I'i:I I;A'
The Faith &
Belief Forum
Annual report
2022-23
Faith
& Belief
Forum
## Organisational details
THE FAITH & BELIEF FORUM – REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS OF THE CHARITY, ITS TRUSTEES AND ADVISERS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
## **Trustees**
## **Bankers**
Professor M Hardy CMG OBE FRS (Chair of Trustees) M Baluch (Treasurer) N Tamir G S Jhans MV Sternberg KC KCFO (stepped down 20 December 2022) B Mills (stepped down 20 December 2022) D Hussain (stepped down 20 December 2022) H Wallace (stepped down 21 March 2022) M Anderson (stepped down 21 March 2022) C Shanahan (appointed 1 May 2022) Dr M A Ziff (appointed 20 December 2022) M A Amla (appointed 20 December 2022) M A Fox (appointed 20 December 2022) L Parrales (appointed 20 December 2022)
CAF Bank Limited 25 Kings Hill Avenue Kings Hill West Malling Kent, ME19 4JQ
## **Solicitors**
Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP Adelaide House London Bridge London, EC4R 9HA
Howard Kennedy LLP No.1 London Bridge London, SE1 9BG
**Charity registered number** 1173369
## **Champions**
HRH Princess Badiya bint El Hassan, Sir Trevor Philips OBE, Rt Hon Dominic Grieve KC, Sir Stephen Timms MP, Shabir Randeree CBE, Prem Goyal OBE JP, Mayor Andy Burnham, David Dangoor DL, Preet Kaur Gill MP, Bushra Nasir CBE DL
**Principal office** Star House 104-108 Grafton Road London NW5 4BA
## **Patrons**
HE Cardinal Arinze, The Rt Hon John Bercow MP, Professor David Ford, His Royal Highness The Duke of Bragança, Lord Hameed of Hampstead CBE DL, The Rt Hon Baroness Hayman PC GBE, Rabbi Professor Jonathan Magonet, Prof. Dr Klaus Schwab KCMG, Baroness Scotland of Asthal PC QC,
**Director** Phil Champain
**Independent auditor** Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditors 16 Great Queen Street Covent Garden London WC2B 5AH
## **President**
Michael Sternberg KC KCFO
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## Director’s review 2022/23
first time; research into community and parental engagement in Education in Religion and Worldviews in schools has led to further practical work on this for next year; our Faith + LGBTQ network has been sustained; we successfully scaled up our workplace training offer , adding some significant corporate clients to our portfolio; and we became an active partner in the Government’s Faith New Deal Pilot scheme, testing new approaches to co-production and collaboration between diverse faith groups and local authorities.
Cumulatively, at the national level, we have:
In our diverse society, positive relations between people of different faiths, beliefs and cultures are essential. Since 1997 we have worked to build good relations between people of all faiths and beliefs, and to create a society where difference is celebrated.
In February 2022, war broke out between Russia and Ukraine, intensifying the UK’s cost of living crisis, which particularly hit the poor and vulnerable and impacted many of the communities we work with. At the same time, we began to enter postpandemic living, after periods of forced lockdowns and heightened anxiety, posing new challenges for working patterns and the cohesion of workforces. Like many other organisations F&BF was not immune to the ‘big resign’ and we lost several key employees as careers and life choices were reassessed. In the wider world, hate crime continued to rise, with the persistence of conflict in Israel/Palestine casting a shadow over interfaith relations in the UK, and politics on the Indian sub-continent spilling over into the UK, manifested in an escalation of Hindu/Muslim tension in Leicester. Climate change struggled to maintain top spot on the list of priority issues as an economic recession began to bite, public sector strikes multiplied, and the NHS continued to fracture. In September we lost Queen Elizabth II, a staunch supporter of interfaith relations and of our work with the Lord Lieutenant of Greater London’s Council on Faith.
On a more positive note, the vital role played by faith-based organisations during the pandemic drew significant attention from government and others, manifested in the launch of the Faith New Deal Pilot scheme in the summer of 2022. Events of the past year have brought the positive role of faith and interfaith in society more centre stage. We now await the conclusions of the Bloom Review into how government engages with faith.
Against this background, F&BF remained robustly operational and relevant throughout 22/23! Our award winning youth leadership programme (ParliaMentors) continued to run, with the participation of nine universities and a growing alumni network; we launched a major external evaluation of this programme that will inform it’s further development; our London Faith & Belief Community Awards at Westminster Abbey brought hope to the Capital, spotlighting the amazing response of faith based organisations to the multiple challenges our society faces; the second London Interfaith Fun Run provided an important opportunity for people of different faiths and beliefs to connect on a large scale; our resources for schools on identity and respect continued to be favourite downloads for teachers across the country; despite all the catching up facing schools after lockdowns, our workshops and school linking started to recover from the disruption of the pandemic; we launched new local engagement in Greater Manchester, hiring a member of staff there for the
**1. Prevented future prejudice and hate through strengthening the social and emotional learning of school students;**
**2. Strengthened interfaith relations at the community level through channelling emerging young leaders;**
**3. Brought attention to the importance of faith based social action in our society through major public events;**
**4. Positively influenced how local authorities and corporate companies handle faith and belief through training and awareness raising; and**
**5. Centred faith and belief identity as a key component of wider social cohesion through our advocacy and programming.**
None of this could have happened without the commitment and dedication of our skilled staff team, our trustees, our volunteers, our partners, and our donors. I would like to express my gratitude to our excellent Chair of Trustees, Michael Sternberg KC KCFO, who stood down at the end of December 2022. Michael has been at the core of our good governance over the past years, providing consistent guidance, advice, and monitoring, as well as passion, vision, and dedication. We will miss him a great deal but know he will remain connected as our President.
