## FiLiA
Trustees' Annual Report and Accounts
Year ended 31 December 2020
## FiLiA Report and Financial Statements
|CONTENTS PAGE||
|---|---|
|Report of the trustees|2-10|
|Reference and administrative details|11|
|Independent examiner's report|12|
|Receipts and payments account|13|
|Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year|14|
|Notes to the accounts|15-17|
PAGE 1
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
The Trustees present their report together with the receipts and payments accounts of FiLiA for the year ended 31 December 2020. The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and Accounts of the Charity comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Charity's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).
This report evaluates the impact of FiLiA, recognising that our annual conference had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
## **Objects and Activities**
In brief, our objects are:
• To advance the education of the public in the subject of gender equality by hosting an annual conference showcasing speakers and researchers to disseminate the results of their work and research;
• The promotion of equality and diversity, in particular equality between women and men, and to eliminate gender discrimination for the public benefit;
• To promote human rights (as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations) and in particular women's rights throughout the world; and
• to promote art for the benefit of the public, in particular to promote the art of women, especially socially excluded women, by the provision of an art exhibition at the annual conference.
FiLiA’s **mission** is to contribute to the Women’s Liberation Movement by:
## ♀ **Building Sisterhood and Solidarity** (locally, nationally, globally)
♀ **Amplifying the Voices of Women** (particularly those less often heard or purposefully silenced)
## ♀ **Defending Women’s Human Rights**
The focus of our work during the reporting period was to build the capacity of the organisation as well as to amplify the voices of Women via our blogs. FiLiA is run entirely by volunteers. FiLiA will hosting their next conference in 2021.
PAGE 2
## FiLiA Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **Public Benefit**
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the recommendations contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing FiLiA’s aims and objectives, and in planning activities and setting policies and priorities for the year ahead.
The activities that FiLiA carries out to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit (as described under Achievements and Performance below) are guided by the Objects above.
## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**
## **CAPACITY BUILDING**
On the basis of our achievements, we recognised the need to build capacity within our team. Through 2020 we have focused on expanding our podcast team in order to better amplify the voices of Women. Our Latin American team has expanded, and we have also put in place a new volunteer FiLiA fund-raising team with responsibility for identifying relevant funding opportunities and raising sufficient funds allowing us to deliver our planned local and international projects as well as the annual FiLiA conference. We have a new communications team who are developing our website and social media capabilities.
FiLiA formed a **Legal Advisory Board** made up of three practicing lawyers who have provided advice and supported our consultation responses.
The FiLiA team now consists of ~70 Women who gift their time.
**Internal Education** is important to FiLiA and our weekly meetings provided time for sessions covering (among others) prostitution, The Istanbul Convention, the Greenham Common Protests, and an introduction into human rights and equality law. The team also attended webinars on topics important to FiLiA including women and the response to Covid, BAME relations, and the history of women's liberation.
Trustees held a **Theory of Change** session and will launch our 2021-2024 strategy in January 2021.
PAGE 3
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **FUNDRAISING**
In order to be able to implement our 2021-2025 strategy, which expands beyond our conferences to include international network building alongside focused projects, we recognise the need for sourcing short-, medium- and long-term funding as well as achieving and maintaining a higher financial sustainability threshold.
FiLiA will continue to apply for funding; core and project funding. FiLiA is reliant on the incredible hard work of our wonderful volunteers and their extremely valuable skills. We want FiLiA to be able to fund, at least some of, the inspiring speakers’ travel and accommodation, to enable them to come to and participate in FiLiA conferences.
We have been successful in six funding applications through 2020, with a focus on:
## • **FiLiA LEGACY PROJECT**
Local grassroots 3-year project, based on three core pillars of activity: Promoting **collaboration and network building** between women’s organisations and community groups, movements and activists;
Providing **advocacy and activism training and skills** , informed by local community needs;
Developing **Legacy Networks** within and between each region so the movement grows and FiLiA Legacy Projects are interconnected
- **YOUNG WOMEN AND RADICAL SOCIAL REFORM**
- **FiLiA AND SOCIALISM**
- **CELEBRATING 50[th] ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1970 WOMEN’S LIBERATION CONFERENCE**
- **REVEALING WOMEN’S LOST HISTORY THROUGH EVENTS, EXHIBITIONS AND WEBINARS**
FiLiA is excited to have secured funding for a two-day event in London in 2021 to digitalise and amplify recordings of the renowned **International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Women’s Citizenship** which was
PAGE 4
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
held in Brighton in 1996. Over 2 days we will bring the recordings back to life and immerse ourselves in the herstorical event.
## • **FiLiA AND ANTI-PORNOGRAPHY/PROSTITUTION (in 2021)** Educational exchange with Japan
Our **Friends of FiLiA** scheme has been well received and we thank the 167 individuals who have signed up to become regular supporters of our work. All funds will go directly to support Women to participate in FiLiA, who otherwise would not be able to.
Due to covid, we were unable to put on our annual conference. All tickets are carried over to 2021, and we have continued with our other work.
