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2022-03-31-accounts

Autistica

Annual Report and Accounts for the year ending 31 March 2022

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Contents

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Honorary roles

President

Dame Stephanie Shirley CH

Vice Presidents

Jane Asher Sir Christopher Ball Lady Christine Bett Hugh Merrill MVO

Trustees

Chair

Stephen Boyle (Chair from November 2021) Gill Ackers (resigned November 2021)

Honorary Treasurer

Matthew Harris

John Carey Matthew Davis Professor Jonathan Green Professor Dr Hilde Geurts (resigned July 2022) Lynn Hawkins (appointed February 2022) Katherine Hudson Heather Kleeman (resigned February 2022)

Charity management

Chief Executive Officer

Dr James Cusack

Director of Fundraising (on maternity leave: March 2021 to April 2022) Jennie Chambers

Interim Director of Fundraising (April 2021 to November 2021) Theresa Preston

Interim Director of Fundraising (December 2021 to July 2022) James Robinson

Head of Research

Dr Amanda Roestorf

Auditors

Azets Audit Services Greytown House, 221–227 High Street Orpington, Kent BR6 0NZ

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Bankers

Metro Bank, One Southampton Row London WC1B 5HA

Registered office

Suite B, 6 Honduras Street London EC1Y 0TH

020 3857 4340 info@autistica.org.uk autistica.org.uk Charity registration no. 1107350 Company registration no. 05184164

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Statement from the chair

We launched our visionary and ambitious 2030 Goals just as I began my term as chair of Autistica in November. These have primed us not only to continue our strong performance of the last two years despite the pandemic, but also to create even more change and an even bigger impact than ever before for autistic people and families.

I am delighted to take over as chair from Gill Ackers, whose term saw Autistica through some incredibly challenging times and delivered some impressive achievements. Throughout the year, as I have got to know our organisation and our team better, I have found our work to be even more original and higher quality than I previously thought.

Autistica’s excellent and committed team is exclusively focused on making breakthroughs that will address the autistic community’s most pressing problems. Autistica offers the best hope for current and future generations of autistic people and their families.

It is vital that the work we do aims to and delivers support for the whole of the autism community without a preference for or bias towards any group. My pledge to autistic people and their families is that we will leave no members of the community behind as we strive to enable all autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives. It is precisely this principle that has led us towards six such broad but visionary and ambitious 2030 Goals.

The recognition of individual needs and the requirement for personalised solutions within the Autistica Support Plan and the Autistica Employment Plan are further shining examples of this guiding principle. Similar plans for each the other four 2030 Goals are taking shape and will be published in due course. As with all of our work, these plans are produced in collaboration with autistic people and the wider autism community to make sure we are delivering what is needed not simply what is easy.

Indeed, much of what is involved in our 2030 Goals will be difficult. We cannot meet these goals alone and we are incredibly grateful for the continued backing from all of our supporters. Our donors allow us to do the vital work that moves us towards achieving our mission. Autistic people and their families drive us forward on a daily basis, motivating us and making sure that we always put them front and centre in all that we do. Our research community is ceaselessly dedicated to undertaking world-leading work that can translate to real change. And people across government, the NHS, NIHR and more play a major role in making sure proven evidence is put into practice.

We also recognise that to achieve our bold, challenging goals, we must mobilise an even wider coalition of support than we have previously. From employers to health professionals and from policymakers to the media, we need to ensure that the right people are engaged at every step of the process to help us forge ahead. If you can help us build that coalition, whether directly or as a vital connector to people who can, get in touch. We’ve included contact details on the final page of this report.

I am genuinely excited for what lies ahead. I believe we will continue to grow in income, influence and impact over the coming years and I am proud to be part of Autistica’s future.

Stephen Boyle Chair of trustees

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Statement from the CEO

I have continued to be grateful for and motivated by the immense support of our community. The help and encouragement that we have seen from autistic people and families, researchers, policymakers, and our generous donors, has allowed us to make important progress.

When I became CEO, I was convinced that we can make a real difference with autistic people. Our new 2030 Goals outlined how we want to ensure tangible, positive change for and with autistic people. Over the next decade we want to make sure autistic people get the right support when they need it, that their health needs are met, that they can find meaningful employment and that the barriers of anxiety, accessibility of public spaces and negative attitudes towards autism and autistic people are removed.

To make sure we are able to deliver on our promises, we have made sure we are structured in the way that best allows us to maintain our success. We have welcomed a lot of new, talented people to our team this year and we are embracing new ways of working. We have a new agreement to share office space with MQ: The Mental Health Charity after two years of working from home. The office gives us a base to hold meetings and get the team together while controlling our costs.

All of the work on the Goals means nothing without the ability to implement the change that will make a difference. The last year has seen our influence and impact has continue to grow.

Two of our staff were seconded to NHS England to help shape their new research strategy, published in March 2022, which reflected a lot of our own language and showed the impact we had on its drafting. In another boost for autistic people, this year also saw the publication of the government’s new autism strategy which we were also involved in developing. You can find out more about these on page 14.

The work we have done in this area has not gone unnoticed. We are delighted to be working with Sir Robert Buckland KC MP who has been raising the profile of autism research with parliamentary colleagues and civil servants and has led debates in the House of Commons.

Every piece of work we do is underpinned by the members of the Autistica Research Network and our Insight Group. Through both of these groups autistic people and families provide invaluable insight and help shape our projects and decision making.

We are equally thankful to our generous donors and supporters who make our success possible by funding the activities we undertake. Their generosity has meant that we once again out- performed our expectations and we find ourselves in a healthy financial position as we end the year. All of your invaluable support is more important than ever as we strive to achieve our ambitious plans in an environment that continues to be challenging.

As I look into Autistica’s future, I have a real belief that this decade can see real change for autistic people. Through our 2030 Goals we can keep punching above our weight as a small charity, ensuring that research makes a real difference to the lives of autistic people.

Dr James Cusack

Chief Executive Officer

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Objectives and activities

Real, impactful change relies on credible research and proven evidence. We know that research has the potential to transform the everyday lives of autistic people by making sure that treatments, support and services are based on compelling evidence.

We also know that too many autistic people and their families face a lifelong struggle to access those things. If we want to overcome these inequalities and deliver real change, it requires a coordinated and focused effort.

Autistica works in partnership not only to achieve a step change in the amount of resource focused on autism research, but also to ensure that research funding is directed to the areas of greatest need. We act as the bridge between autistic people, the research community and other funders of autism science.

We also work with key partners in positions of influence over policy and execution to make sure that the evidence generated by the research we support is put into action. Research without implementation can never result in impact.

This is an exciting time for autism research and significant advances have been made in the last decade, including a deeper understanding of autistic strengths, greater awareness of the tragic gap in life expectancy and a marked increase in the amount of autism science globally.

Our part in those advances stems from our ability to deliver the evidence that creates real hope through science. Our unique approach is driven by and developed with autistic people and families. It can and will make more of a difference for autistic people in both the short and long term.

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Our Vision, Mission, Values and Goals

Our Vision is a world where every autistic person lives a happy, healthy, long life.

Our Mission is to create breakthroughs that enable all autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives.

