**Charity registration number 1161563**
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
**ANNUAL REPORT AND UNAUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION**
|**Trustees**|Lord K Macdonald KC (Chair)||
|---|---|---|
||Arifa Akbar|(Resigned 9 October 2023)|
||Professor Andrew Williams||
||Stephen Armstrong||
||Richard Blair|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
||Michael Callanan||
||Gavin Freeguard||
||Matthew Garraghan||
||Bill Hamilton|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
||Kathryn Harvey||
||Gavin Kelly||
||Deborah Lincoln||
||Rebecca Oyekanmi||
||Andrew Peck||
||Elizabeth Sich||
||David Taylor|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
||Su-Mei Thompson||
||Hugh Tomlinson|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
||Boyd Tonkin||
|**Council (created December 2022)** Mr Richard Blair|||
||Mr William Hamilton||
||Mr David Taylor||
||Mr Hugh Tomlinson||
|**Charity number**|1161563||
|**Independent examiner**|Critchleys Audit LLP||
||Beaver House||
||23-38 Hythe Bridge Street||
||Oxford||
||OX1 2EP||
|**Bankers**|Barclays Bank||
||193 Camden High Street||
||Camden||
||London||
||NW1 7PJ||
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **CONTENTS**
||**Page**|
|---|---|
|Trustees' report|1 - 7|
|Statement of trustees' responsibilities|8|
|Independent examiner's report|9|
|Statement of financial activities|10|
|Balance sheet|11|
|Notes to the financial statements|12 - 20|
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 August 2023.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and "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)" (effective 1 January 2019).
## **Objectives, activities, and achievements**
The Orwell Foundation uses the work of George Orwell to shine a light on brave writing, uncovering hidden lives and uncomfortable truths. We aim to connect with audiences from schoolchildren to policymakers, offering a platform to discuss subjects close to Orwell’s heart, including poverty, political extremism, and the dangers posed by the corruption of language and the rise of new technologies.
Orwell exposed the dangers of disinformation and totalitarianism thorough writing that glowed with integrity, decency and fidelity to truth. His work powerfully transcends his own era, remaining relevant to the social, geo-political and economic landscapes of the twenty-first century.
We celebrate these values with our prizes, school programmes, lectures, debates, and online resources, championing creativity and diversity of opinion to promote Orwell’s desire to ‘make political writing into an art’. Following a change to the Foundation's constitution approved as part of a merger with The Orwell Youth Prize (6th May 2020), the Foundation's charitable objective also includes the promotion of the education of children and young people for the public benefit.
In addition to the busy programme of prizes and events described below, the Foundation maintains a website hosting a wide range of resources by and about George Orwell, which is free to use, as well as active social media accounts. Many of the essays on The Orwell Foundation’s website receive over 10,000 unique visitors a month. We also publish a popular Substack serialisation, Orwell Daily.
## **Achievements and performance**
## **The Orwell Prizes**
The Orwell Prizes, the UK's most prestigious prizes for political writing, aim to reward and promote good writing, thinking, and reporting about politics for a public audience. Each Prize is worth £3000 to the winner. In 2022-2023, The Orwell Foundation awarded six prizes:
- The Orwell Prize for Political Writing, for a work of non-fiction published in the previous calendar year in the UK.
- The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction, for a work of fiction.
- The Orwell Prize for Journalism, for commentary and/or reportage.
- The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils, for reporting which has contributed to the public understanding of social issues in the UK.
- The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness, for reporting experience of, or solutions to, homelessness in the UK
- The Orwell Youth Prize, an annual programme for students in school years 8 – 13 (or equivalent) culminating in a writing prize.
The awards, which are free to enter, independent of editorial agenda, and open to self-nomination, are accompanied by a programme of events, debates, and other activity.
The full list of finalists for all The Orwell Prizes can be found on our website.
- 1 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **The Orwell Prize for Journalism 2023 and Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils 2023**
This year we had one panel of judges across two Prizes: The Orwell Prize for Journalism and The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils. The judges were Yasmin Alibhai-Brown (Chair), Katy Balls, Lindsey Hilsum, Kurt Barling and Ed Thomas.