## **BUILDING SISTERHOOD AND SOLIDARITY**
## **SURVIVOR NETWORK**
Out of the FiLiA2019 conference emerged a FiLiA survivor network, which now has around 50 Women who have survived the sex trade. As well as providing support for each other, this global network has contributed to the recent **Equally Safe: challenging men's demand for prostitution: consultation.**
FiLiA also launched their Survivor Voices podcasts which contributes to the global abolitionist movement and archive.
## **AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF WOMEN**
## **PODCASTS AND BLOGS**
Recognising the need to amplify the voices of Women beyond our annual conference, we expanded our podcasting team to bring in more editors and interviewers. We have hosted #119 podcasts with voices from all over the world, including Russia, France, Saudi, Kenya, India and many others on a diverse array of topics that affect Women and Girls.
We have also increased the number of FiLiA guest blogs, amplifying the words of Women from Peru, Japan, Cameroon, Canada and others.
PAGE 5
## FiLiA
Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
FiLiA launched our Young Feminist page in collaboration with **Radical Girlsss** , a young women’s collective that evolved from the European Network of Migrant Women.
We thank all the Women who gifted their time to make the FiLiA podcasts and blogs happen, and we will expand these areas of our work through 2021 and beyond.
## **COMMUNICATIONS**
Our communications team has grown, and we are developing a communications strategy. Some of the positive results this year are:
- FiLiA website has achieved an increase of 180% to 165k unique visitors from 99 countries;
- We have increased to 7,223 subscribers to our podcast feed;
- We have created and sent weekly newsletters throughout 2020 to our 5,508 subscribers. Newsletters include FiLiA updates and the latest national and international feminist news;
- Our social media content has increased as have our followers on Twitter (18.4k) and Facebook (7.1k);
- We have designed and managed the development of a new FiLiA website, working with the web developers to ensure that the site will be ready for launch during 2021 Q1.
## **PROJECT WORK**
## **FiLiA LEGACY PROJECT**
FiLiA launched our **FiLiA Legacy Project,** with thanks to our funders for supporting us to take our work to the next level, and for recognising the potential of grassroots local work to make a significant difference to Women’s lives.
133 local groups have been mapped and we have held 47 engagement meetings (online and face to face). We undertook a survey of training needs and expectations and launched the **FiLiA Book Club** . Women read a book per month,
PAGE 6
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
and then join us for an online session with the author. We’ve created ‘ **How To Start A Feminist Book Club** ’ posters which we are distributing around the city.
We have created a detailed programme of sessions to run through the year.
We have a number of other projects and activities being discussed with local community groups.
## **PROSTITUTION**
During the pandemic we noticed various councils across the UK reassessing the way in which they dealt with prostitution in their area. We contacted a number of Local Authorities and suggested the introduction of the ‘Nordic’ or Equality’ Model. We had positive contact with three areas and have worked with them to support them in holding punters to account and enabling women to exit prostitution. It’s long-term work but we have been excited by the engagement so far.
## **INTERNATIONAL**
FiLiA continues to amplify the campaigns of our global Sisters.
## **KAKUMA CAMPAIGN**
In August we were privileged to talk with 9 Ugandan lesbians at Kakuma Refugee camp Kenya. They spoke of the appalling lesbophobic abuse they have been subjected along with the other refugees at Block 13 (the area reserved for LGBT refugees.) Our podcast started our campaign to get them evacuated to safety. We have kept in contact with the women and written to both UNHCR and our Foreign and Commonwealth office and were devasted in September to learn of the death of Patricia or ‘Baby Covid’ as she was known, daughter of Regina, one of the women we interviewed. Our Blog detailed the updates and we continue to support and advocate for our sisters in the camp and work to get them free and safe.
## **LATIN AMERICA**
We have expanded our networks, having a presence in Chile in February 2021 during the popular revolt against their neoliberal government. NiUnaMenosChile shared with us the history of women’s struggles since the times of dictator Pinochet.
PAGE 7
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
In March, FiLiA in partnership with Escalera Caracol organised an art exhibition dedicated to International Women’s Day.
During September, FiLiA supported the Argentinian week against Sex Trafficking #SeTrataDeNoMasTrata
We published several articles written by Latin American and Caribbean sisters from Uruguay, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Brazil.
We established a support group of women affected by the false Parental Affective Disorder with members of Argentina, Spain, Chile and Brazil (work in progress).
We closed the year with FiLiA supporting the legalisation of abortion in Argentina after decades of struggle.
We will continue to strengthen the bonds between the increasing global activism in support of women's sex-based rights between English and Spanish speaking feminists, and beyond.
## **Financial Review**
During the year the Charity received funds totaling £69,913 (2019: £79,607) and made payments of £42,062 (2019: £80,271). The charity held funds on hand of £29,006 at 31 December 2020.
## **Principal Funding Sources**
The charity raises funds for the annual conference mainly by ticket sales. The other principal source of funds is from grants and donations.
## **Investment Policy**
The charity does not currently hold sufficient funds to warrant investment. However, the charity banks with Triodos Bank, which has a sound ethical banking policy.
PAGE 8
## FiLiA Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **Reserves Policy**
The charity holds a small cash balance and is yet to reach an operational level where it has been possible to consider establishing financial reserve. The Trustees will continue to monitor the charity’s finances and will establish a reserves policy when funds allow.