As we look ahead, I am minded that the challenge of meshing interfaith relations with the social change needed to address the issues highlighted above cannot be met without collaboration. This is the aim of our new strategy which was signed off by the board in June. The 2021 Census data on religion released in December 2022 points to an increasingly diverse and complex faith and belief landscape in England and Wales. In 2023/24 we will be pushing ahead with our strategy of harnessing this diversity to social change, seeking new partners and supporters to join those we are already lucky to work with, to project a stronger interfaith voice on the issues that matter.
In the meantime, thank you to all who have stuck by us, worked with us, and helped us learn through a challenging year.
Phil Champain, Director
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## About us
Our vision is a connected and supportive society where people of different faiths, beliefs and cultures have strong, productive and lasting relations. We believe the future belongs to people of all beliefs, that intolerance has no place in society and that diversity adds value. Our mission is to promote and build meaningful and resilient relationships between people of all faiths and non-religious beliefs, through education, encounter, and social action opportunities. We consider ourselves to be an areligious, apolitical organisation which has inclusivity and integrity at its core.
## **We work to achieve our mission and vision by meeting the following three goals:**
## **Goal 1**
To equip more learners with the skills and tools they need to handle and influence relations between different faiths and beliefs
## **Goal 2**
To generate stronger community-based movement aimed at strengthening faith relations and social cohesion in communities, with youth at the forefront
## **Goal 3**
## Our year at a glance
5,520 students reached
148
grassroots projects recognised and supported through our events and programmes
105 teachers trained & supported
9,104 people engaged in F&BF programmes and events
21 workplace training sesions delivered, reaching 544 employees
£19,000 distributed to 38 projects at our London Faith & Belief Community Awards
1,047,997 total engagement via digital channels
2,700 hours of training and mentoring delivered to young people by F&BF staff and Members of Parliament
900 beneficiaries reached through 18 social action projects
1,945 attendees at our community events
Over 1,200 downloads of our schools resources
To project the voices of those we support and the impact of our partnership with them
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University of Liverpool Social Action Project: community garden
## Our work around the UK
OVO Energy Workplace Training
Birmingham School Linking
Wigan Encountering Faith & Belief Workshops
University of Nottingham Social Action Project: mentorship for disadvantaged students
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Solihull MultiFaith Action Hub
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The London Interfaith Fun Run
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London pride march with our
LGBT+ Faith network
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London Community Awards
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Goal 1
## Equip Learners
_“ We were strangers and now we are friends. We have learnt social skills and got to know each other.”_
Linking student
Our projects:
105 teachers trained & supported
To equip learners with the skills and tools • School Linking they need to handle and influence relations between different faiths and beliefs • Encountering Faith & Belief Workshops • Resource & lesson plan development • Teacher training • Trialling innovative approaches to teaching faith & belief • Consultancy and school partnerships 1
78 diverse classes linked
5,520 students reached
1,200 downloads of our school resources
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## Case study EFB workshops in Wigan
The Guardian reported in 2021, that about a fifth of England’s multi-academy trusts had uncovered a total of 60,177 racist incidents (with actual numbers thought to be higher because schools are not legally required to report instances of racism to local authorities). Hate crime in general has also been increasing in the UK since 2015, and Greater Manchester specifically had the highest reported hate crime incidents for the 2021/22 period.
We delivered workshops to 44 students in Wigan in this period, and booked workshops for a further 691 in the summer term.
Feedback from the schools, including surveys that teachers completed post-session, showed that the workshops had a positive impact on students’ abilities to connect with, ask questions and understand people who are different from them. Our facilitators saw how children reacted to the speakers’ stories with curiosity, asking thoughtful questions based on their own prior knowledge of the speakers’ background, as well as what they heard during the story. They also engaged with topics such as racism in a sensitive way.
Wigan is quite different demographically to other areas of Greater Manchester. F&BF therefore identified a need to facilitate positive encounter for students with a diverse range of people they may not otherwise get the opportunity to meet.
“In a church school, I think there is space to spend more time learning about other people’s practices, faiths, spirituality and what that may look like. To have people outside of their normal community to share experiences helps children to understand that people can be different and that is ok.”
Across our workshops
## **97%**
of students agreed: In this session I have seen how people from different backgrounds can communicate effectively and respectfully about their identities
## **89%**
**Faith demographics of Wigan**
of students said they now feel confident asking questions to someone from a different religion or culture
63% Christian 2.3% Buddhists, 30% non-religous Hindus, Muslims and other 4.7% Unknown
_“ (EFB workshops) give students the opportunity to see how people of different faiths communicate with each other with mutual respect. They also allow students to get a lived perspective of religions from religious believers.”_
Wigan Primary teacher
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Goal 2
# Build movement
_“ For me, the difficulty was the perception of myself. I thought I fit in the world in a certain way. I shouldn't be participating in institutions such as the Parliament. One of the (ParliaMentors) Alumni invited me to the London Mayor election where they were counting votes and I saw it live. I never thought that I’d be worthy of being in a situation like that. When I got into these places then I realised they are actually accessible.”_
Alumnus, Sikh
To generate stronger community-based movement, with youth at the forefront
Our projects: 2,700 hours of training and mentoring • ParliaMentors delivered to young people • Alumni network by F&BF staff and Members of Parliament • Youth Summit 90 students supported as ParliaMentors from 9 universities 900 beneficiaries reached through 18 social action projects 2
900 beneficiaries reached through 18 social action projects
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## Case study ParliaMentors
The ParliaMentors programme addresses multiple issues: youth disempowerment, social mobility, and interfaith relations.
Through enacting a social action project, they not only support members of their local communities, but also gain skills that the majority of them will utilize in their career searches later on.
It offers an opportunity to 45 students, the majority of whom come from minority faith and ethnic communities, to develop their leadership skills, gain hands-on experience of delivering a social impact project, and receive mentorship from MPs.
Through working with MPs, they receive advice on how to achieve their aims while also making an impression on the MP. Indeed, the MPs we work with attest to the fact that the impact of MP mentorship goes both ways as they find themselves influenced by the beliefs and experiences that the students share with them. Thus the impact of the programme is immense, and continues far after the programme has concluded.
