## Megafaun.org Report and Financial Statements 

Year ended Dec 31, 2020 Charity No. 1151777 



## **Megafaun.org** 

**Report and Financial Statements Year ended** Dec 31, 2020 **Charity No.** 1151777 

**Principal office** 915 Frobisher Crescent, Barbican, London EC2Y 8HD 

**Trustees** Dr. William Lyons Ms. Austa Cochran Mr. Costanzo Capecce 

**Bank** ers Metro Bank, One Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA 

## **Report of the trustees for the year ended 31 December 2020** 

The trustees present their annual report and financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31 December 2020. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with charity’s constitution, the Charities Act 1993 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities published in 2005. 



## **Structure, governance and management** 

Megafaun.org is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and a registered charity, number 1151777. It is governed by a constitution adopted on January 30, 2013. 

The only voting members are its charity trustees.  Each charity trustee must be a natural person, and trustees are appointed by resolution passed at a properly convened meeting of the existing charity trustees. 

At the trustees’ meetings, the trustees agree the broad strategy and areas of activity for the CIO, including consideration of grant making, fundraising, investment, policies and performance. The full group of trustees also handles the processing and handling of grant applications. 

## **Financial review** 

## **Reserves** 

As a small CIO, whose long-term sustainable level of income and expenditure is yet to be established, no formal reserves policy is in place. The CIO currently has no future commitments or liabilities to reserve against, and no direct overhead costs. 

## **Investment policy and performance** 

During the financial year 2020, all cash funds were kept as deposits with our bankers. 

All securities are kept on record at the relevant company registrars. 

There are no funds held as custodian trustee on behalf of others. 

## **Public benefit statement** 

The trustees confirm that they have referred to the guidance contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit and in section 17(5) of the Charities Act 2011 when reviewing the CIO’s aims and objectives and in planning future activities and setting the grant making policy for the year. 

## **Objectives** 

The objects of the CIO are the promotion of the conservation of the physical and natural environment by promoting biodiversity through making grants to appropriate institutions and individuals. 



## **Activity** 

During the course of 2020, Megafaun considered a number of potential grants, however none were found to fit the aims and objects of the CIO. No opportunities to continue fossa conservation in Madagascar were found, as no new field researchers were identified. 

No active fundraising was undertaken, and no new funds were raised. 

## **Grant making policy** 

We support projects with clear and identifiable benefits, relating to the conservation of threatened species and these benefits must be carefully balanced against any potential harm. 

We offer support in areas which do not have the public profile to attract more mainstream sources of funding. As such, preference will be given to projects with the following characteristics, which relate to the team applying, the species being targeted and the approach being taken. 

## **Species** 

The species which is the subject of the conservation research should: 

- be in one of the "Threatened" IUCN Red List categories: Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered; 

- not benefit from awareness in the general public of the species or its plight; 

- be an apex species for its ecosystem and/or a range-restricted endemic species; and 

- not currently be the beneficiary of large-scale research and conservation efforts. 

## **Team** 

The team who is applying should be able to demonstrate: 

- evidence of sound financial management; 

- a track record of producing research suitable for publication in peer-reviewed journals; 

- plans for dissemination or publication of the knowledge and experience gained; and 

- ability to monitor and evaluate the impact of the grant against the proposed objectives. 



## **Philosophy** 

Finally, there are many different approaches to conservation. These are frequently complementary, rather than there being a single optimal approach. The approach taken by Megafaun.org is to seek to support projects that: 

- seek to benefit the ecosystem through focus on a key species; 

- proactively involve and benefit local communities and stakeholders; and 

- seek consensus and education as effective approaches where there is human-animal conflict. 

## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements** 

The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees’ Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards. The law applicable to charities in England and Wales requires the trustee(s) to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that period. 

- In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to: select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently; observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP; make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent; state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and; 

prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in business. 

The trustees are responsible for keeping accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy the financial position of the charity and enable them to ascertain to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 1993, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the constitution. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The trustees are responsible for the maintenance and integrity of the charity and financial information included on the charity’s website. 



## **Receipts and Payments (GBP)** 

|**Receipts and Payments (GBP)**||
|---|---|
|Unrestricted|Restricted<br>Endowment<br>Total<br>Last Year|
|**Receipts**<br>Donations<br>0<br>Interest<br>0<br>Asset and investment<br>sales<br>0<br>Total Receipts<br>0<br>**Payments**<br>Administration<br>0<br>Asset and investment<br>purchases<br>0<br>Cost of generating<br>income<br>0<br>Research Grants<br>0<br>Total Payments<br>0<br>**Net Received/Paid**<br>0<br>Transfers between funds<br>0<br>Cash funds last year-end<br>14,891<br>Cash funds this year-end<br>14,891||
||0<br>0<br>0<br>16,624<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>16,624|
|||
||0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>16,624<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>0<br>14,891<br>14,891<br>0<br>0<br>14,891<br>14,891|



|**Statement of assets and**|**liabilities at end of period**|**liabilities at end of period**|**(GBP)**||
|---|---|---|---|---|
||Unrestricted|Restricted|Endowment|Total|
|Cash funds|14,891|0|0|14,891|
|Other monetary assets|0|0|0|0|
|Investment assets|16,624|0|0|16,624|
|Assets for own use|0|0|0|0|
|Liabilities|0|0|0|0|





Approved by the trustees on 8 November 2021 and signed on their behalf by: 

W Lyons W LYONS, CHAIR of TRUSTEES