## **2021 and beyond**
We look forward in our next year to:
- A FiLiA conference in 2021 in Portsmouth;
- The expansion of our Friends of FiLiA scheme to support more Women to participate in FiLiA
- Accessing funding for specific Women-focused projects, locally, nationally and internationally
- Continue to Amplify the Voices of Women via our podcasts and blogs
- Building Sisterhood and Solidarity networks locally, nationally and globally
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Governing Document**
The organisation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, established and registered as a charity on 8 September 2015. The charity is established under a Constitution, which sets out the objects and powers of the trust.
## **Recruitment and Appointment of the Board of Trustees**
The trustees are also the members of the charity, and as such have the power to appoint new trustees. All trustees serve a two year term, after which they are eligible for re-election. The Constitution stipulates that there must be a minimum of three and not more than twelve trustees.
PAGE 9
## FiLiA Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **Trustee Induction and Training**
Trustees are experienced in the area of the charity’s work and have been appointed by the members for the specific skills they can bring to the Board. All potential trustees are briefed prior to their election.
## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements**
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare accounts for each financial period which show a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of its financial activities for that period. In preparing those accounts, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- observe the methods and principles of the Charities’ SORP, Accounting and Reporting by Charities;
- state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departure disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the charity will continue on that basis.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice. 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.
This report was approved by the board of trustees on 14 May 2021 and signed on its behalf.
**Kruti Walsh, Trustee**
PAGE 10
## **FiLiA**
## **Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers For the year ended 31 December 2020**
Charity registration number: 1163473 Operational address: Women's Resource Centre 41 North Road London N7 9ER **Trustees** Lisa-Marie Taylor Sally Jackson Kruti Walsh Raquel Rosario Sanchez Appointed 15 May 2020 Julian Norman Resigned 17 May 2020
## **Independent Examiner**
Frank McDowell FMAAT FJM Accountancy Limited 23 Shackleton Court 2 Maritime Quay London E14 3QF
## **Bankers**
Triodos Bank UK Limited Deanery Road Bristol BS1 5AS
11
## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees of FiLiA (the CIO)**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31 December 2020.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity trustees of the CIO, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- 1 accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or,
- 2 the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Frank J McDowell FMAAT**
FJM Accountancy Limited 23 Shackleton Court 2 Maritime Quay London E14 3QF
Date: 15 May 2021
12
**FiLiA**
## **Receipts and Payments Account For the year ended 31 December 2020**
|**2020**
**Unrestricted Restricted**
**Total**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**Receipts**
Grants and donations - general
6,354
-
6,354
Grants and donations - Friends of FiLiA
8,444
-
8,444
Grants and donations - Curtain Theatre
-
-
-
Grants and donations - Edith Maud Ellis
-
-
-
Grants and donations - Safety4Sisters
-
-
-
Grants and donations - LISG
-
2,360
2,360
Restricted project grants
5
-
43,444
43,444
Conference receipts
1
9,303
-
9,303
Refund - magazine
-
-
-
Bank interest
8
-
8
Loan funds received
-
-
-
**Total receipts**
24,109
45,804
69,913
**Payments**
Grants and donations made
200
2,360
2,560
Project costs
5
-
20,667
20,667
Conference payments
2
4,835
-
4,835
Art project - Brazil
-
-
-
Art project - other
-
-
-
Other costs
3
10,444
-
10,444
Loans repaid
1,000
-
1,000
Expenses paid on account
4
2,556
-
2,556
**Total payments**
19,035
23,027
42,062
**Net cash (expended)/received in the year**
5,074
22,777
27,851
**Transfers**
-
-
-
5,074
22,777
27,851
Opening cash balances at 1 January 2020
1,155
-
1,155
**Closing cash balances at 31 December 2020**
6,229
22,777
29,006|**2019**|
|---|---|
||**As restated**
**Unrestricted Restricted**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
6,479
-
6,479
1,100
-
1,100
-
7,000
7,000
-
500
500
-
26,370
26,370
-
-
-
-
-
-
34,681
-
34,681
962
-
962
15
-
15
2,500
-
2,500|
||45,737
33,870
79,607|
||335
33,090
33,425
-
-
-
33,345
-
33,345
298
561
859
-
-
-
10,342
-
10,342
1,500
-
1,500
800
-
800|
||46,620
33,651
80,271|
||(883)
219
(664)
780
(780)
-|
||(103)
(561)
(664)
1,258
561
1,819|
||1,155
-
1,155|
13
## **FiLiA**
## **Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year**
|**Note**
**Prepaid expenses**
2021 conference venue
**Other debtors**
Funds held in PayPal Giving Fund
Expenses repayable
Interest receivable
**Cash funds**
Cash at bank
Funds at PayPal
Funds at Stripe
Funds at Charity Checkout
**Liabilities**
2021 conference income received in advance
Trustee loans to fund conference venue deposit
Expenses owed
4
Accrued accountancy fees|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**£**
**£**
8,000
5,000
562
-
598
-
5
-
1,165
-
27,962
384
370
223
251
39
423
509
29,006
1,155
14,196
6,497
-
1,000
-
1,958
500
240
14,696
9,695|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**£**
**£**
8,000
5,000
562
-
598
-
5
-
1,165
-
27,962
384
370
223
251
39
423
509
29,006
1,155
14,196
6,497
-
1,000
-
1,958
500
240
14,696
9,695|
|---|---|---|
|||-
-
-|
|||-|
|||384
223
39
509|
|||1,155|
|||6,497
1,000
1,958
240|
|||9,695|
Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 14 May 2021.