Through working alongside those from different backgrounds, they deepen their understanding of identity and deepen their commitment to fostering a society where difference is harnessed as a strength.
_“ I got a phone call yesterday afternoon from BBC Nottingham. Jess Phillips had visited Nottingham’s biggest nightclub and said Labour believe spiking should be a law in its own right and they wanted my opinions on the matter. Even after graduating from the programme, opportunities I never would have had keep on presenting themselves to me and I couldn’t be more grateful. Never would I have had this much agency or had my voice heard on a topic that matters to me so much without you giving me a shot. Parliamentors has well and truly changed the course of my life and I’ll continue to sing this programmes praises to everyone I come across”_
Lauren Simpson, University of Nottingham 2022-23
## Evaluating ParliaMentors: Our Journey
## Programme results
Working with the ZIGLA and LSE researchers on evaluating the ParliaMentors programme has been very fruitful both in terms of learning about the programme and about monitoring and evaluation. Throughout the process they have been training us in the science of data collection, articulating a theory of change, and capturing impact more effectively. Though the evaluation is only to be complete in December 2023, we have already incorporated many of its findings into our work; for example, we have responded to feedback on the MP mentorship model and social action project model by making changes to the 2023-24 programme.” Rachel Cohen, Senior Programme Coordinator
**89%** became more aware of other cultures and further appreciate diversity.
**80%** consider that the programme helped them to understand how their beliefs influence the way they participate in society.
**84%** consider that the programme helped them to increase their confidence when sharing their identity with others.
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_“ Today is a humbling experience: to stand here in the heart of London, in one of the most historic and iconic places of worship in the world as a British Muslim woman receiving an award on behalf of the diverse faith groups of Brent, is an honour and a privilege.”_
Goal 3
## Project Voice
Tahseen Mehar, Director of Brent Multi-Faith Forum, receiving an award in Westminster Abbey
Our projects: 1,945 attendees at our • London Faith London Faith community events
To project the voices of those we support and the impact of our partnership with them
• London Faith London Faith community events & Belief Awards • London Interfaith 148 Fun Run grassroots projects recognised and • LGBTQ+ Faith Network supported through our events and • Walking Together in Barking and Dagenham programmes • Solihull Multifaith £19,000 Action Hub distributed to 38 projects at our • Consultation with London Faith & Belief Local Authorities Community Awards 3
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## Case study Youth Interfaith Summit: Uniting for Climate Action
In February 2023, the Faith & Belief Forum’s Youth Council organised a transformative event at The London School of Economics: the Youth Interfaith Summit. This gathering of 200 young individuals from diverse faiths and beliefs aimed to address climate change collectively.
The event celebrated collaboration, featuring panel discussions, skills training workshops, and dialogue sessions that highlighted the role of faith groups in climate justice, environmental activism, mental health, well-being, and personal environmental connections. The Summit inspired connections and mobilised youth for change.
The summit’s impact was profound, shifting the dialogue from individual responsibility to collective action. Mashiyath Qurashy, a Youth Council member and one of the event organisers, captured this essence: “the Summit brings together smaller community units to create a new larger community. As a result, challenging climate change through a Summit moves the conversation away from individual action to collective action.”
The Youth Interfaith Summit serves as a powerful reminder of the potential for interfaith action in addressing climate change. It has inspired young individuals to come together, highlighting our shared responsibility and interconnectedness in the face of global challenges. This event showcases the significance of collective efforts and unity, offering hope for a more sustainable future.
- _“ Climate action is about commitment to each person in the room, fostering mutual understanding and emphasising our interconnectedness despite our differences.”_
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## Case study London Communities
One of the communities that we partnered with for our Walking Together project in Barking & Dagenham was the Marks Gate Relief Project. This story illustrates the way that grassroots projects have had a chance to network, build and access new opportunities from partnering with us.
continued regardless (making use of sheltered, treecovered areas to walk) and facilitated a dialogue for intercultural learning. There was a point where Hindu & Muslim participants talked about India and Pakistan, comparing words’ etymologies in their respective languages and their familial history which was very special given that this can be a sensitive topic.
Marks Gate Relief Project (MGRP) is a CIC that engages voluntary services to boost community engagement within Marks Gate and the surrounding areas, and were identified by our team as being enthusiastic, altruistic and genuinely outstanding in their diligence and their service to the community. They joined Walking Together and held a walk in August 2022 at Hainault Forest Country Park. MGRP attended all 6 walks and were active participants in the project. At their walk, it was nearly 40 degrees, but the group
MGRP attended the Fun Run, ran to raise money for their organisation, and had an opportunity to socialise and connect with other grassroots organisations. Through continued relationship built with our Community Team, they also made an application to the London Faith & Belief Community Awards 2023, which they have won! This means that they will get a further £500 to support the continuation of their important work.
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## Case study
## Solihull Faith Action Project: Exploring a “faith new deal”
There been a historic resistance from the predominantly white host community to any new communities moving into the area, and the local authority and local communities warned us of the presence of far right groups, and inter-community tensions. People were living side-by-side, but not talking to each other, and we heard of many instances of hate in the community.
In August 2022, the Faith New Deal Initiative commissioned projects across UK to explore possibilities of new partnerships between Faith-based organisations (FBOs) and statutory services. The F&BF identified Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) to work with.
Solihull is seen as an affluent part of the West Midlands. It’s a borough containing diverse faith communities, but with much less ethnic or religious diversity than the national average, and certainly less than it’s neighbour Birmingham.
F&BF staff facilitated 40+ 121 conversations with people of faith and members of the council to get an idea of the sentiments on the ground. It transpired that the faith communities wanted to get to know and work with one another but didn’t know how to do so. Beyond division between communities, there was a historic mistrust of the council.
The F&BF held 7 sessions together with employees of SMBC and faith group representatives, containing training and social mixing. Misconceptions between the council and faith groups were cleared, priority issues were identified collectively.