The Orwell Prize for Journalism received 99 eligible entries and there were 57 eligible entries to the Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils. We received entries from 43 publications for the Journalism Prize and 22 publications for the Social Evils Prize, representing national, local, and independent reporting.
The shortlisted entries are published on The Orwell Foundation website . The winning prize was awarded to journalist, author and academic **Gary Younge** , whose entry included essays and a podcast on race, inequality and the history and legacy of slavery in Britain on We Are Unedited and in the New Statesman and The Guardian. **Paul Caruana Galizia and Katie Gunning** were highly commended for their Tortoise Media podcast series _Londongrad_ .
The Orwell Prize for Exposing Britain’s Social Evils 2023was jointly awarded to **Shanti Das** , for a series investigating modern slavery in the UK care sector and **Mark Townsend** , for reporting on the mass kidnapping of children from Home Office care. Both investigations were published in The Observer. **Craig Easton** was highly commended for his photojournalism series _Thatcher’s Children_ . All the shortlisted entries are published on The Orwell Foundation website.
## **The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness 2023**
In the inaugural year of The Orwell Prize for Reporting Homelessness we received 73 eligible entries. The winning prize was jointly awarded to **Freya Marshall Payne** and **Daniel Lavelle** . Freya is an emerging writer and PhD candidate at the University of Oxford exploring women’s experiences of homelessness, and Daniel is an author and journalist who won the Guardian's Hugo Young award in 2017. Both Freya and Daniel have lived experience of homelessness. **Jack Simpson** and **Carolyn Atkinson** were also highly commended for their reporting on exempt accommodation. The judging panel comprised Alan Rusbridger (Chair), Sangita Myska, Leanna Fairfax, and John Bird.
Of the total entries, 41% of teams included at least one member who stated they have experienced homelessness. The most popular medium of entry by a significant margin was written journalism – 51% of total submitted pieces – followed by non-fiction/essay – 16%. Other mediums included TV journalism, radio, photojournalism, film, and poetry, among others. 29% of entries included at least one piece of previously unpublished work. All entrants received a certificate thanking them for entering the Prize in its inaugural year.
The shortlisted entries, which are published on The Orwell Foundation website, broadly reflected overall entry figures: 44% of finalists have experienced homelessness and 22% of shortlisted entries included unpublished work. 57% of the shortlisted pieces were written journalism, followed by 14% TV journalism, 14% radio, 10% non-fiction/ essay, and 5% film.
The Foundation team produced a 3-episode podcast to accompany the Prize, with an average reach of approximately 4000 listens per episode in the 30 days after transmission.
## **The Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2023 and Prize for Political Fiction 2023**
In 2023, we received approximately 250 entries to the Orwell Prize for Political Writing and 100 entries to the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction. The winner of The Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2023 was _Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen_ by Peter Apps (Oneworld). The winner of The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction was The New Life by Tom Crewe (Chatto and Windus). The shortlisted entries in each category are published on The Orwell Foundation website.
The 2023 judges of The Orwell Prize for Political Writing were Martha Lane-Fox (Chair), Kojo Koram, Alice Bell, Cristina Odone and Sukhdev Sandhu, while the 2023 judges of The Orwell Prize for Political Fiction were Boyd Tonkin (Chair), Tomiwa Owolade, Julia Jordan and Alison Flood.
- 2 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **The Orwell Youth Prize**
The Orwell Youth Prize is an annual programme for students in school years 8 – 13 (or equivalent) culminating in a writing prize. Rooted in Orwell’s values of integrity and fairness, the Prize and the activities around it introduce young people to the power of language and provoke them to think critically and creatively about the world in which they are living.
The Youth Prize asks young people to respond to big ideas in contemporary society, with a particular focus on social justice. Past themes have included: ‘Truth vs. Lies’, ‘Identity’, ‘A Fair Society?’, ‘The Future We Want’, ‘A New Direction: Starting Small’ and ‘Coming up for Air’.
Far more than just a prize, the Orwell Youth Prize offers young people a journey progressing from debate-provoking workshops and resources, through to personal feedback on draft entries, and building a community around youth writing and an audience that engages with it.
Our understanding of social and educational disadvantage in the UK drives our work and focus, with the aim of reaching schools and individuals from less advantaged backgrounds, through workshops and online resources.