We do this by funding research, shaping policy and working with autistic people to make more of a difference.

Our Values

Our Goals

By 2030:

all autistic people will have proven support from day one

the employment rate for autistic people will double

autistic people will have proven treatments for anxiety

public spaces will be more accessible for neurodivergent people

every autistic adult will be offered a yearly, tailored health check

attitudes to autistic people will change

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Year at a glance

After a challenging but ultimately productive first year of the pandemic in 2020-21, we have continued to make progress in key areas of our work.

1. Enabling world-leading research

Our research partnerships continued to leverage significant investment, with 12 new collaborations leveraging a total of £1.8 million.

The data we have gathered through our DARE project with University College London has helped us continue to work with companies across multiple sectors and industries to improve recruitment practices and develop best practice guidelines for employing neurodivergent people.

2. Ensuring community involvement

We continue to involve community voices in everything we do and enable researchers to do the same through the Autistica Network and Autistica Insight Group. We carried out more involvement with these groups than ever before this year, helping to recruit for 95 research projects through the Network. The Insight Group shaped the development of 37 research projects - ensuring they are as effective and inclusive as possible.

3. Campaigning for change

Our work with NHS England and the Department for Health and Social Care saw significant results with the publication of two separate strategies. Both the respective “Five-year NHS autism research strategy for England” and “National strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021- 26” reflected much of the language we use, demonstrating how important the secondment of two of our staff was to the creation and publication of both new blueprints.

4. Funding for impact

In the face of ongoing challenges to the fundraising environment due to the pandemic, we continued to perform above expectations in our income generation. A vital part of our stability has come from the continued support of partners like Fujitsu, Jingle Jam and Herbert Smith Freehills. To make sure we are equipped to continue our growth, we also developed and reshaped our team for the landscape in which we now operate.

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Review of the year

This year represents a landmark for Autistica with the launch of our six visionary and ambitious 2030 Goals driven by the autism community. The Goals represent the change we want to see in autistic people’s lives, a change we believe we are in a prime and unique position to deliver.

Over the course of November and December we introduced each of our Goals with powerful personal stories of people directly and negatively impacted by the current situation.

Eventually, all six Goals will have detailed plans outlining both what needs to change and how we believe that can happen. In January 2022 we published the first of these, the Autistica Support Plan which focuses on ensuring all autistic people have proven support from day one by 2030.

As the financial year ended the Autistica Employment Plan was being finalised and our Anxiety Plan was in draft stage ready to be sent for review by autistic people, researchers and professionals. This latter stage is vital to making sure the plans are viable and achievable.

A new space and a new approach

In February 2022 we signed an agreement to share office space in central London with MQ: the Mental Health Research Charity. For the first time in almost two years, Autistica has a home. We have moved to a hybrid-working model with most members of staff working two to three days a week in the office, with everyone coming in on a Wednesday. The rest of the time staff work from home.

Our work on the Goals

Support from day one

Meaningful, sustained employment

Proven treatments for anxiety

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Making public spaces more accessible

Yearly, tailored health checks

Changing attitudes to autism

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Our research

We work with autistic people to shape our research to make sure we deliver real, impactful change. In the ongoing impact of the pandemic, we continued to drive progress in key areas around support, employment, health checks and mental health.

Partnerships

Our role in research partnerships is wide-ranging. For example, we facilitate research involvement and support researchers to recruit participants and involve the community throughout their research. We also support members of the Autistica Insight Group to participate in governance and oversight boards to ensure that the work we do is of the highest quality and relevance to the autistic community.

Our academic and professional partnerships involve working with world-leading autism research experts to deliver innovative, evidence-led tools, services and recommendations that can support autistic people and their families. In some instances, we work with research teams to communicate their findings to those responsible for policy decisions, to ensure their work achieves tangible change.

Over the last year we entered 12 new research partnerships that leveraged a total of £1.8 million to fund projects focused on a range of critical issues. These partnerships have focused on areas such as improving the delivery of autism diagnostic services, supporting suicide safety plans, developing communication and support frameworks for autistic children with complex needs, understanding the impact of undiagnosed ADHD and autism, supporting autistic young women with anorexia, and developing employment supports and adjustments toolkits for autistic people in the workforce.

As part of our three-year partnership with the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) we invited applications for seed funding for social care development programmes aimed at supporting autistic people. The funding was used to help develop applications for the 2022 NIHR Research for Social Care awards, specifically related to research that addresses social care provision for autistic adults. This work is made possible by the generous support of the CareTech Foundation.

We remain in close collaboration with the National Autism Team at NHS England and NHS Improvement to embed evidence in the work they are doing to improve health provision for autistic people. This year we have supported research teams to use evidence to inform future health policy. For example, the Peter Sowerby Trust supported initial funding for a project focused on designing a health checks framework and toolkit that can facilitate annual health checks for autistic people. The project’s output then enabled the team to leverage further NHS funding to support the feasibility trial of this research.

We also launched our first Early Career Researcher (ECR) Training Programme, supported by Dr Laura Crane (University College London) and Dr Hannah Pickard (King’s College London). The 2021-22 cohort comprised 16 ECRs from 15 universities and clinical research organisations across England and Wales. The programme is supported by 26 established researchers to address topics of inclusive research, designing research to influence policy and communicating science to the public.

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The Discover Autism Research and Employment (DARE) programme is a unique collaboration between Autistica and the Centre for Research in Autism Education at University College London to help companies understand how to recruit and retain neurodiverse talent. DARE is currently in its fourth year, building our evidence-base across the employment lifecycle to help us work towards our 2030 Goal of seeing the employment rate for autistic people double. The research has produced evidence-based recommendations on practical topics such as workplace adjustments and disclosure in the workplace. We've been sharing these with senior HR leads at companies such as the law firm Herbert Smith Freehills, and hosting lunchtime talks with staff to give them practical ways to be more inclusive with neurodivergent colleagues.

Our ongoing project with Aston University is helping design a practical way of diagnosing cooccurring mental health conditions in autistic people with learning disabilities and then identifying appropriate support pathways. It is a vital project for the four-in-ten autistic people who have a learning disability in the UK.

Autistica Network

We strive to ensure that every activity we undertake has maximum impact through inclusive research and community involvement in shaping the research we fund and carry out. The Autistica Network brings together autistic people, families, professionals and researchers to do bigger and better research.

Network aims:

In the year to 31 March 2022, we sent 95 research participation opportunities to members of the Autistica Network. Each one offered the chance for members to take part in high- quality research that addresses priority areas for the autism community. This was a 52% increase on last year’s total of 61 opportunities sent to Network members.

In addition, we offered 37 opportunities for the Autistica Insight Group to be involved in shaping and co-designing research, an increase of almost 100%. These included providing input or feedback on research documentation, design and protocols, completing surveys about lived experiences, and taking part in filming, photography or speaking events.

Externally, many involvement opportunities were initial consultation workshops in which researchers shared their ideas and plans with Insight Group members. The group’s valuable feedback allowed them to tailor their research to closely align with community priorities and ensure projects were accessible to the community they wish to recruit.

