Trustees’ Annual Report for the period
From - 1[st] June, 2023 to 31[st] May 2024
Charity name: Illuminate Mind Foundation
Charity registration number: 1178594
Objectives and Activities
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the purposes of the charity as set out in its governing document |
Para 1.17 | 1/ To promote the religious and philosophical teachings of Jesus Christ inA Course in Miraclesto the general public primarily in the United Kingdom. 2/ To provide illumination, guidance and resources to those who are actively engaged with the teachings of Jesus Christ inA Course in Miraclesregardless of location. 3/ To provide a property primarily in the United Kingdom as a teaching centre, for healing, for worship and fellowship for anyone interested in the spiritual experience and self- transformation promised inA Course in Miracles. |
| Summary of the main activities in relation to those purposes for the public benefit, in particular, the activities, projects or services identified in the accounts. |
Para 1.17 and 1.19 |
We believe in our mandate, explicitly stated in the printed work of the teachings, to extend and expound the profoundly transformative spiritual message in the philosophy of A Course in Miracles for the positive benefit of the general public, in the name of God. We do this in two primary ways – firstly by striving to bring individuals together under the guidance of the Holy Spirit for the purpose of discovering the message of atonement, healing the mind through the application of the transpersonal psychology of forgiveness, restoring our true relationship with God and to experience the illumination of mind in Christ. Secondly by producing and providing resources in various media formats, via our website, various digital platforms and in person. |
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| Statement confirming whether the trustees have had regard to the guidance issued by the Charity Commission on public benefit |
Para 1.18 | When making decisions in furthering the charity’s objects, the trustees have endeavoured to take the Commission’s guidance on public benefit into consideration, in particular, the specific guidance on charities for the advancement of religion. |
|---|---|---|
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Policy on grant making | Para 1.38 | This grant making policy lays out our aims and principles in awarding grants and also a range of specific checks which will be applied to any given grant depending on the nature of the grant application and will be decided on a case for case basis. We can only fund projects and activities that are exclusively charitable and fall within the objects of the charity. Participation at some events is without cost, others are by a ‘suggested donation’ making them accessible to all. The charity wishes no one be excluded from its services and activities for financial reasons. This is advertised on the information provided for the majority of events, classes etc the charity promotes. Where there are fixed costs for accommodation and meals, we try to keep them reasonable. If costs are an obstacle to participation, individuals are informed they are welcome to enquire about assistance. All are welcome. Generally, the amount of assistance is determined through a conversation between the individual and the trustee they had initial contact with, followed by consultation between the trustees and the treasurer. The charity will make up the shortfall in participants funds towards board and lodging in most cases with the discretion to go further should it be warranted. The charity stands ready to provide financial assistance to individuals who wish to attend an event as long as it’s in a position to do so. Funding Criteria.Grants are available to individuals only. The charity will consider all applications that fall within our charitable purposes and meet our funding criteria and, for which, the due diligence process is established. Grants will be made based on the funding available and solelyon merit and so longas the |
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| trustee has not identified any unacceptable |
|---|
| issues. |
| Priorities – |
| We require submissions to be made by email |
| detailing costs and shortfall where assistance is |
| being requested. |
| All grantees will be required to acknowledge |
| receipt of the funding granted and to provide a |
| report on how their grant was used and the |
| impact this has had. The content and nature of |
| information to be reported will be appropriate |
| for the size of grant awarded. The charity will |
| monitor such reports to not only ensure that |
| grants are being used for the purposes |
| intended, but also to assess the impact grants |
| have made. This learning will be used to |
| inform future decision making and policy to |
| maximise the charity’s impact. |
| Decision Making Process |
| Applications deemed exceptional will be |
| considered by the board of trustees, who work |
| to the Charity Commission C27 guidelines on |
| trustee decision making. In general, |
| applications will be considered between |
| respective trustees, who have contact with the |
| applicant, and the treasurer. In this case the |
| board of trustees will be kept informed and a |
| report made at the subsequent meeting of the |
| board. |
| Grants are awarded entirely at the discretion of |
| the trustees and their decision is final. |
| Notification |
| All applicants will be notified of the outcome of |
| their request and successful applicants will |
| have funding made available. For small grants |
| and any to individuals, we advise applicants of |
| their award and include their obligations in |
| receiving it: |
| • Confirming receipt. |
| • It may only be spent for the purposes |
| for which it was given. |
| • Confirming its use and on how the |
| grant was spent. |
| • Any unused portion of the grant is to |
| be returned to the charity. |
| • Reporting back on the impact the grant |
| had. |
| Data Protection |
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| Applicants’ data will be held in accordance with data protection legislation. Checks and Due Diligence The charity will carry out sufficient due diligence on grant applicants to confirm the identity of the applicant and that. • Any funding will be applied in accordance with the charity’s charitable purposes. • Funds will not be knowingly used for illegal purposes, such as money laundering, bribery or financing terrorism. • The applicant does not hold views or have any involvement in activities contrary to the charity’s values and charitable purposes. Promotion Funding assistance is promoted on our website and on the information advertised for events the charity promotes. |