## _Activities 2022-23_
The theme for The Orwell Youth Prize 2023 was ‘Who’s in Control?’
For the 2023 Prize, we received a total of 570 entries (up from 425 in 2022). Our volunteer readers narrowed the entries down to a shortlist of 43, encompassing a wide geographical range. Entries came in from Northern Ireland, Wales, Lancashire, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, County Durham, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire.
The 2023 judges were Orwell Prize winning novelist and academic, Delia Jarrett-Macauley (Chair); FT Global Education Editor, Andrew Jack; the BBC’s Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent, Marianna Spring; and Forward Prize-winning poet, Will Harris. The winners and runners-up were announced at a Celebration Day at UCL on Saturday 8[th] July. Winners and runners up were invited to join the Youth Fellows programme, and winners received a cash prize and complete works of Orwell for themselves and their school sent separately.
The winners were in the following categories:
## **Junior Winners (Y8-11)**
Beth Anker – _Meritocracy: The Politician’s Pipe Dream_ Priya Floura – _Tick Tock_ Heike Ghandi – _The Catharsis of a Crane_ Amelia Roles – _Misconception_
## **Junior Runners Up (Y8-11)**
Edward Blair-Heikkinen – _Simulation 0413_ Ruxue Jia – _Why is it so dark?_ Ellie Lee – _An Uncontrollable Scribble_ Marianne Lee – _Obedience_
## **Senior Winners (Y12 & 13)**
Zaeema Assad – _The Radcliffe Line_ Iris Mamier – _Beware of the dog!’ says the man with the gun_ Lara Wong – _Men’s Shoes_
## **Senior Runners Up (Y12 & 13)**
Heather Chapman – _Tableau with Sea Breeze and Salt Crown_ Ewan Guarnieri – _A Grand Reveal_ Rosetta Millar – _The Collective_
## **Highly Commended (Y8-13)**
Zirui Peng – _To The Northerner_ (Junior) Catie May McAleese – _Thy Will Be Done_ (Senior)
The full list is available on The Orwell Foundation website.
- 3 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **The Orwell Youth Fellows**
The Orwell Youth Fellows are a young writers’ collective, made up of former winners and runners up of The Orwell Youth Prize, who meet monthly to create new writing inspired by our theme.
In 2023, the Fellows published on Substack a collaborative project on the theme of ‘Who’s in Control?’ They mapped out a dystopian world ( _Digitalis_ ) where this question is paramount, focusing on topical issues including the impact of AI on creativity, a culture of hyper-productivity, and the spread of misinformation. Their work covers a huge range of forms, including poems, stories, letters, news reports, adverts, articles, diaries, scripts and audio-plays. _Digitalis_ was launched, in July 2023, with regular instalments published over the summer holidays. The Fellows created digital artwork and audio recordings to accompany their writing. They also had creative control over the curation of the project with support from Foundation staff. _Digitalis_ received acclaim, including from Substack’s CEO, Hamish McKenzie.
Four Youth Fellows also participated in an online event with Unlock Democracy, an organisation campaigning for a more participatory democracy in Britain, in July 2023, where they introduced the project, read from their work, and answer questions from members.
## **Regional Hubs**
The Orwell Youth Prize held two events at Sunderland and Coventry universities in January and March respectively. A total of 140 students attended across both events, from local outreach schools, in school years 10-12. Participants took part in creative writing workshops across a range of forms, including short fiction, poetry, broadcast and feature journalism, screenplays and game design, led by local writers and university lecturers. Participants at both events also took part in a press conference with Orwell’s son, Richard Blair, and all received Orwell goody bags, including Orwell books donated by Penguin,
The Orwell Foundation received a grant from Arts Council England for £19900 in support of these activities, as well as a significant amount of support in kind from both universities.
- 4 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **The Orwell Festival**
The Orwell Festival's second year continued to excite, entertain and challenge audiences, with a sold-out audience at the headline event with Succession creator Jesse Armstrong and full houses for events on “Orwell and Russia” (at Pushkin House) and “Orwell and Antisemitism” (at the Wiener Holocaust Library).