The final session not only discussed practical ways forward, but also ended with a networking lunch afterward (attended by 70+ people). This gave the opportunity for service providers and wider employees of the council to be introduced to the different faith Project Participant communities in the borough who took part in the project so support and cross-collaboration can continue.
Since the completion of the project, the Action group have such strong bonds, they are able to mobilise the collective power of their communities: for example meeting new Sudanese refugees and asylum seekers within 24 hours of arrival with clothes, food and medical care.
**Faith demographics of Solihull**
70% Christian 1.8% Sikh, 2.7% Muslim 23.6% non-religious 1.9% Hindu
_“ Having the LA people initiate the programme was important. It showed that our communities are recognised and valued. It was good to meet them and work alongside them. They have a vital connecting role, and the dialogue helps us all to know our context and be more effective in our actions and decisions”_ “
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## Priorities for 2023/24
## Priority
## Milestones
- **Improve internal** • Operationalise board reform – sub-committees and trustees **engagement & governance** • Adjust salaries in line with benchmarking • Ensure engagement has national reach
- **Extend monitoring & evaluation** • Develop organisational measures of success in line with our emergent theory of change
- Publish & disseminate evaluation of youth leadership programme
- Secure funding to improve our internal MEL infrastructure
- **Sharpen fundraising** • Establish Development Board with targets
- Bed-in decentralised fundraising capacity
- Develop a fundraising strategy to improve the long term resilience of our core programmes
- **Deepen strategic** • Secure strategic partnerships with civil society organisations **partnerships** • Negotiate financial agreements with 3 Universities • Establish Faith & Belief Policy Forum with first roundtable event
- Recruit permanent communications capacity
**Turn up national voice**
- On board new team voice members and develop team structure and vision
- Engage in thought leadership and policy events on prioritised issues
## Structure, governance and management
Trustees are responsible for the strategic direction of the organisation and delegate management to the Director. The Director reports to the board on organisational performance against operational plans approved by the Board. The Director and Head of Operations report regularly via the Finance Committee on the financial position of the organisation.
## **Organisational structure and decision making**
The Faith & Belief Forum is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The organisation was founded in 1997 as an unincorporated charitable trust called Three Faiths Forum (1092465). All activities, liabilities and assets transferred to the CIO (1173369) in 2017, and in 2018 the CIO changed its name to The Faith & Belief Forum.
The organisation seeks to create an internal culture that embodies the inclusive and welcoming values that we want to see in wider society, and are delighted that in summer 2022, for the second year in a row 100% of staff agreed that we valued diversity.
The object of the CIO is to promote religious harmony and good communal relations through promoting knowledge and mutual understanding of, and respect for, the beliefs and practices of different religious faiths, and beliefs. Our vision is of a connected and supportive society where people of different faiths, beliefs and cultures have strong, productive and lasting relations.
The charity is grateful to its team of staff, consultants, freelancers, interns and volunteers for their outstanding dedication, hard work and commitment during the year.
The organisation is governed by a board of trustees who meet regularly during the year. Finance and Compliance Committees meet before each board meeting to monitor and review relevant matters in more depth.
The Board of Trustees is authorised to appoint new trustees, as required, who are selected on the basis of their relevant skills, experience and knowledge and the active contribution they can make to the organisation. New trustees are briefed on the organisation’s constitution, strategic plan, policies, and procedures. They receive a copy of the previous years’ financial statements and a copy of the constitution and are expected to sign a declaration of interests form.
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## Financial review
Forum fully supports the living wage (as set by the Living Wage Foundation) and will aim to pay at this level, subject to affordability.
The charity generated incoming resources of £902,930 (2022: £884,335). This increase has been generated by increase of Charitable activities £540,755 (2022: £302,327) and offset by a decrease of Donations £361,542 (2022: £581,994). There has been a consequent increase in expenditure on Charitable activities which rose to £975,001 from £741,723 in the previous year. The charity recorded a net decrease in funds of £80,496 being a deficit of £105,456 on unrestricted, and a surplus of £24,960 on restricted funds. At 31 March 2023 the charity had net assets of £228,537 (2022: £309,033) which was split between unrestricted funds of £171,577 and restricted funds of £56,960.
## **Risk management**
The trustees assess on an annual basis the major risks to which the charity is exposed, in particular those related to the operations and finances of the charity and are satisfied that systems and procedures are in place to mitigate exposure to the major risks. The principal risks faced by the charity are the security of its funding streams and the operational risks from working with young people in areas dealing with sensitive subjects. The trustees mitigate the risk to funding streams by diversifying as much as possible the sources of income. The operational risks are mitigated by having an effective safeguarding policy to which all staff adhere to. In addition, there is a staff handbook which reflects updated policies and procedures on whistleblowing and staff data handling and protection.
## **Going Concern**
After making appropriate enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the Charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. For this reason, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements. Further details regarding the adoption of the going concern basis can be found in the accounting policies.
## **Safeguarding**
The charity trustees take their responsibility in relation to safeguarding seriously and have adopted a Safeguarding policy to protect vulnerable people from abuse and to prevent abuse from happening in the first place. Conflict of interest all trustees give of their time freely and no trustee remuneration was paid in the year. The trustees and staff are required to disclose all relevant interests and where necessary withdraw from decisions where a conflict arises.
## **Reserves Policy**
The trustees have examined the requirement for free reserves, which are those unrestricted funds not invested in fixed assets. It is currently the policy of the charity to maintain free reserves at a level considered adequate to provide sufficient funds for between one- and threemonths’ unrestricted expenditure, an amount equivalent to between £50,000 and £150,000. The free reserves amounted to £171,577 at 31 March 2023 which is at the higher end of that desired range. The Charity is in a position where significant funds are received for specific projects and restricted funds at 31 March 2023 amounted to £56,960. The charity’s assets are held for the purpose of the aforesaid charitable purposes and the trustees consider that the financial position of the charity at 31 March 2023 is satisfactory to enable it to continue its activities.
The trustees also confirm that there is an appropriate and approved anti bribery policy.