Kruti Walsh **Trustee**
14
**FiLiA Notes to the Accounts**
**For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **1 Conference receipts**
|**Conference receipts**|||
|---|---|---|
|Donations
Ticket sales
Art canvases
Merchandise sales
Contributions to travel and accommodation|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
-
-
-
9,079
8,006
-
8,006
24,259
-
-
-
201
1,297
-
1,297
1,042
-
-
-
100
9,303
-
9,303
34,681|**2019**|
|||34,681|
## **2 Conference payments**
|Ticket sales refunded
Venue hire
Merchandise purchases
Merchandise refunds
Creche
Banners
Session materials
Travel and subsistence support
Pre-conference meetings
Technical support
Speech to text service
Payment processing fees
Other costs|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
407
-
407
498
3,000
-
3,000
14,265
1,162
-
1,162
1,898
20
-
20
4
-
-
-
3,000
-
-
-
527
-
-
-
1,474
-
-
-
4,222
-
-
-
2,115
-
-
-
1,091
-
-
-
2,270
246
-
246
840
-
-
-
1,141
4,835
-
4,835
33,345|**2019**|
|---|---|---|
|||33,345|
15
**FiLiA Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **3 Other costs**
|Magazine
Publicity materials
Website
Photographer
Conferences
Administrative support
Digital services
Travel and subsistence
Development meeting costs
Office costs
Insurance
Subscriptions
Bank and payment processing fees
Accountancy
Consultancy
Legal fees
**4**
**Expenses paid on account**
Conference merchandise
Development meeting costs
Travel and subsistence
Publicity
Postage and stationery
IT costs
Subscriptions
Balance to pay brought forward
Less paid on account
Balance to (repay)/pay||**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
-
962
734
1,338
3,510
1,414
-
570
-
850
390
-
2,909
1,048
557
1,826
78
1,445
621
-
-
48
94
60
871
301
240
480
200
-
240
-
10,444
10,342
**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**£**
**£**
11
475
2,483
60
118
121
34
3,302
1,958
-
(2,556)
(1,344)
(598)
1,958|**2019**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**£**
**£**
-
-
734
-
3,510
-
-
-
-
-
390
-
2,909
-
557
-
78
-
621
-
-
-
94
-
871
-
240
-
200
-
240
-|||
||10,444
-|||
|||||
||||3,302
-
(1,344)|
||||1,958|
16
## **FiLiA Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **5 Restricted funds**
|**Restricted funds**||
|---|---|
|**Receipts**
**Payments**
**£**
**£**
FiLiA legacy project
19,678
18,865
Young women and radical social reform
2,000
FiLiA and socialism
1,448
200
600
600
19,718
1,002
43,444
20,667
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1970 women's liberation
conference
Revealing women's lost history through events, exhibitions and
webinars|**Carried**
**forward**
**£**
813
2,000
1,248
-
18,716|
||22,777|
## **FiLiA legacy project - Sisters Trust**
Three years' funding for local community projects in each city. Partnership working with Women's community groups to develop a series of workshops and events to build awareness, confidence and engagement.
## **Young women and radical social reform - The Scurrah Wainwright Charity**
Build a Girl (Bradford) works with at risk girls. Project is for two leaders in youth work to create with the girls a presentation on Women's history and Feminism for them to present to the wider community.
## **FiLiA and socialism - Lipman Miliband**
Pamphlet, exhibition and workshop on socialist Feminism.
**Celebrating the 50[th] anniversary of the 1970 women's liberation conference - The Lady Neville Charity** Banners replicating second wave Feminist protest banners.
## **Revealing women's lost history through events, exhibitions and webinars - People's Postcode Lottery**
Digitalising cassettes from the 1996 Women's Liberation Conference and an event where we play the recordings to a new audience.
## **6 Transactions with related parties**
Trustees made donations during the year totalling £317 (2019: £270).
During the year, one trustee was paid £16,250 under a freelance contract with the charity for project delivery services. No trustee received any remuneration during 2019.
One (2019: three) trustees reclaimed expenses of £396 (2019: £938).
17
## FiLiA
Trustees' Annual Report and Accounts
Year ended 31 December 2020
## FiLiA Report and Financial Statements
|CONTENTS PAGE||
|---|---|
|Report of the trustees|2-10|
|Reference and administrative details|11|
|Independent examiner's report|12|
|Receipts and payments account|13|
|Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year|14|
|Notes to the accounts|15-17|
PAGE 1
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
The Trustees present their report together with the receipts and payments accounts of FiLiA for the year ended 31 December 2020. The Trustees confirm that the Annual Report and Accounts of the Charity comply with the current statutory requirements, the requirements of the Charity's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practice (SORP).
This report evaluates the impact of FiLiA, recognising that our annual conference had to be postponed due to the pandemic.