There were also important conversations on key areas of national interest, with members of the Shadow Cabinet (Paula Barker and Kevin Brennan MPs) and high-profile journalists and campaigners such as Jon Sopel contributing to discussions on the future of homelessness, housing and public service broadcasting, as well as more intimate salon style events, including a Political Quarterly Conversation with Polly Toynbee. Gary Younge's opening lecture was very well received at UCL and is available to watch back on YouTube. The popular guided walks sold out for a second year.
The Orwell Foundation sold 686 tickets to the Festival, with a further 250 guests attending closing Orwell Prize ceremony.
## **The Orwell Memorial Lecture**
The Orwell Memorial Lecture has been given annually since 1989 and is generously sponsored by George Orwell’s son, Richard Blair. Originally held at Birkbeck, University of London and the University of Sheffield, the Orwell Lecture is now held each year at University College London. The Orwell Lectures can be found on our YouTube channel, which you can access here.
The lecture has attracted notable speakers including Ian McEwan, Dr Tristam Hunt, Daniel Finkelstein, Dr Rowan Williams, Dame Hilary Mantel, Robin Cook, Kamila Shamsie and Ian Hislop. The Orwell Memorial Lecture 2021 with Ian McEwan was republished in the New Statesman. Lecturers are invited to speak on ‘any topic George Orwell might have been interested in’.
The Orwell Memorial Lecture 2022 was delivered by Lisa Nandy MP, on the theme “Wigan, the World and Everywhere In Between: How We Build a Country That Works”. The lecture, inspired by George Orwell’s classic work of reportage The Road to Wigan Pier (1936) is available to watch back on The Orwell Foundation website.
## **Volunteers**
The Director of The Orwell Foundation, Jean Seaton, donates her time. The Foundation would like to record its thanks for her considerable efforts.
In 2022 - 2023, the Youth Prize worked with 81 volunteers from institutions including Oxford University Press, University College London, King’s College London, and Penguin. Youth Prize volunteers provide individual feedback and writing advice for all entrants to The Orwell Youth Prize. They also help to create a shortlist of entries to be read by the Youth Prize judges.
## **Financial review**
In 2022/2023 The Orwell Foundation received income of £204,995 with expenditure amounting to £235,855. This resulted in a deficit of £30,860, £58,685 of which was a decrease in Restricted Funds. The deficit reflects an increase in expenses as the Foundation expanded its activities. There has been a need for additional staff to support this expansion and the Board believes that this expansion is a necessary investment to provide a new basis for the improved achievement of the Foundation’s charitable objectives in the future. The Foundation's opening balance in reserves in August 2022 was £196,818 and its closing balance in August 2023, was £165,958.
It is the policy of the Board of Trustees to maintain sufficient reserves to cover the charity's forecast expenditure for at least the following 6 months.
The Trustees have considered the level of funds held and the expected income and expenditure for 12 months from authorising these financial statements and are satisfied that considering the budgeted income and expenditure and the reserves that it is appropriate for the accounts to be prepared on a going concern basis.
The Orwell Foundation begins 2023/24 with £165,958 (2022: £196,818) in reserves.
- 5 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
The Foundation's principal sources of funding are currently The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, The Political Quarterly, Richard Blair, the Arts Council England, the Centre for Homelessness Impact, Goldman Sachs, individual donors and the Foundation’s public events programme, particularly The Orwell Festival and the annual Orwell Memorial Lecture.
We are grateful to the following supporters who joined us this year as Patrons:
- Kathy Harvey
- Su-Mei Thompson
- Andrew Peck
- Aydin Hammoudeh
## **Structure, governance, and management**
The Orwell Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) governed by a constitution. Trustees are appointed for a term of four years and may be reappointed for a further four years. Four Trustees – Mr Richard Blair, Mr William Hamilton, Mr David Taylor and Mr Hugh Tomlinson – resigned as Trustees in December 2022 and were appointed indefinitely to the Foundation’s Council. The Orwell Council have a special relationship to the Orwell estate and Orwell’s legacy. As well as advocating for the charity in public life, they are the Foundation’s first and most important source of advice on its stewardship of Orwell’s work, values, and contemporary significance.
Trustees are appointed by agreement of the Board of Trustees, who have regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective management of the CIO. Two trustees (currently, Ms Deborah Lincoln and Mr Gavin Kelly) are nominated by the Political Quarterly, according to the Foundation’s constitution.