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|---|---|---|
| Policy on social investment including program related investment |
Para 1.38 | |
| Contribution made by volunteers |
Para 1.38 | 4 regular volunteers provide administrative help and practical and technical assistance at events which have enabled us to run the events smoothly and on a more professional level. Residential events require a team of up to 8 volunteers to organize various aspects of the event. One-day or weekend workshops are benefited by 2-3 volunteers helping to set up and break down the hired room, cleaning etc. efficiently. Volunteers also perform a number of administrative tasks such as transcribing talks, copy-reading and video editing. 3 volunteers are helping with Social media management, video production and website development. |
| Other |
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Achievements and Performance
| SORP reference | ||
|---|---|---|
| Summary of the main achievements of the charity, identifying the difference the charity’s work has made to the circumstances of its beneficiaries and any wider benefits to society as a whole. |
Para 1.20 | The charity continues its work to offer a varied programme of in-person and online events, group meetings, extending our activities in the UK, Spain and other European countries, also with programmes in Tucson, AZ, USA. Longer, 9-day retreat and 4-day weekend experiences are held in Spain where we share a centre for retreat and healing with a sister non- profit organization, The Association for the Discovery of A Course in Miracles. One-day and weekend meetings have been held in London, broadly communicated and open to all. The charity also has held live streaming events at Christmas and other special occasions to welcome as many participants as possible. There are now two regular study meeting groups held each week and a longer one every two weeks. The charity also offers Zoom-based presentations on the online platform UCDMUniversal Colombia, which has an extensive global reach, which also streams on YouTube and retains videos for later viewing there. The charity continues to discuss participation in international conventions with affiliated groups and organizations. We continue to work to develop the resources available on the charity’s website and its Spanish language pages, with more eBooks and audio recordings, video clips continuing to be published. The charity actively communicates on Facebook, and Instagram promoting our services and message, and acting as a portal to our programme and the teachings of spiritual forgiveness and connecting to any member of the public, standing students and teachers of A Course in Miracles locally and worldwide. We have created and published frequent group email bulletins (1500 plus contacts), and engage in general networking between students and teachers of the spiritual philosophy of A Course in Miracles. The charity continues to invest in video and audio online streamingsoftware and |
equipment to support and enhance our outreach programme over the Internet, mostly via Zoom video, and to improve the quality of audio and video recordings, including translation equipment. The charity has achieved one of its main objectives by purchasing a property for its use as a teaching, healing and communications centre. Work is ongoing to make it more suitable for in-person group meetings and oneto-one sessions and studio quality recordings and broadcasts. The on-site studio building is actively being used to record audio and video and stream our presentations around the UK and the world over the internet. Individual statements of experiences and benefits samples :- Amy T – I experienced a lot of healing during the Enlightenment Retreat in Morera with many communications during the retreat and after, including in my sleeping dreams. During the retreat I experienced the Love behind every perceived grievance. So much love. I experienced that dislike or judgment is my attempt to cover up love and the bigger the dislike, the bigger the love, in Truth. It was a powerful communication and this idea and reinterpretation continues to help me let go of old ideas and keep my heart open, loving, forgiving, beautiful. Thank you to all who attended, coordinated and taught during this retreat. Grateful for the opportunity to participate, attend and receive the mind healing. The Enlightenment Principle Event in June 2024 in Spain Miguel I have experienced moments of great tension with a person, in an uncontrolled way on my part, so I need correction for myself. When I returned to Valencia, wonderful things happened to me, which I recognize as miraculous, and all chained together. I feel gratitude for my acceptance, from all of you. Thank you. Easter retreat 2023 - Spain
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The charity firmly and positively communicates the vital benefit of the God-centred aspect of its psychological and philosophical practice of forgiveness for spiritual, mental and emotional well-being. Forgiveness is well-documented as essential to psychological and emotional wellbeing. Our philosophy presents a systematic programme of spiritual forgiveness as an ultrapersonal psychotherapeutic process for healing, and spiritual rebirth. The benefits are life-changing for individuals as they develop a renewed relationship with their innate spiritual Self, God and the divine. The charity works to reach the public as broadly as we are able to within the scope of the religious and spiritual domain. The spiritual philosophy is presented in a selfstudy programme which profoundly shifts the existential perspective, the ground of being, for many students. The charity promotes events where individuals can join others in experiential class settings with fellowship and support. The psychological benefits are expressed by individuals and spiritual experiences give confidence in the foundation of the teachings. Metaphysical understanding of sickness and healing are of great benefit to those who have been suffering. The regular weekly groups provide the continuity of a consistent support for new students of the philosophy. Many comment on how valuable they are. The charity also provides one-to-one support and counselling on an international basis via online platforms like zoom. The charity website aims to be a portal to reading, audio and video materials, with approximately 4000 page views each month (Fasthosts data). This number is a large increase which we believe shows the increasing level of interest in the books of A Course in Miracles and numbers of students engaged with the teachings. The charity has provided financial assistance where requested and according to our procedures for such requests. In total £475 was provided this reporting year period.
