£
50,231
98,176
148,407
As at 31
March
2023
£
15,080
247,914
262,994

Name of Description, nature and purposes of the fund unrestricted fund

General fund The free reserves after allowing for all designated funds

Long term grants Income from multi-year core grants, currently from the Joseph Rowntree fund Charitable Trust (3 year grant starting in January 2022), to be transferred to the general fund over the life of the grant, following the grant agreement.

33

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

19 Analysis of net assets between funds

Current reporting period
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total
Previous reporting period
Net current assets/(liabilities)
Total		 General
fund
£
50,231
50,231
General
fund
£
15,080
15,080		 Long term
grants fund
£
98,176
98,176
Long term
grants fund
£
247,914
247,914		 Restricted
funds
£
52,934
52,934
Restricted
funds
£
4,323
4,323		 Total
£
201,341
201,341
Total
£
267,317
267,317

34

Omega Research Foundation Limited

Notes to the accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 (continued)

20 Prior year Statement of Financial Activities (including Income and Expenditure account)

Unrestricted
funds
Note
£
Income from:
Donations and legacies
3
1,324
Charitable activities
4
213,459
Investments
5
942
Total income
215,725
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
86,925
Charitable activities
7
195,731
Total expenditure
282,656
(66,931)
9
(66,931)
Transfer between funds
-
Net movement in funds for the year
(66,931)
Reconciliation of funds
Total funds brought forward
329,925
Total funds carried forward
262,994
Net income/(expenditure) for the
year
Net income/(expenditure) before
net gains/(losses) on investments		 Restricted
funds
£
-
87,221
-
87,221
-
91,472
91,472
(4,251)
(4,251)
-
(4,251)
8,574
4,323		 Total funds
2023
£
1,324
300,680
942
302,946
86,925
287,203
374,128
(71,182)
(71,182)
-
(71,182)
338,499
267,317		 Total funds
2022
£
4,903
440,021
310
445,234
36,725
384,933
421,658
23,576
23,576
-
23,576
314,923
338,499

35