## **Information on fundraising practices**
The charity does not fundraise from the general public, but focuses its activities on specific charitable foundations. Therefore the trustees do not consider that the
requirements of the fundraising code to be applicable to the charity.
## **Statement of Trustees’ responsibilities**
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).
## **Pay policy for staff**
We are committed to a fair and transparent pay structure that ensures we treat all staff equitably with regards to terms and conditions of employment, including pay. Employee salaries are awarded based on the organisation’s salary scales. The scales are reviewed annually, taking into account inflation and cost of living increases (based on the Consumer Price Index and Retail Price Index), sector benchmarking, and funding available. The Faith & Belief
The law applicable to charities in England & 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 its incoming resources and application of resources, including its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial
## statements, the Trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP (FRS 102);
- make judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards (FRS 102) have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements;
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Charity will continue in business.
The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Charity’s transactions and 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.
## **Disclosure of information to auditor**
Each of the persons who are Trustees at the time when this Trustees’ report is approved has confirmed that:
- so far as that Trustee is aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the charity’s auditor is unaware, and
- that Trustee has taken all the steps that ought to have been taken as a Trustee in order to be aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the charity’s auditor is aware of that information.
## **Auditor**
The auditor, Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP, has indicated his willingness to continue in office. The designated Trustees will propose a motion reappointing the auditor at a meeting of the Trustees.
Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
**Professor Mike Hardy CMG OBE FRSA (Chair of Trustees)**
Date: 12/12/2023
## INDEPENDENT AUDITOR’S REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF THE FAITH & BELIEF FORUM
## **Opinion**
We have audited the financial statements of The Faith & Belief Forum (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 March 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 ‘The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland’ (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
## In our opinion the financial statements:
- give a true and fair view of the state of the charity’s affairs as at 31 March 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources for the year then ended;
- have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and
- have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011.
## **Basis for opinion**
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
## **Conclusions relating to going concern**
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees’ use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees
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with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
## **Other information**
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The Trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
## **Matters on which we are required to report by exception**
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Charities (Accounts and Reports)
Regulations 2008 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion:
- the information given in the Trustees’ report is inconsistent in any material respect with the financial statements; or
- sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
- the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns; or
- we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
## **Responsibilities of trustees**
As explained more fully in the trustees’ responsibilities statement, the Trustees are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements which give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.
In preparing the financial statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern
basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charity or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
## **Auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements**
We have been appointed as auditor under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of noncompliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below:
- the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise noncompliance with applicable laws and regulations;
- we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the charity through discussions with trustees and other management, and from our knowledge and experience of the charity sector;
• we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the charity, including the Charities Act 2011, taxation legislation and data protection, employment and health and safety legislation;
- we assessed the extent of compliance with the laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence; and
• identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit. We assessed the susceptibility of the charity’s financial statements to material misstatement, including obtaining
an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
- making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and
- considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address the risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
- performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;
- tested a sample of journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
- assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and
- investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.
In response to the risk of irregularities and noncompliance with laws and regulations, we designed procedures which included, but were not limited to:
- agreeing financial statement disclosures to underlying supporting documentation;
- reading the minutes of meetings of those charged with governance;
- enquiring of management as to actual and potential litigation and claims; and
- reviewing correspondence with relevant regulators.
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from financial transactions, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they
may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: www.frc.org.uk/ auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
## **Use of our report**
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with Part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity’s trustees
those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor’s report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and its trustees, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
## **Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP**
Chartered Accountants & Statutory Auditor 16 Great Queen Street
Covent Garden
London
WC2B 5AH
Date: 12/12/2023
Blick Rothenberg Audit LLP is eligible to act as auditor in terms of section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
28 The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23 29
## THE FAITH & BELIEF FORUM STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total funds**|Total funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds 2023**|**funds 2023**|**2023**|2022|
||**Note**|**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|**Income from:**||||||
|Donations and legacies|3|**350,092**|**11,450**|**361,542**|581,994|
|Charitable activities|4|**30,420**|**510,335**|**540,755**|302,327|
|Other income||**633**|**-**|**633**|14|
|**Total income**||**381,145**|**521,785**|**902,930**|884,335|
|**Expenditure on:**||||||
|Raising funds||**8,425**|**-**|**8,425**|78,745|
|Charitable activities||**478,176**|**496,825**|**975,001**|741,723|
|**Total expenditure**||**486,601**|**496,825**|**983,426**|820,468|
|||||||
|**Net movement in funds**||**(105,456)**|**24,960**|**(80,496)**|63,867|
|**Reconciliation of funds:**||||||
|Total funds brought||**277,033**|**32,000**|**309,033**|245,166|
|forward||||||
|Net movement in funds||**(105,456)**|**24,960**|**(80,496)**|63,867|
|**Total funds**
**carried forward**||**171,577**|**56,960**|**228,537**|309,033|
## BALANCE SHEET FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2022
**----- Start of picture text -----**
2023 2022
Note £ £
Fixed assets
Tangible assets 11 10,441 13,154
10,441 13,154
Current assets
Debtors 12 39,550 25,575
Cash at bank and in hand 348,899 428,590
388,449 454,165
Creditors: amounts falling due within one year 13 (170,353) (158,286)
Net current assets 218,096 295,879
Total assets less current liabilities 228,537 309,033
Total net assets 228,537 309,033
Charity funds
Restricted funds 14 56,960 32,000
Unrestricted funds 14 171,577 277,033
Total funds 228,537 309,033
**----- End of picture text -----**
The financial statements were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by:
## **Professor Mike Hardy CMG OBE FRSA (Chair of Trustees)**
The Statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All of the activities of the charity are classified as continuing. The notes on pages 33 to 41 form part of these financial statements.
Date: 12/12/2023
The notes on pages 33 to 41 form part of these financial statements.