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Driving public policy

Thanks to our rigorous standards for building evidence and focusing on what works, Autistica has rapidly become highly respected for shaping autism policy. We work closely with government bodies and the NHS, feeding into their plans to help make breakthroughs for autistic people.

Making the 2030 Goals a reality

For much of the past year, our main emphasis has been on working with autistic people, families, clinicians and researchers to develop realistic but ambitious plans to make our 2030 Goals a reality. Last autumn, we published the Autistica Support Plan, which outlines our projects and recommendations to ensure that by 2030 every autistic person has access to proven support from day one.

The Support Plan was quickly endorsed by Sir Robert Buckland as he cited it while leading a debate on autism and neurodiversity research. Sir Robert went on to host a second parliamentary debate on autism, showing his continued support for our work.

Influencing government

In recent months, Autistica’s narrative has been adopted by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) on multiple occasions. Last year’s Health and Social Care Select Committee inquiry highlighted shocking treatment of autistic people and people with learning disabilities, particularly in inpatient units. However, we were heartened by ministerial commitments to end the guesswork and prioritise research into properly supporting this group.

The long-awaited national strategy for autistic children, young people and adults: 2021-2026 also encompassed multiple Autistica recommendations, including the implementation of annual health checks for autistic people and development of a Research Action Plan for autism research. We look forward to continuing to work with the DHSC to make the Action Plan effective.

Influencing the NHS

At the same time, we saw multiple staff across policy and research seconded to NHS England (NHSE) to support the development of the five-year NHS autism research strategy for England, which was published in March 2022. The strategy adopts our vision (and, indeed, our terminology) of happier, healthier, longer lives for autistic people and sets out the infrastructure necessary for effective and insightful research that aligns with the priorities of the autistic community.

We are delighted that NHSE have also adopted Autistica policy in a number of other areas, notably including LeDeR (the Learning Disabilities Mortality Review) being extended to cover the two-thirds of autistic people who do not have a learning disability. Our close relationship with NHS bodies will be crucial to implementing the 2030 Goals and we are hopeful for further strides in NHS autism policy in the coming months and years.

Embracing Complexity

Embracing Complexity is a coalition of leading UK charities supporting people with neurodevelopmental conditions (NDCs). The coalition is funded by The Waterloo Foundation and managed by Autistica.

Last year, the coalition began a series of Embracing Complexity webinars covering a range

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of topics including trauma, socio-economic inequalities, and mental health. With support from the Emerging Minds Network, it launched a Special Interest Research Group focusing on mental health in neurodivergent children and young people.

As highlighted in the coalition’s Embracing Complexity in Research report, published in October 2021, there is a stark mismatch between funded research and the priorities of neurodevelopmental communities, as well as multiple obstacles to researching more than one condition at a time. In the coming year, it aims to break down some of these barriers to improve outcomes for people with NDCs. It will also focus on projects aligning with Autistica’s 2030 Goals, including a resource sharing tips on making hybrid working more accessible.

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Communications

We look to go beyond simply communicating about the projects we fund. We aim to engage our community by enabling them to tell their stories that inform our mission. And we want to inspire and empower autistic people and wider society by sharing the breakthroughs we are making.

A new framework

We used the launch of our visionary and ambitious 2030 Goals as a tool to look at the way we engage with our community. Autistic people are at the heart of what we do and as such need to be represented in everything we communicate. We have been humbled by the willingness of autistic people to come forward and share their stories, both positive and extremely challenging.

Recognition in the media

We saw an increase in media coverage that has positioned us as key commentators on questions around autism research. In September our CEO authored an opinion piece in the Guardian about the Australian Infant Communications and Engagement Study (AICES). The article added vital balance to the debate on the study’s results and went on to generate more coverage giving crucial context to the findings. It also resulted in journalists approaching us for comment on other stories throughout the year.

James was also interviewed for radio and quoted several times across major and minor print and digital publications including the BBC, the Daily Mail and The Times on topics ranging from late diagnosis and diagnosis trends in women to the breadth of community views on genetic research in autism.

Engaging our community

We were able to reach even more people this year than ever before. We increased our social media engagement and almost doubled subscribers to our YouTube channel. We ran several very successful live webinars based on topics the community requested. Each one was attended by more than 200 people, showing a steady improvement over last year. The Autistica Insight Group continues to shape our communications and events, feeding into the Autistica Festival line-up and providing stories and quotes that give real-life context to our research and campaigns.

The Autistica Research Festival

The Autistica Research Festival is the UK’s leading autism research conference. It brings together autism researchers, autistic people, family members and professionals to discuss innovative research and barrier-pushing involvement and participation work. Our 2021 virtual conference featured more than a dozen speakers with almost 3,000 people registered to attend. With all sessions shared on our YouTube channel after the event we reached more than 1,800 additional people. We are indebted to Fujitsu for their sponsorship of the Festival.

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Funding and support

Thanks to our donors, partners, and the trusts and foundations who support us we have been able to maintain the strong position we had at the end of the previous financial year. We continue to be encouraged and motivated by the generosity of everyone who is helping us achieve our mission.

Trusts and foundations

We remain indebted to our valued donors and are also extremely grateful to those who supported us for the first time.

We were delighted to continue collaborating with our partners on multi-year, ground-breaking initiatives. CareTech Foundation is our partner for the Social Care Action Fund which is fostering research into important, under-researched areas of social care provision accessed by or impacting autistic adults. The fund launched this year with seed-funding for three projects to enable researchers to develop high quality research proposals to submit to the National Institute for Health and Care Research's (NIHR) Research for Social Care Call (RfSC).

Through our major partnership with the Peter Sowerby Foundation, we continued to work with Newcastle University to research annual health checks for autistic people. Another multi-year partnership is with Waterloo Foundation, whose funding enables us to lead the unique Embracing Complexity Coalition comprising 61 charities supporting people who think differently. The Maudsley Charity’s on-going commitment helped make the first year of the Molehill Mountain app a huge success. The app helps autistic people understand and selfmanage their anxiety and has received universally positive reviews.

Individual donors

We continued to benefit from the generosity of our supporters through individual gifts, community fundraisers and those participating in various challenge events, including the Virgin Money London Marathon. The postponed event returned in October 2021 and we had six runners take part. We also had supporters take on their own fundraisers, including one walker who climbed Ben Nevis. Thank you to all our supporters who, despite the challenges last year brought us, still chose to support us.

Corporate and major donors

The Corporate & Games Partnerships team completed the third year of our Charity of the Year partnership with Fujitsu and welcomed them again as the official sponsor of our Autistica Research Festival. We were delighted that the partnership won Corporate Partnership of the Year at this year’s Third Sector Awards. We also extended our partnership with DPS Games, established a calendar of online games streaming events and benefited from the continued support of GamesAid. We were delighted to have secured the Jingle Jam partnership with Yogscast, which raised over £274,000 that will be used to support our ground-breaking autism research into the impact of games on autistic children.

Our Major Donors helped us deliver on our unique commitment to tackling the challenges that matter most to autistic people and their families. Their significant gifts have ensured we can continue investing in ground-breaking areas of research and lay the foundations for a radical step-change over the next decade.