## **Objects and Activities**
In brief, our objects are:
• To advance the education of the public in the subject of gender equality by hosting an annual conference showcasing speakers and researchers to disseminate the results of their work and research;
• The promotion of equality and diversity, in particular equality between women and men, and to eliminate gender discrimination for the public benefit;
• To promote human rights (as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and subsequent United Nations conventions and declarations) and in particular women's rights throughout the world; and
• to promote art for the benefit of the public, in particular to promote the art of women, especially socially excluded women, by the provision of an art exhibition at the annual conference.
FiLiA’s **mission** is to contribute to the Women’s Liberation Movement by:
## ♀ **Building Sisterhood and Solidarity** (locally, nationally, globally)
♀ **Amplifying the Voices of Women** (particularly those less often heard or purposefully silenced)
## ♀ **Defending Women’s Human Rights**
The focus of our work during the reporting period was to build the capacity of the organisation as well as to amplify the voices of Women via our blogs. FiLiA is run entirely by volunteers. FiLiA will hosting their next conference in 2021.
PAGE 2
## FiLiA Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **Public Benefit**
The trustees confirm that they have referred to the recommendations contained in the Charity Commission’s general guidance on public benefit when reviewing FiLiA’s aims and objectives, and in planning activities and setting policies and priorities for the year ahead.
The activities that FiLiA carries out to further its charitable purposes for the public benefit (as described under Achievements and Performance below) are guided by the Objects above.
## **ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE**
## **CAPACITY BUILDING**
On the basis of our achievements, we recognised the need to build capacity within our team. Through 2020 we have focused on expanding our podcast team in order to better amplify the voices of Women. Our Latin American team has expanded, and we have also put in place a new volunteer FiLiA fund-raising team with responsibility for identifying relevant funding opportunities and raising sufficient funds allowing us to deliver our planned local and international projects as well as the annual FiLiA conference. We have a new communications team who are developing our website and social media capabilities.
FiLiA formed a **Legal Advisory Board** made up of three practicing lawyers who have provided advice and supported our consultation responses.
The FiLiA team now consists of ~70 Women who gift their time.
**Internal Education** is important to FiLiA and our weekly meetings provided time for sessions covering (among others) prostitution, The Istanbul Convention, the Greenham Common Protests, and an introduction into human rights and equality law. The team also attended webinars on topics important to FiLiA including women and the response to Covid, BAME relations, and the history of women's liberation.
Trustees held a **Theory of Change** session and will launch our 2021-2024 strategy in January 2021.
PAGE 3
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **FUNDRAISING**
In order to be able to implement our 2021-2025 strategy, which expands beyond our conferences to include international network building alongside focused projects, we recognise the need for sourcing short-, medium- and long-term funding as well as achieving and maintaining a higher financial sustainability threshold.
FiLiA will continue to apply for funding; core and project funding. FiLiA is reliant on the incredible hard work of our wonderful volunteers and their extremely valuable skills. We want FiLiA to be able to fund, at least some of, the inspiring speakers’ travel and accommodation, to enable them to come to and participate in FiLiA conferences.
We have been successful in six funding applications through 2020, with a focus on:
## • **FiLiA LEGACY PROJECT**
Local grassroots 3-year project, based on three core pillars of activity: Promoting **collaboration and network building** between women’s organisations and community groups, movements and activists;
Providing **advocacy and activism training and skills** , informed by local community needs;
Developing **Legacy Networks** within and between each region so the movement grows and FiLiA Legacy Projects are interconnected
- **YOUNG WOMEN AND RADICAL SOCIAL REFORM**
- **FiLiA AND SOCIALISM**
- **CELEBRATING 50[th] ANNIVERSARY OF THE 1970 WOMEN’S LIBERATION CONFERENCE**
- **REVEALING WOMEN’S LOST HISTORY THROUGH EVENTS, EXHIBITIONS AND WEBINARS**
FiLiA is excited to have secured funding for a two-day event in London in 2021 to digitalise and amplify recordings of the renowned **International Conference on Violence, Abuse and Women’s Citizenship** which was
PAGE 4
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
held in Brighton in 1996. Over 2 days we will bring the recordings back to life and immerse ourselves in the herstorical event.
## • **FiLiA AND ANTI-PORNOGRAPHY/PROSTITUTION (in 2021)** Educational exchange with Japan
Our **Friends of FiLiA** scheme has been well received and we thank the 167 individuals who have signed up to become regular supporters of our work. All funds will go directly to support Women to participate in FiLiA, who otherwise would not be able to.
Due to covid, we were unable to put on our annual conference. All tickets are carried over to 2021, and we have continued with our other work.
## **BUILDING SISTERHOOD AND SOLIDARITY**
## **SURVIVOR NETWORK**
Out of the FiLiA2019 conference emerged a FiLiA survivor network, which now has around 50 Women who have survived the sex trade. As well as providing support for each other, this global network has contributed to the recent **Equally Safe: challenging men's demand for prostitution: consultation.**
FiLiA also launched their Survivor Voices podcasts which contributes to the global abolitionist movement and archive.
## **AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF WOMEN**
## **PODCASTS AND BLOGS**
Recognising the need to amplify the voices of Women beyond our annual conference, we expanded our podcasting team to bring in more editors and interviewers. We have hosted #119 podcasts with voices from all over the world, including Russia, France, Saudi, Kenya, India and many others on a diverse array of topics that affect Women and Girls.