The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23 31
30
STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2023
||**Note**|**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|---|
|||**£**|£|
|**Cash fows from operating activities**||||
|Net cash used in operating activities|16|**(80,324)**|(57,645)|
|**Cash fows from investing activities**||||
|Dividends, interests and rents from investments||**633**|14|
|**Net cash provided by investing activities**||**633**|14|
|**Cash fows from fnancing activities**||||
|**Net cash provided by fnancing activities**||**-**|-|
|**Change in cash and cash equivalents in the year**||**(79,691)**|**(57,631)**|
|Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the year||**428,590**|486,221|
|**Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the year**|17|**348,899**|428,590|
## 1. General information
The Faith & Belief Forum is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and is registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales with registered number 1173369. It’s principal office is Star House 104-108 Grafton Road, London, NW5 4BA.
## 2. Accounting policies
**2.1 Basis of preparation of financial statements** The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) - 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 Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011.
The financial statements have been prepared to give a ‘true and fair’ view and have departed from the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 only to the extent required to provide a ‘true and fair’ view. This departure has involved following the Charities SORP (FRS 102) published in October 2019 rather than the Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice effective from 1 April 2005 which has since been withdrawn.
The Faith & Belief Forum meets the definition of a public benefit entity under FRS 102. Assets and liabilities are initially recognised at historical cost or transaction value unless otherwise stated in the relevant accounting policy.
## **2.2 Going concern**
After making enquiries, the Trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence and meet its liabilities as they fall due for the foreseeable future, being a period of at least twelve months from the date these financial statements were approved. In making that assessment they have considered the impact that the downturn in economic outlook has had on the charity. Accordingly, they continue to adopt the going concern basis in preparing the financial statements.
## **2.3 Income**
All income is recognised once the Charity has entitlement to the income, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount of income receivable can be measured reliably.
Donated professional services and facilities are recognised on the basis of the value of the gift to the charity which is the amount it would have been willing to pay to obtain services or facilities of equivalent economic benefit on the open market; a corresponding amount is then recognised in expenditure in the period of receipt.
Grants are included in the statement of financial activities on a receivable basis. The balance of income received for specific purposes but not expended during the period is shown in the relevant funds on the balance sheet. Where income is received in advance of entitlement of receipt, its recognition is deferred and included in creditors as deferred income. Where entitlement occurs before income is received, the income is accrued.
Other income is recognised in the period in which it is receivable and to the extent the goods have been provided or on completion of the service.
## **2.4 Expenditure**
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Expenditure on raising funds includes all expenditure incurred by the Charity to raise funds for its charitable purposes and includes costs of all fundraising activities events and non-charitable trading.
The notes on pages 33 to 41 form part of these financial statements
32 The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23 33
Expenditure on charitable activities is incurred on directly undertaking the activities which further the Charity’s objectives, as well as any associated support costs.
All expenditure is inclusive of irrecoverable VAT.
## **2.5 Government grants**
Government grants relating to tangible fixed assets are treated as deferred income and released to the statement of financial activities over the expected useful lives of the assets concerned. Other grants are credited to the statement of financial activities as the related expenditure is incurred.
## **2.6 Interest receivable**
Interest on funds held on deposit is included when receivable and the amount can be measured reliably by the Charity; this is normally upon notification of the interest paid or payable by the institution with whom the funds are deposited.
## **2.7 Tangible fixed assets and depreciation**
Tangible fixed assets costing £500 or more are capitalised and recognised when future economic benefits are probable and the cost or value of the asset can be measured reliably.
Tangible fixed assets are initially recognised at cost. After recognition, under the cost model, tangible fixed assets are measured at cost less accumulated depreciation and any accumulated impairment losses. All costs incurred to bring a tangible fixed asset into its intended working condition should be included in the measurement of cost.
Depreciation is charged so as to allocate the cost of tangible fixed assets less their residual value over their estimated useful lives.
Depreciation is provided on the following basis: Office equipment - 25% reducing balance
## **2.8 Debtors**
Trade and other debtors are recognised at the settlement amount after any trade discount offered. Prepayments are valued at the amount prepaid net of any trade discounts due.
## **2.9 Cash at bank and in hand**
Cash at bank and in hand includes cash and short-term highly liquid investments with a short maturity of three months or less from the date of acquisition or opening of the deposit or similar account.
Liabilities are recognised at the amount that the Charity anticipates it will pay to settle the debt or the amount it has received as advanced payments for the goods or services it must provide.
Provisions are measured at the best estimate of the amounts required to settle the obligation. Where the effect of the time value of money is material, the provision is based on the present value of those amounts, discounted at the pre-tax discount rate that reflects the risks specific to the liability. The unwinding of the discount is recognised in the statement of financial activities as a finance cost.
## **2.11 Financial instruments**
The Charity only has financial assets and financial liabilities of a kind that qualify as basic financial instruments. Basic financial instruments are initially recognised at transaction value and subsequently measured at their settlement value with the exception of bank loans which are subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
## **2.12 Fund accounting**
General funds are unrestricted funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the Charity and which have not been designated for other purposes.
Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the Charity for particular purposes. The costs of raising and administering such funds are charged against the specific fund. The aim and use of each restricted fund is set out in the notes to the financial statements.
## 3. Income from donations and legacies
|||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted**|**Total funds**|Total funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|||**funds 2023**|**funds 2023**|**2023**|2022|
||Donations|**£**
262,992|**£**
**-**|**£**
**262,992**|£
731,535|
||Donations in kind|87,100|**-**|**87,100**|87,100|
||Government grants|-|11,450|**11,450**|65,686|
|||350,092|11,450|**361,542**|884,321|
|||||||
||Total 2022|516,308|368,013|884,321||
## 4. Income from charitable activities
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted funds**|**Total funds**|Total funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**funds 2023**|**2023**|**2023**|2022|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|Income from|30,420|510,335|**540,755**|302,327|
|charitable activities|||||
||||||
|Total 2022|**-**|**302,327**|**302,327**||
## 5. Charitable expenditure
||**Unrestricted**|**Restricted funds**|**Total funds 2023**|Total funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**funds 2023**|**2023**||2022|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|Direct costs|316,326|483,315|**799,641**|596,737|
|Support costs|149,850|112,237|**262,087**|129,906|
|Governance costs|12,000|-|**12,000**|15,080|
|Fundraising costs|8,425|-|**8,425**|78,745|
||486,601|595,552|**1,082,153**|820,468|
||||||
|Total 2022|421,549|398,919|820,468||
## **2.10 Liabilities and provisions**
Liabilities are recognised when there is an obligation at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefit will be required in settlement, and the amount of the settlement can be estimated reliably.