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Looking ahead

Every autistic person has a different story. What unifies us is our shared mission to ensure that all autistic people live a happy, healthy, long life. Over the next year we will deliver on this by takings steps to ensuring that by 2030 autistic people get the right support and live in a world that accommodates, accepts, and celebrates them.

Implementing our Goals

We will publish our plans for every Goal. We will launch exciting new measures that will enable us to track progress and accelerate change. We will develop personal support profiles to help autistic people get the tailored support they need. This will be underpinned by a new research strategy, which will set out our approach to funding and supporting the work that will make our vision a reality over the next decade.

Strengthening our relationships

The value of our community cannot be understated. They enable us to do the work we do, and they play a huge part in the research we fund and support. We will work ceaselessly to make sure we involve autistic people and families in the best possible ways in everything we do.

Over the coming year we will be working to improve our communication with our community. We will be redesigning our emails, making sure they remain interesting, relevant and of value to everyone who receives them. We will also be working to engage more on social media, using our platforms not just to listen, but to be part of the conversation.

We will continue to nurture our positive relationships with civil servants, build better ones with ministers and develop new opportunities with people well-positioned to enable our mission and change autistic people’s lives.

Optimising our income

We have an ambitious new fundraising strategy that will fuel our work on the Goals. Our aim is to increase fundraising income each year over the coming decade by increasing our new business outreach and the number of long-term sustainable partnerships in our fundraising portfolio. Our long-term current partners and supporters will continue to be a vital part of our fundraising success but we must grow and secure new partners in order to achieve all our Goals.

Developing our team

We are more committed than ever to having a happy, thriving, high-performing team. We are committed to our people and are embracing neurodiversity in everything we do.

We will adopt hybrid working practices. Our office share with MQ: The Mental Health Charity gives us the scale to have cost- effective, whole-team conversations in person while also giving the team flexibility to find practices and patterns that work for them.

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Public benefit and impact

The trustees have referred to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit in relation to the charity’s aims and objectives. The trustees consider it important to demonstrate to supporters and others interested in our work that the research we have funded will support breakthroughs, create tangible progress, and enhance understanding.

Autistic people and families are at the heart of our research strategy, our national research network and embedded within our wider governance processes. By involving our community, we can create breakthroughs that enable all autistic people to live happier, healthier, longer lives.

Autistic people and family members play an active role across our work. The Autistica Network provides autistic people with the opportunity to be involved in research as participants and advisers. It also gives researchers a valuable resource to recruit to their studies.

Our Insight Group provide more specialised input to our and others’ work, including codesigning research studies, providing advice on how to best involve autistic people in studies, and reviewing research proposals and Autistica Research Festival submissions to help make sure we support only the best quality research.

We know how important it is that scarce resources are deployed on research that is not just important to families but is also of the highest quality, internationally competitive and does not inappropriately duplicate investment made elsewhere. As a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities we are committed to the highest possible standards of research governance. Independent peer review underscores all the research that we fund.

In addition to the Scientific Review Panel which scores and deliberates on all our research proposals, we are fortunate to benefit from independent scientific advice from world-leading experts in neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism.

Autistica is regulated by the Fundraising Regulator. We are committed to best practice in fundraising and customer service. We promise to keep our supporters informed about our work and to treat their information with respect.

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Structure, governance and management

How we are governed

Autistica was registered as a charity in December 2004 and its governing document is its Memorandum and Articles of Association, which were adopted on 20 July 2004. Autistica is incorporated under the Companies Act 2006 as a company limited by guarantee having no share capital. For the purposes of this Act, the chair and other trustees (none of whom receives any remuneration) are the directors of the company. A full list of trustees, together with other legal and administrative information, can be found at the front of this report.

The board of trustees meets formally four times a year and additionally relies on subcommittees to provide further oversight of the work of the charity (see page 44). Each is chaired by a trustee. All key decisions, including the allocation of funds for research, are taken at full meetings of the trustee board.

On 31 March 2022 there were 8 members of our trustee board. Trustees may serve for up to two terms of three years and are appointed in accordance with the Memorandum and Articles of Association. Gill Ackers resigned from the board in November 2021 and February 2022 saw the board approve the appointment of Lynn Hawkins at the same time as Heather Kleeman resigned.

The following issues are addressed by the trustees during the year:

Each year the skills and expertise required within the trustee board are reviewed to help the charity deliver its objectives. If gaps are identified or a vacancy occurs, new trustees with the appropriate skills and experience are identified. All trustees are offered a full induction when they join, and trustee training is available to keep trustees up to date with the environment in which the charity operates.

How we are managed

The chief executive is responsible to the board of trustees for the management of the charity. The director of fundraising, director of external affairs and head of research report to the chief executive. Remuneration for senior staff is set at market rates and reviewed annually by the board.

The offices of the charity are registered in Islington.

Risk management

The trustees formally consider the major risks faced by the charity as part of a risk management strategy that comprises:

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The charity has identified a number of key risks this year, including the continued impact of Covid-19 on research, fundraising, policy influencing, communications and staff; the stability of our current staff team after a year of significant change; rising costs as a result of the high level of inflation, and; the medium-term effect of Brexit on income, income diversification and improving national and international collaborations in autism research. Our loyal donor base and compelling external relationships put us in a strong position to maintain income and influence and continue supporting UK autism research. We actively seek new partnerships within and beyond autism science and build pro bono support to increase capacity.

Financial Performance

Total income for the year was £1,501,000 (2020-21: £2,012,000) the year on year fall reflecting a challenging fundraising environment, notwithstanding the generosity of our donors.

The cost of raising funds was £287,000 (2020-21: £283,000). We spent £1,211,000 (202021: £1,309,000) on charitable activities including £726,000 (2020-21: £741,000) on grants for medical research and £484,000 (2020-21: £568,000) on medical research dissemination.

We have been able to balance the expenditure on charitable activities with our income and the overall net income on operating activities was £4,000 (2020-21: £420,000).

Reserves

The trustees review the reserves policy annually and consider the charity should hold free reserves of approximately £700,000 (2020-21: £800,000) to cover six months’ operating costs with a contingency of £50,000 in the event of a significant reduction in planned income. At 31 March 2022 the charity had free reserves excluding designated funds of £1,460,000 (2020-21: £1,380,000). Our designated funds were £nil (2020-21: £82,000). At 31 March 2022 the charity had restricted reserves of £371,000 (2019-20: £323,000).

Investments

Free reserves and other surplus cash are held in interest- bearing deposit accounts with authorised UK deposit takers or in regulated money market funds with a maximum of four to six months’ operating costs (c.£650,000) held in the current account.

Cash outside of the current account should be held in individual interest-bearing deposit accounts with authorised UK deposit takers which benefit from the government Financial Services Compensation Scheme (currently up to £85,000), using the Insignis cash management platform. The maximum amount per deposit account should not exceed £100,000. These can be a mix of instant or close to instant access and longer-term access accounts.