The Trustees regularly review a risk register and the measures taken to manage these risks. New Trustees are provided with an induction pack containing information about their duties and responsibilities. When new Trustees are appointed, they are introduced to the charity's work and provided with the information they need to fulfil their roles, including information about the role of Trustees and their responsibilities under the Charities Act (2011).
The Foundation is based at University College London's (UCL) Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS). Responsibility for the day-to-day management of the charity and its activities is delegated to the Director and Deputy Director, who are in turn supported by a small team of part-time staff.
|The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:|The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:|
|---|---|
|Lord K Macdonald KC (Chair)||
|Arifa Akbar|(Resigned 9 October 2023)|
|Professor Andrew Williams||
|Stephen Armstrong||
|Richard Blair|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
|Michael Callanan||
|Gavin Freeguard||
|Matthew Garraghan||
|Bill Hamilton|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
|Kathryn Harvey||
|Gavin Kelly||
|Deborah Lincoln||
|Rebecca Oyekanmi||
|Andrew Peck||
|Elizabeth Sich||
|David Taylor|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
|Su-Mei Thompson||
|Hugh Tomlinson|(Resigned 10 October 2022)|
|Boyd Tonkin||
- 6 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **TRUSTEES' REPORT (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
.............................. Lord K Macdonald KC (Chair) **Trustee**
20/03/2024 Date: .............................................
- 7 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES' RESPONSIBILITIES**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
The trustees are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
The law applicable to charities in England and Wales 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 charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources of the charity for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable accounting standards have been followed, subject to any material 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 operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping sufficient accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Charity (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 and the provisions of the trust deed. 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.
- 8 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT**
## **TO THE TRUSTEES OF THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of The Orwell Foundation (the charity) for the year ended 31 August 2023.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the trustees of the charity you are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (the 2011 Act).
I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act. In carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
Your attention is drawn to the fact that the charity has prepared financial statements in accordance with Accounting and Reporting by Charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) in preference to the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice issued on 1 April 2005 which is referred to in the extant regulations but has now been withdrawn.
I understand that this has been done in order for financial statements to provide a true and fair view in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Practice effective for reporting periods beginning on or after 1 January 2015.
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:
- 1 accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 130 of the 2011 Act; or
- 2 the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
- 3 the financial statements do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination.
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the financial statements to be reached.
> **Gary Pready, FCA** Cyreadkiy
## **For and on behalf of Critchleys Audit LLP**
**Institute of Chartered Accountants England and Wales**
Beaver House 23-38 Hythe Bridge Street Oxford OX1 2EP
Dated: .........................11.04.2024
- 9 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES INCLUDING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2023**
**2023**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**Income and endowments from:**
Donations and
legacies
**3**
105,591
83,037
Investments
**4**
1,154
-
Other income
**5**
15,213
-
**Total income**
121,958
83,037
**Expenditure on:**
Charitable activities
**6**
94,133
141,722
Gross transfers
between funds
-
-
**Net income/(expenditure)**
**for the year/**
**Net movement in funds**
27,825
(58,685)
Fund balances at 1
September 2022
130,944
65,874
**Fund balances at 31**
**August 2023**
158,769
7,189|**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2023**
**2022**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
**£**
188,628
50,331
66,533
1,154
87
-
15,213
10,874
-
204,995
61,292
66,533
235,855
61,919
112,981
-
(38,667)
38,667
(30,860)
(39,294)
(7,781)
196,818
170,238
73,655
165,958
130,944
65,874|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
116,864
87
10,874
127,825
174,900
-
(47,075)
243,893
196,818|
|---|---|---|
|Donations and
legacies
**3**
Investments
**4**
Other income
**5**
**Total income**
**Expenditure on:**
Charitable activities
**6**
Gross transfers
between funds
**Net income/(expenditure)**
**for the year/**
**Net movement in funds**
Fund balances at 1
September 2022
**Fund balances at 31**
**August 2023**|||
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year.
