FRIENDS OF THE BARGELLO “FOB” Charity Number 1166475 Trustees’ Annual Report for the period ending 5[th] April 2024
The Charity has had a challenging year as the Museo Nazionale del Bargello has been without a director since January 2024. The Museum is currently joining forces with another Florentine Museum, The Accademia, and the post for the director of both museums is still unfulfilled, with acting directors currently in place and Senior Curators carrying on the good work. This is a situation mirrored all over Italy as the 8 year tenures of museum directors came to an end and new positions need to be filled.
Notwithstanding this, the FOB has continued to attract funding. Unrestricted funds of £41,033 and restricted funds of £22,334 were donated to the FOB. The charity has very low committed costs which mainly relate to fundraising via events, administrative support, web development and other professional fees.
The year saw the large and important catalogue of the museum’s entire Maiolica collection finally being published by Allemandi paid for entirely by FOB restricted and unrestricted funding used for its completion. This is a major achievement as the updating and the production of the collection catalogues is a main part of our mission. This publication will be presented during the Florence Biennale in September 2024. The Wood Sculpture catalogue is nearer to completion, and we have restricted funds put aside for the translator fees and publication costs by Brepols. We are aiming for publication in late 2025/early 2026. The glass catalogue is slowly being written, and we expect an update later this year.
We have funds restricted funds held back which will likely be used to fund the refurbishment of the Salone di Donatello which is currently being overhauled and redecorated paid for by the Italian state and we anticipate that the FOB’s involvement will be for a new base for Donatello’s bronze figure of David (one of the main highlights), new didactic labels and panels and a possible contribution to the restoration of the marble floor.
In June 2023 we were able to offer a group of members and donors a private tour of the exhibition at Strawberry Hill, called Treasures from Faraway, Medieval and Renaissance Objects from the Schroder collection. This was at no cost to the FOB. In May 2023 we hosted a breakfast for donors and members at the Victoria & Albert Museum with a private tour of the Donatello exhibition which had been in Florence and Berlin, prior to London. This was at low cost to the FOB but was greatly appreciated by our members. Two dinners for patron members were held at the Bargello in September and October 2023. These dinners are held in the Museum courtyard and hire fees are waived for significant donors who pay for all other expenses. The dinners, of which the FOB is allowed three per year, have
proved to be successful fundraising tools and help to nurture future relationships as well as enhancing the experience of the museum for current generous donors.
While we await the position of the new director to be filled, we continue our work of raising awareness of the museum’s collection of exceptional, world class works of art, ensuring that current and future donors know that it is a museum of significant importance that needs support. We have been able to inform people of the work we have already achieved with the photographic archive, the new lighting in the Salone di Donatello, the climate controlled new case for the Pénicaud enamels, and the publication of the magnificent Maiolica catalogue. We are continuing to develop a project for an exhibition of Henry Moore sculpture at the museum, the possible commissioning of a catalogue of the jewelry collection and the search for a donor to catalogue the textiles currently held in the museum storage.
The Friends of the Bargello Registered address: Northwood House, 138 Bromham Road, Bedford MK40 2QW
Friends of the Bargello 1166475 Receipts and payments accounts CC16a For the period 4/6/2023 4/5/2024 To from
Section A Receipts and payments
| Section A Receipts and payments | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A1 Receipts Donations 41,033 Interest Received 91 - - - - - - 41,124 - - Sub total - Total receipts 41,124 A3 Payments Bank Fees 266 Consultingand office expenses 17,364 Fulfillingcharitable objectives 9,312 Legal andprofessional - Foreign Exchange costs - Utilised Restricted Funds - Fundraising 417 - - Sub total 27,359 Loan 26,250 - Sub total 26,250 Total payments 53,609 Net of receipts/(payments) - 12,485 A5 Transfers between funds 47,331 A6 Cash funds last year end 1,218 Cash funds this year end 36,064 Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ Sub total(Gross income for AR) A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
to the nearest £ 22,334 - - - - - - - 22,334 - - - 22,334 - - - - - 28,110 - - 28,110 - - - 28,110 - 5,776 - 47,331 73,952 20,845 Restricted funds |
to the nearest £ Endowment funds |
Total funds to the nearest £ 63,367 91 - - - - - - 63,458 - - - 63,458 266 17,364 9,312 - - 28,110 417 - - 55,469 26,250 - 26,250 81,719 - 18,261 - 75,170 56,909 |
Last year to the nearest £ |
| - - - - - - - - - |
63,367 | 40,983 | ||
| 91 | 105 | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| 63,458 | 41,088 | |||
| - - - |
- | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | 63,458 | 41,088 | ||
| - - - - - - - - - - |
266 | 115 | ||
| 17,364 | 16,406 | |||
| 9,312 | 8,246 | |||
| - | 7,200 | |||
| - | 256 | |||
| 28,110 | 44,719 | |||
| 417 | 2,583 | |||
| - | - | |||
| - | - | |||
| 55,469 | 79,525 | |||
| - - - |
26,250 | - | ||
| - | ||||
| 26,250 | - | |||
| - | 81,719 | 79,525 | ||
| - 5,776 | - - - - |
- 18,261 | - 38,437 | |
| - 47,331 | - | - | ||
| 73,952 | 75,170 | 113,607 | ||
| 20,845 | 56,909 | 75,170 |
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period
| Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B3 Investment assets B5 Liabilities B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Details Details Details Details Details Loan Signature Andrew Russell Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
to nearest £ to nearest £ 36,064 20,845 - - - - 36,064 20,845 OK OK to nearest £ to nearest £ - - - - - - - - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - Unrestricted 103,603 - - - - Print Name Andrew Russell Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Unrestricted funds Restricted funds Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which asset belongs Fund to which liability relates Amount due (optional) |
to nearest £ Endowment funds |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| OK | |||
| to nearest £ Endowment funds |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| Current value (optional) |
|||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| - | |||
| When due (optional) |
|||
| Date of approval |
|||
| Andrew Russell | Andrew Russell | 2/4/2025 | |
(HARITY COMMISSION FOR ENGLAND AND WALES Independent examiner's report on the accounts Section A Independent Examine$ Report Report to the trustees Friends of The Bargello On accounts for the year ended 5. April 2024 Charity no lif any) 1166475 Set out on pages 1 to2 jfÈir&mbèi to IDclu<le the P<1 dJJ{¥03I %haei¢ I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity ("the Trust'l for the year ended 0510412024. Responsibilities and basis of report As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 I'the Act"}. I report in resped of my examination of the Trust's accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Chariiy Commission under section 145151(bl of the Act. Independent I have completed my examination. I confim that no material matters have examiner's Statement come to my attention in connection with the examination, which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect.. the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act., or the accounts did not accord with the accounting records., or the accounts did not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities {Accounls and Reports) Regulations 2008 other than any requirement that the accounts give a Irue 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 accounts to be reached. Please delete the words in the brackets rf they do not apply. Signed: David Cox Date: 12th March 2025 Name: David A. Cox Relevant professional qualification{sl or body Ilf any): BA FCCA FCA Address: Cox & Co. (Accountancy) Ltd, The Granary, High Street, Turvey, Beds, MK43 8DB IER Oct 2018
Section B Disclosure Only complete If the examiner needs lo highlight material matters of conrn (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts.. directions and guidance for examiners). Give hère brief details of any items that the examinerwishes to disclose. IER Oct 2018