We have also increased the number of FiLiA guest blogs, amplifying the words of Women from Peru, Japan, Cameroon, Canada and others.
PAGE 5
## FiLiA
Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
FiLiA launched our Young Feminist page in collaboration with **Radical Girlsss** , a young women’s collective that evolved from the European Network of Migrant Women.
We thank all the Women who gifted their time to make the FiLiA podcasts and blogs happen, and we will expand these areas of our work through 2021 and beyond.
## **COMMUNICATIONS**
Our communications team has grown, and we are developing a communications strategy. Some of the positive results this year are:
- FiLiA website has achieved an increase of 180% to 165k unique visitors from 99 countries;
- We have increased to 7,223 subscribers to our podcast feed;
- We have created and sent weekly newsletters throughout 2020 to our 5,508 subscribers. Newsletters include FiLiA updates and the latest national and international feminist news;
- Our social media content has increased as have our followers on Twitter (18.4k) and Facebook (7.1k);
- We have designed and managed the development of a new FiLiA website, working with the web developers to ensure that the site will be ready for launch during 2021 Q1.
## **PROJECT WORK**
## **FiLiA LEGACY PROJECT**
FiLiA launched our **FiLiA Legacy Project,** with thanks to our funders for supporting us to take our work to the next level, and for recognising the potential of grassroots local work to make a significant difference to Women’s lives.
133 local groups have been mapped and we have held 47 engagement meetings (online and face to face). We undertook a survey of training needs and expectations and launched the **FiLiA Book Club** . Women read a book per month,
PAGE 6
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
and then join us for an online session with the author. We’ve created ‘ **How To Start A Feminist Book Club** ’ posters which we are distributing around the city.
We have created a detailed programme of sessions to run through the year.
We have a number of other projects and activities being discussed with local community groups.
## **PROSTITUTION**
During the pandemic we noticed various councils across the UK reassessing the way in which they dealt with prostitution in their area. We contacted a number of Local Authorities and suggested the introduction of the ‘Nordic’ or Equality’ Model. We had positive contact with three areas and have worked with them to support them in holding punters to account and enabling women to exit prostitution. It’s long-term work but we have been excited by the engagement so far.
## **INTERNATIONAL**
FiLiA continues to amplify the campaigns of our global Sisters.
## **KAKUMA CAMPAIGN**
In August we were privileged to talk with 9 Ugandan lesbians at Kakuma Refugee camp Kenya. They spoke of the appalling lesbophobic abuse they have been subjected along with the other refugees at Block 13 (the area reserved for LGBT refugees.) Our podcast started our campaign to get them evacuated to safety. We have kept in contact with the women and written to both UNHCR and our Foreign and Commonwealth office and were devasted in September to learn of the death of Patricia or ‘Baby Covid’ as she was known, daughter of Regina, one of the women we interviewed. Our Blog detailed the updates and we continue to support and advocate for our sisters in the camp and work to get them free and safe.
## **LATIN AMERICA**
We have expanded our networks, having a presence in Chile in February 2021 during the popular revolt against their neoliberal government. NiUnaMenosChile shared with us the history of women’s struggles since the times of dictator Pinochet.
PAGE 7
## FiLiA
## Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
In March, FiLiA in partnership with Escalera Caracol organised an art exhibition dedicated to International Women’s Day.
During September, FiLiA supported the Argentinian week against Sex Trafficking #SeTrataDeNoMasTrata
We published several articles written by Latin American and Caribbean sisters from Uruguay, Argentina, the Dominican Republic and Brazil.
We established a support group of women affected by the false Parental Affective Disorder with members of Argentina, Spain, Chile and Brazil (work in progress).
We closed the year with FiLiA supporting the legalisation of abortion in Argentina after decades of struggle.
We will continue to strengthen the bonds between the increasing global activism in support of women's sex-based rights between English and Spanish speaking feminists, and beyond.
## **Financial Review**
During the year the Charity received funds totaling £69,913 (2019: £79,607) and made payments of £42,062 (2019: £80,271). The charity held funds on hand of £29,006 at 31 December 2020.
## **Principal Funding Sources**
The charity raises funds for the annual conference mainly by ticket sales. The other principal source of funds is from grants and donations.
## **Investment Policy**
The charity does not currently hold sufficient funds to warrant investment. However, the charity banks with Triodos Bank, which has a sound ethical banking policy.
PAGE 8
## FiLiA Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **Reserves Policy**
The charity holds a small cash balance and is yet to reach an operational level where it has been possible to consider establishing financial reserve. The Trustees will continue to monitor the charity’s finances and will establish a reserves policy when funds allow.
## **2021 and beyond**
We look forward in our next year to:
- A FiLiA conference in 2021 in Portsmouth;
- The expansion of our Friends of FiLiA scheme to support more Women to participate in FiLiA
- Accessing funding for specific Women-focused projects, locally, nationally and internationally
- Continue to Amplify the Voices of Women via our podcasts and blogs
- Building Sisterhood and Solidarity networks locally, nationally and globally
## **Structure, Governance and Management**
## **Governing Document**
The organisation is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, established and registered as a charity on 8 September 2015. The charity is established under a Constitution, which sets out the objects and powers of the trust.