A maximum of 50% of total cash or £1,100,000, whichever is lower, can be held in regulated money market funds with an AAA rating from Fitch and/or S&P Global, provided that the funds offer instant or close to instant access. A maximum of 25% of total cash or £750,000, whichever is the lower, can be held in equities or funds in line with the asset investment policy. These should be managed by a regulated asset manager. Investments are reviewed by the finance committee, which meets four times a year, and trustees are advised of any recommended changes at full meetings of the trustee board.

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Going concern statement

The trustees have carefully considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from the approval of these financial statements. The trustees have concluded that the budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves for the charity to be able to continue as a going concern.

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Approval

The report has been prepared in accordance with the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP) (FRS 102) and in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to smaller entities. The trustees’ report and financial statements were approved by the board of trustees on 24 January 2022.

On behalf of the Board

Matthew Harris Honorary Treasurer 24 January 2022

23

Statement of trustee’s responsibilities

Statement of disclosure to auditors

The trustees (who are also directors of Autistica for the purposes of company law) are responsible for preparing the trustees’ annual report (including the strategic report) and 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 that 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:

The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate 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.

Insofar as the trustees are aware:

Stephen Boyle Chair of Trustees 24 January 2022

24

Independent auditor’s report to members

Opinion

We have audited the financial statements of Autistica (the ‘charitable company’) for the year ended 31 March 2022 which comprise the Statement of Financial Activities, the Balance Sheet, the Cash Flow Statement and the related notes. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 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 other information comprises the information included in the Trustees Annual Report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. 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. 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 course of the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material

25

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 the 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 and the incorporated Strategic Report.

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

Responsibilities of trustees

As explained more fully in the Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities set out on page 24, 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 aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud

Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above and on the Financial

26

Reporting Council’s website, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud.

Extent to which the audit was considered capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud (continued)

We obtain and update our understanding of the entity, its activities, its control environment, and likely future developments, including in relation to the legal and regulatory framework applicable and how the entity is complying with that framework. Based on this understanding, we identify and assess the risks of material misstatement of the financial statements, whether due to fraud or error, design and perform audit procedures responsive to those risks, and obtain audit evidence that is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion. This includes consideration of the risk of acts by the entity that were contrary to applicable laws and regulations, including fraud.

In response to the risk of irregularities and non-compliance with laws and regulations, including fraud, we designed procedures which included:

As part of an audit in accordance with ISAs (UK), we exercise professional judgment and maintain professional scepticism throughout the audit. We also:

27

may cause the charitable company to cease to continue as a going concern.

We communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit and significant audit findings, including any significant deficiencies in internal control that we identify during our audit.

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.

Michelle Wilkes FCA Senior Statutory Auditor, Chartered Accountants For and on behalf of Azets Audit Services, Greytown House 221-227 High Street Orpington Kent BR6 0NZ

Date: 25 January 2023

28

Statement of financial activities including income and expenditure for the year ending 31 March 2022

Notes Year
ending
31 March
2022		 Year ending
31 March
2021
Unrestricted Restricted Total
Funds		 Total Funds
£ £ £ £
INCOME FROM:
Donations 2 975,313 521,573 1,496,886 2,005,822
Investment Income 4,356 - 4,356 5,755
Total Income 979,669 521,573 1,501,242 2,011,577
EXPENDITURE ON:
Costs of Raising Funds

Costs of generating donations		 3 252,160 166 252,326 278,074

Cost of events		 3 34,219 - 34,219 3,898
286,379 166 286,545 281,972
Expenditure on Charitable Activities

Grants for medical research		 4 580,038 146,093 726,131 740,873
Medical research dissemination 4 445,667 38,724 484,391 568,274
1,025,705 184,817 1,210,522 1,309,147
Total Expenditure 1,312,084 184,983 1,497,067 1,591,119
NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)
BEFORE GAINS AND LOSSES ON
INVESTMENTS AND TRANSFERS		 (332,415) 336,590 4,176 420,458
Net gains on investments 41,885 - 41,885 77,264

Transfer between funds		 14 288,640 (288,640) - -
NET MOVEMENT IN FUNDS (1,889) 47,950 46,061 497,722
Total funds brought forward 1,461,794 323,007 1,784,801 1,287,079
TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 1,459,905 370,957 1,830,862 1,784,801

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

29

Balance sheet as at 31 March 2022

Notes
8
9		 2022
£
£
-
501,542		 2022
£
£
-
501,542		 2022
£
£
-
501,542		 2021
£ £
FIXED ASSETS
Tangible assets -
Investments 459,657
10 501,542 459,657
CURRENT ASSETS
Debtors - amounts falling due within one year 108,484 236,517
Cashat bank 1,560,880 1,920,084
1,669,364 2,156,601
CREDITORS
Creditors: amounts fallingdue within oneyear 11 (305,366) (662,446)
1,363,998
NETCURRENT ASSETS 1,494,155
TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT
LIABILITIES		 1,865,540 1,953,812
CREDITORS
Creditors:amountsfalling due afterone year 12 (34,678) (169,011)
NET ASSETS 1,830,862 1,784,801
13
13
14		 1,459,905
-
370,957
RESERVES
Unrestricted funds - general 1,379,794
Designated funds 82,000
Restrictedfunds 323,007
TOTAL FUNDS 15 1,830,862 1,784,801

Approved by the Board of Trustees on 24 January 2022 and signed on behalf of the Board

Matthew Harris - Honorary Treasurer

Company Registration Number: 05184164

30

Statement of cash flows for year ending 31 March 2022

2022
£
(363,560)		 2021
£
Notes
16
Net cash (outflow)/inflow from operating activities 587,795
4,356
Cash flow from investing activities
Bank interest 5,755
Net cash from investing activities 4,356 5,755
(359,204)
-
1,920,084
Net (decrease)/increase in cash and cash equivalents 593,550
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 1,326,534
Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year 1,560,880 1,920,084

31

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

1. Accounting policies

a. Basis of preparation

Autistica is a company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom. 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 address of the registered office is given in the charity information on page 4 of these financial statements. The nature of the charity’s operations and principal activities are set out on page 7.

The charity constitutes a public benefit entity as defined by FRS 102. 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 (FRS 102) issued on 16 July 2017, the Charities Act 2011 and UK Generally Accepted Practice as it applies from 31 March 2018.

The financial statements are prepared on a going concern basis under the historical cost convention, modified to include certain items at fair value. The financial statements are prepared in sterling which is the functional currency of the charity.

The significant accounting policies applied in the preparation of these financial statements are set out below. These policies have been consistently applied to all years presented unless otherwise stated.

b. Income

All income is included in the Statement of Financial Activities (SoFA) when the charity is legally entitled to the income after any performance conditions have been met, the amount can be measured reliably and it is probable that the income will be received.

For donations and grants receivable are included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

Investment income is accounted for when received. Tax recoverable on investment income is accounted for on a receivable basis.

Other income is included in full in the Statement of Financial Activities when receivable.

Gifts in kind and donated services are included at the open market value of the goods or services provided.

c. Expenditure

All expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all costs related to the category. Expenditure is recognised where there is a legal or constructive obligation to make payments to third parties, it is probable that the settlement will be required and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. It is categorised under the following headings:

32

accounted for at the point that either conditions for receipt have been satisfied or the post being funded is filled.

d. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.

Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. The cost of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.

The designated fund balance has been represented to ensure that fund balance stated accurately reflects the designation policy adopted by the trustees.

e. Tangible fixed assets

All assets costing over £5,000 are capitalised. Tangible fixed assets are stated at cost less depreciation. Depreciation is provided at rates calculated to write off the cost or valuation of fixed assets, less their estimated residual value, over their expected useful lives as follows:

f. Debtors and creditors receivable / payable within one year

Debtors and creditors with no stated interest rate and receivable or payable within one year are recorded at transaction price. Any losses arising from impairment are recognised in expenditure.

g. Leasing commitments

Assets acquired under finance leases are capitalised and depreciated over the shorter of the lease term and the expected useful life of the asset. Minimum lease payments are apportioned between the finance charge and the reduction of the outstanding lease liability using the effective interest method. The related obligations, net of future finance charges, are included in creditors.

Rentals payable and receivable under operating leases are charged to the SoFA on a straight line basis over the period of the lease.

h. Going concern

The financial statements have been prepared on a going concern basis, but the Trustees recognise that the economic impact of coronavirus still remains unclear. The Trustees have carefully considered the level of funds held and the expected level of income and expenditure for 12 months from the approval of these financial statements. The Trustees have concluded that the budgeted income and expenditure is sufficient with the level of reserves appropriate for the charity, in the current circumstances, to be able to continue as a going concern.

i. Judgements and key sources of estimation uncertainty

The following judgements (apart from those involving estimates) have been made in the process of applying the above accounting policies that have had the most significant effect on amounts recognised in the financial statements:

33

Useful economic lives of tangible assets

The annual depreciation charge for tangible assets is sensitive to changes in the estimated useful economic lives and residual values of the assets. The useful economic lives and residual values are re-assessed annually. They are amended when necessary to reflect current estimates, based on technological advancement, future investments, economic utilisation and the physical condition of the assets. See note 8 for the carrying amount of the tangible fixed assets, and note 1(e) for the useful economic lives for each class of assets.

Bad debts

Debtors are regularly reviewed for recoverability. Any debts which in the opinion of trustees are not recoverable are provided for as a specific bad debt.

The are no key assumptions concerning the future and other key sources of estimation uncertainty at the reporting date that have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amounts of assets and liabilities within the next financial year.

j. Fixed asset investments

Investments are recognised initially at fair value which is normally the transaction price excluding transaction costs. Subsequently, they are measured at fair value with changes recognised in ‘net gains / (losses) on investments’ in the SoFA if the shares are publicly traded or their fair value can otherwise be measured reliably. Other investments are measured at cost less impairment

2 INCOME INCOME INCOME INCOME INCOME 2022
£
944,646
5,082
25,585		 2021
£
Donations 1,338,908
Gifts in kind -
Challenge events 32,586
Unrestricted income 975,313
521,573
-		 1,371,494
Restricted donations 436,330
197,998
Restricted Gift in Kind
Restricted Income 521,573 634,328
Total Income 1,496,886 2,005,822
2022
£
3,207
1,875
-
2021
Gifts in Kind £
Charitable activities, website -
Charitable activities, administrative support costs - Unrestricted -
197,998
Charitable activities, disseminating information o
research - Restricted		 n autism and autism
5,082 197,998

The above activities were organised by the charity. Income from activities organised by individuals and donated to the charity are included in voluntary income.

34

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

3 COST OF RAISING FUNDS
Costs of Generating Donations		 COST OF RAISING FUNDS
Costs of Generating Donations		 COST OF RAISING FUNDS
Costs of Generating Donations		 2022
£
12,034		 2022
£
12,034		 2021
£
Website, database, literature and PR costs 8,245
Other fundraising expenses 36,103 14,202
Allocation of administrative support costs
(Note 6)		 44,952 34,517
Staffcosts (note7) 159,237 221,110
252,326 278,074
Cost of Events
Challenge events costs
Other event costs
Allocation of administrative support costs		 2022
£
30,951
168
2021
£
967
550

(Note 6)		 3,100 2,381
34,219 3,898
EXPENDITURE ON CHARITABLE
ACTIVITIES
Grants for medical research:
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &
Neuroscience
Mental Health - Anxiety Toolkit
Discover Network
Ambitious about Autism
Adolescent Psychoeducation
Epilepsy Dossier
DARE
Embracing Complexity
COVID 19
National Lottery
Epilepsy Fellowship
GP Barriers - Health Checks
Social Care Development Award
Governance costs (Note 5)
Grant Administration costs (Note 6)		 Unrestricted
£
-
11,333
-
-
-
60,786
-
-
-
13,412
15,873
16,681
21,213
105,407		 Restricted
£
96,020
171
3,500
1
-
-
11,970
-
-
-
-
-		 2022
£
96,020
11,504
3,500
1
-
60,786
11,970
-
-
13,412
15,873
16,681
21,213
105,407
4 2021
£
77,294
7,356
229,447
7,263
30,000
113
3,043
3,874
93
-
-
-
15,174
80,939
Staff costs (Note 7) 335,333 34,431 369,764 286,277
Total Grant Expenditure 580,038 146,093 726,131
93,414
21,213		 740,873
Research Dissemination 89,121
21,213		 4,293
-		 266,823
Governance costs (note 5) 15,174
Staffcosts (note7) 335,333 34,431 369,764 286,277
1,025,705 184,817 1,210,522 1,309,147

35

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

Notes to financial statements
for year ending 31 March 2022
5
GOVERNANCE COSTS
External audit
Trustees’ liability insurance
Consultancy & recruitment costs
Other governance costs
Allocation of administrative support costs (Note 6)
Staffcosts (Note7)		 2022
£
12,180
3,248
15,600
966		 2021
£
9,460
3,337
6,132
1,565
1,550 1,190
8,882 8,664
42,426 30,348

No Trustees were paid during this period. One trustee received reimbursements for travel expenses totalling £325 (2021: none).

Governance costs were allocated equally against Grants and Dissemination expenditure in Charitable Activities.

6 ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT COSTS

2022 2021

The following administrative support costs are allocated between other categories of expenditure as detailed below. Costs are attributed directly where possible and the balance is allocated based on time spent by trustees, staff and consultants.

£
4,561
25,986
4,039
50,264
15,019
-
24,904
30,236		 £
Telephone 5,444
IT Expenditure 16,740
Stationery, copying, postage and other office expenses 10,529
Staff recruitment and professional development 27,933
Rent and rates 15,156
Depreciation 161
Other 14,699
Staff costs(note 7) 28,365
Total support costs 155,009 119,027
These are divided: 44,952
3,100
105,407
1,550
Generating donations 29% (Note 3) 34,517
Events 2% (Note 3) 2,381
Charitable activities 68% (Note 4) 80,939
Corporate governance1%(Note 5) 1,190
155,009 119,027

36

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

Notes to financial statements
for year ending 31 March 2022
7
STAFF COSTS
Salaries
Social security costs
Pensioncosts		 2022 2021
£
734,377
75,396
20,920
830,693
£
829,748
87,588
20,547
937,883
These are allocated:
Generating donations (Note 3)
Charitable activities £68,862 is restricted expenditure (2021
£162,700) (Note 4))
Corporate governance (Note 5)
Administration - support costs(Note 6)
159,237
739,528
8,882
30,236		 221,110
572,554
8,664
28,365
830,693
937,883

The charity employed 16 full-time and 8 part-time staff members during the year to 31 March 2022 (2021: 18 fulltime and 8 part-time). Staff costs are allocated between the various activities according to time spent.