All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
- 10 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **BALANCE SHEET**
## _**AS AT 31 AUGUST 2023**_
|||**2023**|||**2022**||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Notes**|**£**|**£**|**£**||**£**|
|**Current assets**|||||||
|Debtors|**11**|15,365||20,000|||
|Cash at bank and in hand||159,750||191,768|||
|||175,115||211,768|||
|**Creditors: amounts falling due within**|||||||
|**one year**|**12**|(9,157)||(14,950)|||
|Net current assets|||165,958|||196,818|
|**Income funds**|||||||
|Restricted funds|**13**||7,189|||65,874|
|Unrestricted funds|||158,769|||130,944|
||||165,958|||196,818|
20/03/2024 The financial statements were approved by the Trustees on .........................
..............................
Lord K Macdonald KC (Chair) **Trustee**
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## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **Charity information**
The Orwell Foundation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation.
## **1.1 Accounting convention**
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011 and "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) (effective 1 January 2019)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities applying FRS 102 Update Bulletin 1 not to prepare a Statement of Cash Flows.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
## **1.2 Going concern**
At the time of approving the financial statements, the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
## **1.3 Charitable funds**
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
## **1.4 Income**
Income is recognised when the charity is legally entitled to it after any performance conditions have been met, the amounts can be measured reliably, and it is probable that income will be received.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Legacies are recognised on receipt or otherwise if the charity has been notified of an impending distribution, the amount is known, and receipt is expected. If the amount is not known, the legacy is treated as a contingent asset.
- 12 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **1 Accounting policies**
## **(Continued)**
## **1.5 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:
**Charitable activities -** comprise those costs incurred by the charity in the delivery of its services. it includes both costs that can be allocated directly to such series and those costs of an indirect nature to support them.
**Governance costs -** comprise expenditure associated with meeting the constitutional and statutory requirements of the charity and include the independent examination fees and costs linked to the strategic management of the charity.
## **1.6 Cash and cash equivalents**
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
## **1.7 Financial instruments**
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
## _**Basic financial assets**_
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
## _**Basic financial liabilities**_
Basic financial liabilities, including creditors are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## _**Derecognition of financial liabilities**_
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
- 13 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **2 Critical accounting estimates and judgements**
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
- 14 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **3 Donations and legacies**
|**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2023**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
Donations and gifts
60,008
18,000
Grants
45,583
65,037
105,591
83,037|**Total**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**funds**
**2023**
**2022**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
**£**
78,008
20,331
28,200
110,620
30,000
38,333
188,628
50,331
66,533|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
48,531
68,333|
|---|---|---|
|||116,864|
- 15 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **4 Investments**
|||**Unrestricted **|**Unrestricted**|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds**|**funds**|
|||**2023**|**2022**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Interest receivable|1,154|87|
|**5**|**Other income**|||
|||**Unrestricted **|**Unrestricted**|
|||**funds**|**funds**|
|||**2023**|**2022**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Other income|15,213|10,874|
|**6**|**Charitable activities**|||
|||**2023**|**2022**|
|||**£**|**£**|
||Staff costs|133,893|91,105|
||Prizes awarded, Judging fees & Project costs|80,649|68,336|
||Other operating costs|17,783|11,507|
|||232,325|170,948|
||Share of support costs (see note 7)|1,030|640|
||Share of governance costs (see note 7)|2,500|3,312|
|||235,855|174,900|
||**Analysis by fund**|||
||Unrestricted funds|94,133|61,919|
||Restricted funds|141,722|112,981|
|||235,855|174,900|
- 16 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **7 Support costs**
|**Support costs**|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Consultancy and admin
support
Audit fees
Legal and professional
Analysed between
Charitable activities|**Support**
**costs**
**Governance**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
1,030
-
-
2,500
-
-
1,030
2,500
1,030
2,500|**2023**
**£**
1,030
2,500
-
3,530
3,530|**Support**
**costs**
**Governance**
**costs**
**£**
**£**
640
-
-
2,556
-
756
640
3,312
640
3,312|**2022**
**£**
640
2,556
756|
|||||3,952|
|||||3,952|
Governance costs includes payments to the independent examiners of £2.500 (2022 - £2,220) for independent examination fees.