## **Recruitment and Appointment of the Board of Trustees**
The trustees are also the members of the charity, and as such have the power to appoint new trustees. All trustees serve a two year term, after which they are eligible for re-election. The Constitution stipulates that there must be a minimum of three and not more than twelve trustees.
PAGE 9
## FiLiA Trustees’ Report for the year ended 31 December 2020
## **Trustee Induction and Training**
Trustees are experienced in the area of the charity’s work and have been appointed by the members for the specific skills they can bring to the Board. All potential trustees are briefed prior to their election.
## **Trustees’ responsibilities in relation to the financial statements**
Charity law requires the trustees to prepare accounts for each financial period which show a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of its financial activities for that period. In preparing those accounts, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- observe the methods and principles of the Charities’ SORP, Accounting and Reporting by Charities;
- state whether applicable accounting standards and statements of recommended practice have been followed, subject to any departure disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the accounts on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the charity will continue on that basis.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records which disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and to enable them to ensure that the accounts comply with the Statement of Recommended Practice. 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.
This report was approved by the board of trustees on 14 May 2021 and signed on its behalf.
**Kruti Walsh, Trustee**
PAGE 10
## **FiLiA**
## **Reference and Administrative Details of the Charity, its Trustees and Advisers For the year ended 31 December 2020**
Charity registration number: 1163473 Operational address: Women's Resource Centre 41 North Road London N7 9ER **Trustees** Lisa-Marie Taylor Sally Jackson Kruti Walsh Raquel Rosario Sanchez Appointed 15 May 2020 Julian Norman Resigned 17 May 2020
## **Independent Examiner**
Frank McDowell FMAAT FJM Accountancy Limited 23 Shackleton Court 2 Maritime Quay London E14 3QF
## **Bankers**
Triodos Bank UK Limited Deanery Road Bristol BS1 5AS
11
## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees of FiLiA (the CIO)**
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31 December 2020.
## **Responsibilities and basis of report**
As the charity trustees of the CIO, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the CIO’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
## **Independent examiner's statement**
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
- 1 accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act; or,
- 2 the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
## **Frank J McDowell FMAAT**
FJM Accountancy Limited 23 Shackleton Court 2 Maritime Quay London E14 3QF
Date: 15 May 2021
12
**FiLiA**
## **Receipts and Payments Account For the year ended 31 December 2020**
|**2020**
**Unrestricted Restricted**
**Total**
**Notes**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**Receipts**
Grants and donations - general
6,354
-
6,354
Grants and donations - Friends of FiLiA
8,444
-
8,444
Grants and donations - Curtain Theatre
-
-
-
Grants and donations - Edith Maud Ellis
-
-
-
Grants and donations - Safety4Sisters
-
-
-
Grants and donations - LISG
-
2,360
2,360
Restricted project grants
5
-
43,444
43,444
Conference receipts
1
9,303
-
9,303
Refund - magazine
-
-
-
Bank interest
8
-
8
Loan funds received
-
-
-
**Total receipts**
24,109
45,804
69,913
**Payments**
Grants and donations made
200
2,360
2,560
Project costs
5
-
20,667
20,667
Conference payments
2
4,835
-
4,835
Art project - Brazil
-
-
-
Art project - other
-
-
-
Other costs
3
10,444
-
10,444
Loans repaid
1,000
-
1,000
Expenses paid on account
4
2,556
-
2,556
**Total payments**
19,035
23,027
42,062
**Net cash (expended)/received in the year**
5,074
22,777
27,851
**Transfers**
-
-
-
5,074
22,777
27,851
Opening cash balances at 1 January 2020
1,155
-
1,155
**Closing cash balances at 31 December 2020**
6,229
22,777
29,006|**2019**|
|---|---|
||**As restated**
**Unrestricted Restricted**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
6,479
-
6,479
1,100
-
1,100
-
7,000
7,000
-
500
500
-
26,370
26,370
-
-
-
-
-
-
34,681
-
34,681
962
-
962
15
-
15
2,500
-
2,500|
||45,737
33,870
79,607|
||335
33,090
33,425
-
-
-
33,345
-
33,345
298
561
859
-
-
-
10,342
-
10,342
1,500
-
1,500
800
-
800|
||46,620
33,651
80,271|
||(883)
219
(664)
780
(780)
-|
||(103)
(561)
(664)
1,258
561
1,819|
||1,155
-
1,155|
13
## **FiLiA**
## **Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the year**
|**Note**
**Prepaid expenses**
2021 conference venue
**Other debtors**
Funds held in PayPal Giving Fund
Expenses repayable
Interest receivable
**Cash funds**
Cash at bank
Funds at PayPal
Funds at Stripe
Funds at Charity Checkout
**Liabilities**
2021 conference income received in advance
Trustee loans to fund conference venue deposit
Expenses owed
4
Accrued accountancy fees|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**£**
**£**
8,000
5,000
562
-
598
-
5
-
1,165
-
27,962
384
370
223
251
39
423
509
29,006
1,155
14,196
6,497
-
1,000
-
1,958
500
240
14,696
9,695|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**£**
**£**
8,000
5,000
562
-
598
-
5
-
1,165
-
27,962
384
370
223
251
39
423
509
29,006
1,155
14,196
6,497
-
1,000
-
1,958
500
240
14,696
9,695|
|---|---|---|
|||-
-
-|
|||-|
|||384
223
39
509|
|||1,155|
|||6,497
1,000
1,958
240|
|||9,695|
Signed on behalf of the Trustees on 14 May 2021.