The amounts disclosed above include the following number of highly paid employees:


£60,000-£70,000
£70,000-£80,000
2022		 2021
no.
-
2		 no.
1
1

The total amount of employee benefits received by key management personnel is 216,391 (2021 - £161,522). We carefully managed costs associated with key management personnel, but costs have increased due to staff changes and maternity leave costs. The charity considers its key management personnel to comprise those individuals listed on page 3.

37

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

8
TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS		 Computer
Equipment		 Other
equipment and
fittings		 Total
COST
At 1 April 2021 and at 31 March 2022
DEPRECIATION
At 1 April 2021
Charge for the year
As at 31 March 2022
Net book value at 31 March 2022
Net book value at 31 March 2021
9
INVESTMENTS
Market Value
As at 1 April 2021
Unrealised gains/loss
As at 31 March 2022
Historical cost
Investments at fair value comprise
Fixed Income
Equities
Alternatives
Cash		 £
2,760
2,760
-
2,760
-
-		 £
1,285
1,285
-
1,285
-
-
2022
£
459,657
41,885
501,542
386,995
48,855
344,153
92,791
15,743
501,542		 £
4,045
4,045
-
4,045
-
-
2021
£
382,393
77,264
459,657
386,995
62,604
299,152
66,842
31,059
459,657

All investments are carried at their fair value. Investments in equities are all traded in quoted public markets, primarily the London Stock Exchange. Holdings in common investment funds, unit trusts and open-ended investment companies are at the bid price. The basis of fair value for quoted investments is equivalent to the market value, using the bid price. Asset sales and purchases are recognised at the date of trade at cost (that is their transaction value).

There were no material investments in 2022. In 2021, investments individually representing greater than 5% of the There were no material investments in 2022. In 2021, investments individually representing greater than 5% of the There were no material investments in 2022. In 2021, investments individually representing greater than 5% of the
portfolio held were:
2022 2021
£ £
Waverton Global Strategic Bond Fund 'A' - 24,853
GBP Capital Account - 28,103

38

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

10
DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR		 10
DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR		 2022 2021
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income		 £
46,600
61,884
108,484		 £
178,511
58,006
236,517
11
CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE
YEAR		 2022 2021
Trade creditors
Other creditors
Grant commitments (see Note 12 below)
Accruals and deferred income		 £
33,958
250
229,429
41,729
305,366		 £
54,589
314
369,300
238,243
662,446
12
CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE AFTER MORE THAN ONE YEAR		 2022 2021
Grant commitments (see table below)
At 1 April 2021
Transfers
Grant commitments
Paid in year
As at 31 March 2022		 Less than
1 year
£
369,300
134,333
10,322
(284,526)
229,429		 £
34,678
More than 1
year
£
169,011
(134,333)
-
-
34,678		 £
169,011
Total
£
538,311
-
10,322
(284,526)
264,107

39

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

13 UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Balances
£
1,379,794
82,000
1,461,794		 Income
£
979,669
-
979,669		 2022
Expenditure
£
(1,312,083)
-
(1,312,083)		 Transfers
£
412,525
(82,000)
330,525
Balances
c/f
£
Unrestricted funds - general 1,459,905
Designated funds -
1,459,905
UNRESTRICTED FUNDS Balances
£
732,807
82,000		 Income
£
1,377,249
-		 2021
Expenditure
£
(1,075,125)
-		 Transfers
£
344,863
-
Balances
c/f
£
Unrestricted funds - general 1,379,794
Designated funds 82,000
814,807 1,377,249 (1,075,125) 344,863 1,461,794

Designated funds:-

£82,000 2021 Future Leader Awards in Epilepsy

40

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

14
RESTRICTED FUNDS
The Institute of Psychiatry,
Psychology & Neuroscience
Mental Health - Anxiety Toolkit		 Balances
b/f
£
145,347		 Balances
b/f
£
145,347		 Income
£
15,093		 Income
£
15,093		 2022
Expenditure
£
(134,716)		 2022
Expenditure
£
(134,716)		 Transfers
£
208
(38,500)
(35,699)
(5,000)
(50,000)
(45,691)
(3,000)
171
(8,000)
(40,040)
(20,000)
(2,711)
-
(19,556)
(19,747)
-
(1,075)
(288,640)		 Transfers
£
208
(38,500)
(35,699)
(5,000)
(50,000)
(45,691)
(3,000)
171
(8,000)
(40,040)
(20,000)
(2,711)
-
(19,556)
(19,747)
-
(1,075)
(288,640)
Balances
c/f
£
25,724
Discover Network - - - -
Local Engagement
Epilepsy
Intolerance of Uncertainty
Anxiety and Depression in
Minimally Verbal Individuals
University College - Anorexia
Nervosa in Autistic Women
SHAPe, the Sowerby Health
intervention for Autistic People
Autistic-led Grants
Alan Turing Institute - Turing
citizen science fellow
DARE
Home Based PECs
Podcast
Embracing Complexity
AI Summit
MQ Fellow
Future Leaders Award - Jane
Waite
Social Care Scoping
University College - ARFID -
Eating disorders & autism
University College - Ambitious
about Autism - Education to
Employment
CareTech - Social Care Fund		 -
-
-
-
-
12,266
50,000
-
-
-
-
44,625
-
-
-
25,000
-
23,500
10,000		 -
38,500
-
35,699
5,000
189,254
-
-
45,691
3,000
-
62,975
-
8,000
40,040
-
-
-
27,500		 (208)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(171)
(42,093)
-
-
-
-
-
(3,500)
-		 -
-
-
-
-
201,520
-
-
-
-
-
65,507
-
-
-
25,000
-
-
37,500
-
-
5,707
9,999
-
-
-
-
Sowerby - Digital Breakthrough - - -
Adolescent Psychoeducation
National Lottery
National Lottery - Changemakers
COVID 19
NHS England
Epilepsy Dossier
WAAM 2021
Total restricted funds		 2,712
9,907
-
19,650
-
(20,000)
-
323,007		 -
-
9,999
-
19,747
20,000
1,075
521,573		 (1)
(4,200)
-
(94)
-
-
-
(184,983)
370,957