## **8 Trustees**
Other than the two Trustees mentioned in Note 15, none of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
## **9 Employees**
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
|The average monthly number of employees during the year was:|||
|---|---|---|
|**Employment costs**
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs|**2023**
**Number**
6
**2023**
**£**
124,728
5,604
3,561
133,893|**2022**
**Number**
4|
|||**2022**
**£**
85,272
2,675
3,158|
|||91,105|
There were no employees whose annual remuneration was more than £60,000.
## **10 Taxation**
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxationof Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
- 17 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)**
## _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
|**11**
**Debtors**
**Amounts falling due within one year:**
Other debtors
Prepayments and accrued income
**12**
**Creditors: amounts falling due within one year**
Other creditors
Accruals and deferred income|**2023**
**£**
11,075
4,290
15,365
**2023**
**£**
6,077
3,080
9,157|**2022**
**£**
-
20,000|
|---|---|---|
|||20,000|
|||**2022**
**£**
-
14,950|
|||14,950|
- 18 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
## **13 Restricted funds**
The income funds of the charity include restricted funds comprising the following unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust for specific purposes:
|**Balance at**
**1 September**
**2021**
**r**
**£**
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
381
JRF Social Evils
17,998
Publishers' Marketing Contributions
-
Richard Blair Political Fiction
10,252
A. M. Heath.
7,500
Centris Webb Trust
(6,215)
Richard Blair - Youth
27,727
Individual Donation - Youth
3,325
Education Income - Youth
1,000
Other - Youth
11,687
Subtrack Festival
-
Journalism Prize
-
Centre for Homelessness
-
Arts Council
-
Andrew Peck - Youth
-
73,655|**Movement in funds**
**Incoming**
**esources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**£**
**£**
-
-
23,333
(28,916)
1,700
(3,880)
25,000
(18,470)
-
(15,988)
-
(20,915)
-
(15,267)
1,500
-
-
(1,329)
-
-
15,000
(7,676)
-
(540)
-
-
-
-
-
-
66,533
(112,981)|**Movement in funds**
**Transfers**
**Balance at**
**1 September**
**2022**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**Balance at**
**31 August**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
(381)
-
-
-
-
381
12,796
11,083
(23,879)
-
2,180
-
-
-
-
-
16,782
-
(16,782)
-
8,488
-
-
-
-
27,130
-
-
-
-
-
12,460
15,000
(20,271)
7,189
-
4,825
-
(4,825)
-
329
-
-
-
-
-
11,687
-
(11,687)
-
-
7,324
-
(7,324)
-
540
-
-
-
-
-
-
34,054
(34,054)
-
-
-
19,900
(19,900)
-
-
-
3,000
(3,000)
-
38,667
65,874
83,037
(141,722)
7,189|**Movement in funds**
**Transfers**
**Balance at**
**1 September**
**2022**
**Incoming**
**resources**
**Resources**
**expended**
**Balance at**
**31 August**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
(381)
-
-
-
-
381
12,796
11,083
(23,879)
-
2,180
-
-
-
-
-
16,782
-
(16,782)
-
8,488
-
-
-
-
27,130
-
-
-
-
-
12,460
15,000
(20,271)
7,189
-
4,825
-
(4,825)
-
329
-
-
-
-
-
11,687
-
(11,687)
-
-
7,324
-
(7,324)
-
540
-
-
-
-
-
-
34,054
(34,054)
-
-
-
19,900
(19,900)
-
-
-
3,000
(3,000)
-
38,667
65,874
83,037
(141,722)
7,189|
|---|---|---|---|
||||7,189|
- 19 -
## **THE ORWELL FOUNDATION**
## **NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (CONTINUED)** _**FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 AUGUST 2023**_
|**14**
**Analysis of net assets between funds**
**Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**2023**
**2023**
**£**
**£**
Fund balances at 31
August 2023 are
represented by:
Current assets/(liabilities)
158,769
7,189
158,769
7,189|**Total Unrestricted**
**funds**
**Restricted**
**funds**
**2023**
**2022**
**2022**
**£**
**£**
**£**
165,958
130,944
65,874
165,958
130,944
65,874|**Total**
**2022**
**£**
196,818|
|---|---|---|
|||196,818|
## **15 Related party transactions**
During the period two trustees were paid a total of £1,250 for work done on behalf of the charity (2022 - £2,779).
- 20 -