Additional information (optional)
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You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
| Achievements against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | |
| Performance of fundraising activities against objectives set |
Para 1.41 | |
| Investment performance against objectives |
Para 1.41 | |
| Other |
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Financial Review
| Financial Review | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Review of the charity’s financial position at the end of the period |
Para 1.21 | Balance of funds held in account at end of accounting year – May 31st £13,787.00 |
||
| Statement explaining the policy for holding reserves stating why they are held |
Para 1.22 | The trustees aim to maintain funds of £3000 held in reserve to ensure continuity of activities throughout the coming 12 months regardless of any fluctuation in donations. • £3000 reserve funds. Current annual costs are approximately £2000. • £6000 designated for projects planned over the coming 12 months – website dev/ audio-video studio / publishing – print / video / audio / equipment / promotions / room hire. • £ 749 designated funds for grant- making/ financial assistance, segregated and held in sub account. • £18,000 projected needs for property. Maintenance, repair and renovation of the charity’s property over the next 12 months. These additional funds will be sought from donors and a fund-raising campaign. Balance of accounts 31/05/2024 13,787.00 Designated funds – assistance grant-making account – 749 Reserves – total funds 3,000 Available funds 10,038 12 month projection Grant making funds 500 Designated funds – Projects essential to charity operations and growth 6,000 Projected maintenance, repair and renovation of the charity’s property 18,000 Total projected 24,500 |
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| Balance of accounts 31/05/2024 |
13,787.00 | |||
| Designated funds – assistance grant-making account |
– 749 | |||
| Reserves – total funds | 3,000 | |||
| Available funds | 10,038 | |||
| 12 month projection | ||||
| Grant making funds | 500 | |||
| Designated funds – Projects essential to charity operations and growth |
6,000 | |||
| Projected maintenance, repair and renovation of the charity’s property |
18,000 | |||
| Total projected | 24,500 |
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| Deficit of funds to be raised | 14,462 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amount of reserves held | Para 1.22 | £3,000 | |||
| Reasons for holding zero reserves |
Para 1.22 | ||||
| Details of fund materially in deficit |
Para 1.24 | ||||
| Explanation of any uncertainties about the charity continuing as a going concern |
Para 1.23 |
Additional information (optional) You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
The charity’s principal sources of funds (including Para 1.47 any fundraising) Investment policy and objectives including any Para 1.46 social investment policy adopted A description of the principal Para 1.46 risks facing the charity Other Trustee benefits – The board of trustees, taking into regard the CC’s guidance on decision-making, agreed to provide Rev Christopher, a trustee and senior volunteer minister, with accommodations on the upper, 1st floor of the charity’s property in Cross St Hampton Hill. His tenancy started on Dec 1[st ] 2021, and has use of three rooms which would be valued at approximately £1000 monthly on the open market. In the charity’s agreement with Rev Christopher, he will pay the majority of the utility bills, split the council tax 50/50, and oversee the work of repairs, maintenance and renovations. He will generally act as caretaker of the property to ensure its security, and that it attains and maintains a good standard of repair. He will also ensure the property is set up to support the charity’s activities and functions.
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Structure, Governance and Management
| Description of charity’s trusts: |
||
|---|---|---|
| Type of governing document (trust deed, royal charter) |
Para 1.25 | Constitution |
| How is the charity constituted? (e.g unincorporated association, CIO) |
Para 1.25 | Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) |
| Trustee selection methods including details of any constitutional provisions e.g. election to post or name of any person or body entitled to appoint one or more trustees |
Para 1.25 | Elected by current trustees |
Additional information (optional)
You may choose to include further statements where relevant about:
Policies and procedures adopted for the induction Para 1.51 and training of trustees The charity’s organisational structure and any wider Para 1.51 network with which the charity works Relationship with any related Para 1.51 parties Other
Reference and Administrative details
| Charity name | Illuminate Mind Foundation |
|---|---|
| Other name the charity uses | |
| Registered charity number | 1178594 |
| Charity’s principal address | 30, Cross St., Hampton Hill Hampton TW12 1RT |
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Names of the charity trustees who manage the charity
| 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 |
Trustee name | Office (if any) | Dates acted if not for whole year |
Name of person (or body) entitled to appoint trustee (if any) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Christopher | Chair | |||
| Daniela (Barbara) Matarrese |
Treasurer and Creative Communications director |
|||
| Holly Thomas | Secretary | |||
| Debra Frankiewicz | Administrator | |||
– Corporate trustees names of the directors at the date the report was approved
Director name
Name of trustees holding title to property belonging to the charity
Trustee name Dates acted if not for whole year
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Funds held as custodian trustees on behalf of others
Description of the assets held in this capacity
Name and objects of the charity on whose behalf the assets are held and how this falls within the custodian charity’s objects Details of arrangements for safe custody and segregation of such assets from the charity’s own assets
Additional information (optional)
Names and addresses of advisers (Optional information)
Type of Name Address adviser
Name of chief executive or names of senior staff members (Optional information)
Exemptions from disclosure
Reason for non-disclosure of key personnel details
Other optional information
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Declarations
The trustees declare that they have approved the trustees’ report above.