41

RESTRICTED FUNDS
The Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology &
Neuroscience
Mental Health - Anxiety Toolkit
Autism Clinical Research Network
Local Engagement
Epilepsy
Intolerance of Uncertainty
Anxiety and Depression in Minimally
Verbal Individuals
University College - Anorexia Nervosa in
Autistic Women
SHAPe, the Sowerby Health intervention
for Autistic People
Autistic-led Grants
Alan Turing Institute - Turing citizen
science fellow
DARE
Home Based PECs
Podcast
Embracing Complexity
AI Summit
MQ Fellow
Future Leaders Award - Jane Waite
Social Care Scoping
University College - ARFID - Eating
disorders & autism
University College - Ambitious about
Autism - Education to Employment
CareTech - Social Care Fund
Sowerby - Digital Breakthrough
Adolescent Psychoeducation
National Lottery
National Lottery - Changemakers
COVID 19
NHS England
Epilepsy Dossier
WAAM 2021
Total restricted funds		 Balances
b/f
£
270,106
74,949
8,027
18,000
-
-
-
(34,312)
50,000
-
(2,068)
-
896
38,824
2,000
-
-
25,000
850
20,000
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
472,272		 Income
£
2,593
-
-
2,500
4,200
22,000
13,000
57,653
-
195,405
42,065
23,000
-
40,000
-
1,000
29,960
-
-
53,500
10,000
10,000
9,975
10,000
-
50,393
57,084
-
-
634,328		 2021
Expenditure
£
(115,428)
(89,667)
(36,067)
-
-
-
-
(700)
-
(195,405)
(4,203)
-
(1,095)
(32,199)
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
(7,263)
(93)
-
(3,874)
-
(30,000)
-
(515,994)		 Transfers
£
(11,924)
14,718
28,040
(20,500)
(4,200)
(22,000)
(13,000)
(10,375)
-
-
(35,794)
(23,000)
199
(2,000)
(2,000)
(1,000)
(29,960)
-
(850)
(50,000)
-
(10,000)
-
-
-
(26,869)
(57,084)
10,000
-
(267,599)
Balances
c/f
£
145,347
-
-
-
-
-
-
12,266
50,000
-
-
-
-
44,625
-
-
-
25,000
-
23,500
10,000
-
2,712
9,907
-
19,650
-
(20,000)
-
323,007

Restricted funds are funds where the donor has specified the funds must be spent on a particular project as listed above. All of these grants represent either programme grants for autism research at a particular institution, specific Autistica-led projects or where specified fellowships are awarded for the purposes of supporting individuals engaged in autism research.

Transfers out of restricted funds were restricted donations received after funding was committed to specific projects.

Transfers into restricted funds were donations received as unrestricted and subsequently restricted by request of the donor.

Negative balances against specific projects reflect in-year spend which exceeds restricted funds received, but where further restricted funds were received in the subsequent financial year.

42

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

15
ANALYSIS OF NET FUNDS 2022		 General General Restricted Total
Fixed assets
Investments
Debtors
Cash and cash equivalents
Liabilities		 £
-
501,542
61,884
972,416
(75,937)
1,459,905		 £
-
-
46,600
588,464
(264,107)
370,957		 £
-
501,542
108,484
1,560,880
(340,044)
1,830,862
ANALYSIS OF NET FUNDS 2021 General Restricted Total
Fixed assets
Debtors
Cash at bank
Liabilities		 £ £
-
-
178,511
533,542
(538,311)
173,742		 £
-
459,657
236,517
1,770,819
(831,457)
1,635,536
16
RECONCILIATION OF NET EXPENDITURE TO NET CASH FLOW
FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES		 2022 2021
Net movement in funds
Bank interest
Non-cash donations (see note 9)
Net gains on investments (see note 9)
Depreciation charges
(Increase)/decrease in debtors
Increase/(decrease) in creditors
Net cash flow from operating activities		 £
46,061
(4,356)
-
(41,885)
-
128,033
(491,413)
(363,560)		 £
497,722
(5,755)
-
(77,264)
161
195,801
(22,870)
587,795

43

Notes to financial statements

for year ending 31 March 2022

17 RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS

There were no related party transactions during the year to 31 March 2022 (2021: none).

18 GUARANTEE

Autistica is a company limited by guarantee. Its Memorandum of Association prohibits any income or property of the company being paid or transferred to the members. Members of the company undertake to contribute a maximum of £1 to cover its liabilities.

19 LEASE COMMITMENTS

The charity had the following commitments under operating leases at the year end:

Due within one year
Due in 2-5 years		 2022
£
-
-
-		 2021
£
31,050
-
31,050

44

Committees and advisory committees

Finance committee

Matthew Harris (Chair) Stephen Boyle Katherine Hudson Jeff Saul

Nominations committee

Steve Boyle John Carey Matthew Harris Lynn Hawkins

Network Steering Committee

Prof Dame Sue Bailey (Chair) Freddie Adu Dr Carole Buckley Dr Laura Crane Prof Sue Fletcher-Watson Bec Hanley Prof Francesca Happé Dr Keren MacLennan Dr Karen Matthews Mark Minnot Prof Jeremy Parr Jenny Shorthouse Lisa Wood

Scientific Review Panel

Prof Dermot Bowler Prof Mark Brosnan Leneh Buckle Prof Lucy Henry Prof Catherine Jones Claudia Klaver Prof Jonathan Mill Dr Richard Rowe

45

Thanks

Thank you to the autism community and all the supporters who make our work possible.

We were very grateful for significant support in 2021-22 from:

Trusts & Foundations

The Alison Hillman Charitable Trust Basil Samuel Charitable Trust CareTech Foundation The David Family Foundation Edith Murphy Foundation Eveson Charitable Trust The Grey Court Trust The John Walke Trust Maudsley Charity Miss Kathleen Beryl Sleigh Charitable Trust National Lottery Community Fund Peter Sowerby Foundation The Pixel Fund Robert Luff Foundation Thriplow Charitable Trust The Waterloo Foundation

Major donors

Charles Sharland Dame Stephanie Shirley Gordon Holmes Sir Christopher and Lady Ball Sir Michael and Lady Bett Members of the 1 in 100 Club

Corporate

Argus Media BlackRock Fujitsu Herbert Smith Freehills Reynolds Porter Chamberlain LLP The employees of Wellington Management Company

Games

Autistica Play Ambassadors DPS Games GamesAid UKIE Yogscast

46

Individual Giving / Events

Students, staff and parents at Stanley House, Wellington College

Advisors

ECR Training Academic Experts

Dr Laura Crane (Co-Chair) Dr Hannah Pickard (Co-Chair) Dr Duncan Astle Prof Bryony Beresford Dr Rachael Beresford Prof Mark Brosnan Prof Sarah Cassidy Prof Heather Ferguson Prof Sue Fletcher-Watson Prof Sebastian Gaigg Dr Emma Gowen Prof Jonathan Green Prof Francesca Happé Prof Lucy Henry Prof Emily Jones Dr Steven Kapp Dr Hannah Kovshoff Dr Kathy Leadbitter Prof Will Mandy Prof Katie Maras Prof Sarah Parsons Dr Dheeraj Rai Dr Caroline Richards Dr Stuart Ritchie Prof Emily Simonoff Dr Jane Waite

Can you help us with our mission?

We can’t achieve our 2030 Goals alone.

We need to work in partnership with others who have the power to change laws, transform support and fund innovation. Contact rebecca.sterry@autistica.org.uk if you have the power to support us. Thank you.

Autistica 6 Honduras St, London EC1Y 0TH T 020 3857 4340 | info@autistica.org.uk autistica.org.uk

Registered in England. Company No. 5184164 | Charity No. 1107350

47