34 The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23 35
## 6. Direct costs
|6. Direct costs||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Education**|**Community**|**Total**|Total|
||**funds 2023**|**funds 2023**|**funds 2023**|**funds 2023**|funds 2022|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|Employment Costs|260,541|93,687|185,551|**539,779**|430,932|
|Freelance Assistants|53,835|35,261|107,964|**197,015**|139,938|
|Event Expenses|1,872|2,449|50,804|**55,125**|23,906|
|Mentoring Expenses|78|-|7,644|**7,722**|1,961|
||316,326|131,352|351,963|**799,641**|596,737|
|||||||
|Total 2022|246,608|137,014|213,115|596,737||
## 8. Governance costs
|8. Governance costs||||
|---|---|---|---|
||**Unrestricted**|**Total funds 2023**|Total funds 2022|
||**2023**|||
||**£**|**£**|£|
|Legal and professional fees|12,000|**12,000**|15,080|
## 9. Staff costs
The average number of persons employed by the Charity during the year was as follows:
||**2023**|**No.**|2022|No.|
|---|---|---|---|---|
|Employees||**19**||25|
No employee received remuneration amounting to more than £60,000 in either year.
The key management personnel of the charity comprise the Director and the Heads of Operations. The total employee salaries of the key management personnel of the charity were £111,135.59 (2022: £121,398).
## 7. Support costs
||**Unrestricted**|**Education**|**Community**|**Total funds**|Total funds|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**balance 2023**|**balance 2023**|**2023**|2022|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|£|
|General|18,775|850|2,068|**21,693**|15,177|
|ofce costs||||||
|Bank charges and|207|-|67|**274**|386|
|interest||||||
|Insurance|4,629|-|-|**4,629**|6,229|
|Communication|10,643|-|-|**10,643**|8,532|
|expenses||||||
|Travelling and|4,826|2,587|5,101|**12,514**|1,711|
|subsistence||||||
|Marketing and|5,186|-|1,878|**7,064**|4,262|
|publicity||||||
|Professional fees|15,336|51|-|**15,387**|7,018|
|Rent, rates and|85,878|-|-|**85,878**|81,639|
|maintenance||||||
|Staf training|889|-|908|**1,797**|567|
|Depreciation|3,481|-|-|**3,481**|4,385|
||149,850|3,488|10,022|**163,360**|129,906|
|||||||
|**Total 2022**|81,116|18,650|30,140|129,906||
## 10. Trustees' remuneration and expenses
During the year, no Trustees received any remuneration or other benefits (2022 - £NIL). During the year ended 31 March 2023, no Trustee expenses have been incurred (2022 - £NIL).
## 11. Tangible fixed assets
|11. Tangible fxed assets||
|---|---|
||**Ofce equipment**|
||**£**|
|**Cost or valuation**||
|At 1 April 2022|**42,870**|
|Additions|**768**|
|At 31 March 2023|**43,638**|
|||
|**Depreciation**||
|At 1 April 2022|**29,716**|
|Charge for the year|**3,481**|
|**At 31 March 2023**|**33,197**|
|||
|**Net book value**||
|At 31 March 2023|**10,441**|
|At 31 March 2022|13,154|
36 The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23 37
## 12. Debtors
|12. Debtors|||
|---|---|---|
||**2023**|2022|
|**Due within one year**|**£**|£|
|Trade debtors|**550**|3,575|
|Other debtors|**39,000**|22,000|
||**39,550**|25,575|
## 13. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
||**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|£|
||||
|Trade creditors|**780**|6,500|
|Other taxation and social security|**17,991**|17,931|
|Deferred income|**121,791**|-|
|Accruals|**12,064**|133,855|
||**170,353**|158,286|
Deferred income represents grants and donations received in respect of projects to be run in the following financial year.