Kruti Walsh **Trustee**
14
**FiLiA Notes to the Accounts**
**For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **1 Conference receipts**
|**Conference receipts**|||
|---|---|---|
|Donations
Ticket sales
Art canvases
Merchandise sales
Contributions to travel and accommodation|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
-
-
-
9,079
8,006
-
8,006
24,259
-
-
-
201
1,297
-
1,297
1,042
-
-
-
100
9,303
-
9,303
34,681|**2019**|
|||34,681|
## **2 Conference payments**
|Ticket sales refunded
Venue hire
Merchandise purchases
Merchandise refunds
Creche
Banners
Session materials
Travel and subsistence support
Pre-conference meetings
Technical support
Speech to text service
Payment processing fees
Other costs|**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
**£**
**£**
407
-
407
498
3,000
-
3,000
14,265
1,162
-
1,162
1,898
20
-
20
4
-
-
-
3,000
-
-
-
527
-
-
-
1,474
-
-
-
4,222
-
-
-
2,115
-
-
-
1,091
-
-
-
2,270
246
-
246
840
-
-
-
1,141
4,835
-
4,835
33,345|**2019**|
|---|---|---|
|||33,345|
15
**FiLiA Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **3 Other costs**
|Magazine
Publicity materials
Website
Photographer
Conferences
Administrative support
Digital services
Travel and subsistence
Development meeting costs
Office costs
Insurance
Subscriptions
Bank and payment processing fees
Accountancy
Consultancy
Legal fees
**4**
**Expenses paid on account**
Conference merchandise
Development meeting costs
Travel and subsistence
Publicity
Postage and stationery
IT costs
Subscriptions
Balance to pay brought forward
Less paid on account
Balance to (repay)/pay||**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**Total**
**Total**
**£**
**£**
-
962
734
1,338
3,510
1,414
-
570
-
850
390
-
2,909
1,048
557
1,826
78
1,445
621
-
-
48
94
60
871
301
240
480
200
-
240
-
10,444
10,342
**2020**
**2019**
**As restated**
**£**
**£**
11
475
2,483
60
118
121
34
3,302
1,958
-
(2,556)
(1,344)
(598)
1,958|**2019**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**
**Restricted**
**£**
**£**
-
-
734
-
3,510
-
-
-
-
-
390
-
2,909
-
557
-
78
-
621
-
-
-
94
-
871
-
240
-
200
-
240
-|||
||10,444
-|||
|||||
||||3,302
-
(1,344)|
||||1,958|
16
## **FiLiA Notes to the Accounts For the year ended 31 December 2020**
## **5 Restricted funds**
|**Restricted funds**||
|---|---|
|**Receipts**
**Payments**
**£**
**£**
FiLiA legacy project
19,678
18,865
Young women and radical social reform
2,000
FiLiA and socialism
1,448
200
600
600
19,718
1,002
43,444
20,667
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 1970 women's liberation
conference
Revealing women's lost history through events, exhibitions and
webinars|**Carried**
**forward**
**£**
813
2,000
1,248
-
18,716|
||22,777|
## **FiLiA legacy project - Sisters Trust**
Three years' funding for local community projects in each city. Partnership working with Women's community groups to develop a series of workshops and events to build awareness, confidence and engagement.
## **Young women and radical social reform - The Scurrah Wainwright Charity**
Build a Girl (Bradford) works with at risk girls. Project is for two leaders in youth work to create with the girls a presentation on Women's history and Feminism for them to present to the wider community.
## **FiLiA and socialism - Lipman Miliband**
Pamphlet, exhibition and workshop on socialist Feminism.
**Celebrating the 50[th] anniversary of the 1970 women's liberation conference - The Lady Neville Charity** Banners replicating second wave Feminist protest banners.
## **Revealing women's lost history through events, exhibitions and webinars - People's Postcode Lottery**
Digitalising cassettes from the 1996 Women's Liberation Conference and an event where we play the recordings to a new audience.
## **6 Transactions with related parties**
Trustees made donations during the year totalling £317 (2019: £270).
During the year, one trustee was paid £16,250 under a freelance contract with the charity for project delivery services. No trustee received any remuneration during 2019.
One (2019: three) trustees reclaimed expenses of £396 (2019: £938).
17
Independent examiner's report to the trustees of FILIA (the CIO)
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity for the year ended 31
December 2020.
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity trustees of the CIO, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with
the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 ("the Acf,).
I report in respect of my examination of the CIO'S accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and
in carrying out my examination, I have followed the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission
under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection
with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act. or,
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which
attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
Frank J McDowell FMAAT
FJM Accountancy Limited
23 Shackleton Court
2 Maritime Quay
London
E14 3QF
Date: 15 May 2021
12