Signed on behalf of the charity’s trustees
Signature(s) Full name(s) Simon Christopher Position (eg Secretary, Chair, etc)[Chair ] Date 18/03/2025
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| Illuminate Mind Foundation | Illuminate Mind Foundation | Illuminate Mind Foundation | 1178594 | CC16a | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Receipts and payments accounts | |||||
| For the period from |
01/06/2023 | To | 31/05/2024 | ||
| Section A Receipts and payments | |||||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Designated funds |
Total funds | Last year | |
| to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
to the nearest £ |
|
| A1 Receipts | |||||
| Donations | 20,181 | - | - | 20,181 | 1,004 |
| Loan | - | - | - | - | - |
| Interest | - | - | 22 | 22 | 6 |
| Income Generation (from solar panels) | - | 1,626 | - | 1,626 | 1,839 |
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | 20,181 | 1,626 | 22 | 21,829 | 2,849 |
| A2 Asset and investment sales, (see table). |
|||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total receipts | 20,181 | 1,626 | 22 | 21,829 | 2,849 |
| A3 Payments | |||||
| Administration | 53 | - | - | 53 | 16 |
| Advertising & Promotion | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| Bank Charges & Fees | 62 | - | - | 62 | 61 |
| Donations & Grants Out | - | - | 475 | - | 678 |
| Event Costs (room hire) | 800 | - | - | 800 | 280 |
| Event Costs (equipment) | 899 | - | - | 899 | 196 |
| Event Costs (other) | 318 | - | - | 318 | 101 |
| Postage | - | - | - | - | - |
| Teaching Resources | - | - | - | - | - |
| Video Production Costs | 83 | - | - | 83 | 83 |
| Website | 402 | - | - | 402 | 364 |
| IMF Office | 549 | - | - | 549 | 570 |
| IMF Centre | 8,737 | 149 | - | 8,737 | 10,729 |
| Equipment | 2,389 | - | - | 2,389 | 830 |
| Financial Services | - | - | - | - | 377 |
| Trustee Payments | - | - | - | - | - |
| Trustee Expenses | - | - | - | - | 18 |
| Sub total | 14,292 | 149 | 475 | 14,916 | 14,303 |
| A4 Asset and investment purchases, (see table) |
|||||
| - | - | - | - | - | |
| Sub total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total payments | 14,292 | 149 | 475 | 14,916 | 14,303 |
| Net of receipts/(payments) | 5,889 | 1,477 | -453 | 6,913 | -11,454 |
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | - | - |
| A6 Cash funds last year end | 7,148 | -1,477 | 1,203 | 6,874 | 18,328 |
| Cash funds this year end | 13,037 | 0 | 750 | 13,787 | 6,874 |
| Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the period |
|||||
| Categories | Details | Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Designated funds |
|
| to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | |||
| B1 Cash funds | 13,037 | - | 750 | ||
| Total cash funds | 13,037 | - | 750 | ||
| (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) |
OK | OK | OK | ||
| Unrestricted funds |
Restricted funds |
Designated funds |
|||
| Details | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | to nearest £ | ||
| B2 Other monetary assets | Gift aid still to be claimed | 281 | - | - | |
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) |
Current value (optional) |
||
| B3 Investment assets | - | - | |||
| Details | Fund to which asset belongs |
Cost (optional) |
Current value (optional) |
||
| B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use |
IMF Centre (property) | 797,000 | - | ||
| Equipment (purchase price) | 7,375 | - | |||
| Details | Fund to which liability relates |
Amount due (optional) |
When due (optional) |
||
| B5 Liabilities | - | ||||
| Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees |
Signature | Print Name | Date of approval |
||
| Simon Christopher - Chair | 18/03/2025 | ||||
| Holly Thomas - Secretary | 18/03/2025 |