||**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|£|
|Deferred income at 1 April 2022|**121,791**|231,230|
|Resources deferred during the year|**139,581**|121,791|
|Amounts released from previous periods|**(121,791)**|(231,230)|
||**139,581**|121,791|
## 14. Statement of funds
## **Statement of funds – current year**
||**Balance at**|**Income**|**Expenditure**|**Balance at**|
|---|---|---|---|---|
||**1 April 2022**|||**31 March 2023**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|**Unrestricted funds**|||||
|General Funds - all|**162,581**|**381,145**|**(372,149)**|**171,577**|
|funds|||||
|Designated funds|**114,452**|**-**|**(114,452)**|**-**|
|**Restricted funds**|**277,033**|**381,145**|**(486,601)**|**171,577**|
|Education|**7,769**|**142,052**|**(134,840)**|**14,981**|
|Community|**24,231**|**379,733**|**(361,985)**|**41,979**|
||**32,000**|**521,785**|**(496,825)**|**56,960**|
|**Total of funds**|**309,033**|**902,930**|**(983,426)**|**228,537**|
The designated funds relate to income received in the year, but intended to support the activities of the charity for the year ended 31 March 2023. West Midlands and Education were combined in 2022, the balances of which were £2,692 and £nil as at 31 March 2021.The Education fund represents workshops, school linking and training to help young people (and their teachers) handle different or controversial topics, learn dialogue skills, and to understand how people live their faiths or beliefs. The Community fund covers our universities work including a national leadership programme where students collaborate to create real social change while being mentored by MPs
## **Statement of funds – prior year**
||Balance at|Income|Expenditure|Transfers|Balance at|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
||1 April 2021|||in/out|31 March 2022|
||£|£|£|£|£|
|**Unrestricted funds**||||||
|General funds|182,260|516,322|(421,549)|(114,452)|162,581|
|- all funds||||||
|Designated funds|-|-|-|114,452|114,452|
||182,260|516,322|(421,549)|-|277,033|
|**Restricted funds**||||||
|Education|2,692|147,172|(142,095)|-|7,769|
|Community|60,214|220,841|(256,824)|-|24,231|
||62,906|368,013|(398,919)|-|32,000|
|**Total of funds**|245,166|884,335|(820,468)|-|309,033|
38 The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23
39
## 15. Analysis of net assets between funds
## **Analysis of net assets between funds – current year**
||**Unrestricted funds**|**Restricted funds**|**Total funds**|
|---|---|---|---|
||**2023**|**2023**|**2023**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Tangible fxed assets|(21,295)|31,736|**10,441**|
|Current assets|388,449|-|**388,449**|
|Creditors due within one year|(170,353)|-|**170,353)**|
|Diference|(25,224)|25,224|**-**|
|Total|**171,577**|**56,960**|**228,537**|
|**Analysis of net assets between funds – prior year**||||
||**Unrestricted funds**|**Restricted funds**|**Total funds**|
||**2022**|**2022**|**2022**|
||**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Tangible fxed assets|7,584|5,570|13,154|
|Current assets|301,214|152,951|454,165|
|Creditors due within one year|(31,765)|(126,521)|(158,286)|
|Total|277,033|32,000|309,033|
## 16. Reconciliation of net movement in funds to net cash flow from operating activities
|16. Reconciliation of net movement in funds
activities|to net cash fow from|operating|
|---|---|---|
||**2023**|2022|
||**£**|£|
|Net income/expenditure for the year|**(80,496)**|63,867|
|(as per Statement of Financial Activities)|||
|**Adjustments for:**|||
|Depreciation charges|**3,841**|4,385|
|Investment income|**(633)**|(14)|
|Increase in fxed assets|**(768)**|-|
|Increase in debtors|**(13,975)**|24,250|
|Increase in creditors|**12,067**|(35,681)|
|**Net cash provided by/(used in) operating activities**|**(80,324)**|56,807|
## 17. Analysis of cash and cash equivalents
||**2023**|2022|
|---|---|---|
||**£**|£|
|Cash in hand|**348,899**|428,590|
|**Total cash and cash equivalents**|**348,899**|428,590|
## 18. Analysis of changes in net debt
|18. Analysis of changes in net debt|||
|---|---|---|
|**At 1 April**|**Cash fows**|**At 31 March**|
|**2022**||**2023**|
|**£**|**£**|**£**|
|Cash at bank and in hand
**428,590**|**(79,691)**|**348,899**|
|**428,590**|**(79,691)**|**348,899**|
40 The Faith & Belief Forum
Annual report 2022-23 41
## Acknowledgements
**The Faith & Belief Forum’s work of building bridges and encouraging dialogue between people of different faiths and beliefs would not be possible without the following organisations. We would like to thank them for their continuing support.**
Thank you to our core funders and long running donors:
And to those that have funded projects this year:
## Sigmund Sternberg Charitable Foundation Dangoor Education
Arts Council City Bridge Trust Culham St Gabriel’s Direct Line Group Dulverton Trust Forest School Garfield Weston Ideals Coventry
## Exilarch’s Foundation
John Lyons
Lerak
The Linking Network London Marathon
Martin Slowe
Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG)
OVO Energy
Porticus
## READ
The Tamir-Sternberg Foundation Westhill
## With thanks to Michael Sternberg KC KCFO
Michael Sternberg KC KCFO stepped down this year from his role as Chair of Trustees. I have worked with Michael in this role since I became CEO of the Faith & Belief Forum in July 2015. During the past seven years I have got to know a man committed wholeheartedly to strengthening relations between people of different faiths and beliefs. I have witnessed Michael’s journey as he took up the reigns of an organisation founded by his late father, Sir Sigmund Sternberg, together with Marcus Braybrooke and Zaki Badawi back in 1997.
Sir Sigmund died in October 2016, about a year after I joined. Michael stepped into his father’s shoes, recognising not only that these would be big shoes to fill, but that the context of interfaith relations had changed significantly since 1997. There was an opportunity here to inject his leadership into shaping an organisation fit for today’s challenges. This stimulated a process of rebranding which Michael supported and shepherded with skill in his role as Chair of Trustees. It was not an easy task to listen to different views and make judgements that would affect the trajectory of the organisation. Landing on The Faith & Belief Forum (F&BF) set a new path whilst at the same time retaining sufficient identity with the past. This result was in large part due to Michael’s leadership and his instinct for bringing people together to make collective decisions. In this sense Michael has embodied the dialogue that F&BF is all about.
From the rebrand launch in 2018, Michael supported and encouraged a new phase of programming in the organisation, and I was fortunate to receive regular counsel and guidance from him, something that became of particular importance during the pandemic. Indeed, it is testament to Michael’s stewardship that F&BF remained strong and active throughout the difficult times of COVID-19 outbreaks and lockdowns. The faith sector became essential during these years, in delivering services and support to communities. Michael remained fully committed to F&BF’s role in this - his support was unwavering. Of high importance in this regard has been the sustained financial commitment of the Sigmund Sternberg Charitable Foundation (SSCF) which Michael continues to chair. The importance of this core funding support cannot be overstated at a time when charities are being squeezed from all sides. Michael realises that F&BF’s mission to strengthen relations and build community resilience in the face of growing polarisation and rising faith-based hate requires sustained financial support over the longer term. We are most fortunate to have him as a benefactor and now also as our President.
Phil Champain,
Director
42 The Faith & Belief Forum
Faith
& Belief
Forum