The Planning For Change Foundation CIO
Trustees' Annual Report and accounts for the financial period:
12/09/2022 - 11/09/23
The Planning for Change Foundation
The constitution of The Planning for Change Foundation CIO (P4C or the Foundation) states the objects of the Foundation to be as follows:
for the benefit of the public:
(a) the relief of poverty, sickness and distress throughout the world;
(b) the promotion of urban or rural regeneration in areas of social and economic deprivation (and in particular in Africa) by all or any of the following means:
(i) the relief of financial hardship;
(ii) the advancement of education, training or retraining; and
(iii) the promotion of sustainable means of achieving economic growth and regeneration
and such other exclusively charitable purposes according to the law of England and Wales as the trustees shall determine.
Our Mission
Our mission is to facilitate volunteers to deliver and develop urban planning skills overseas to meet the challenges of urbanisation and the sustainable development of human settlements; working in partnership with local communities and NGOs to build capacity and bring positive change.
Our Vision
Our vision is to see local communities equipped to plan effectively for change and capable of delivering sustainable development that meets the needs of the materially poor and most vulnerable around the world.
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P4C Annual Report of Trustees and accounts Sept 2022 to Sept 2023
Our supporters
The charity P4C is primarily supported by financial donations from Ryan & May Ltd, a specialist independent urban planning practice providing strategic planning advice and services throughout the UK: www.ryanandmay.co.uk
Ryan & May Ltd have committed to devoting 10% of all profits to the P4C Foundation, to enable it to donate funds and support the training of urban planners in rapidly developing countries.
Who we are
The Foundation’s 3 Trustees are experienced urban planners and chartered town planners who have worked in the UK and overseas for many years. They bring combined experience of c 80 years working in local government, private practice and the civil service.
Involvement in development overseas has focused on Sierra Leone, where expertise has been provided to train urban planners and elected members in the capital Freetown and the second city Bo in sustainable development and planning for rapid urbanisation.
Master-planning and detailed land-use planning services have been provided to Home Leone’s pilot sustainable village project, Destiny Village, from inception in 2014 onwards. Destiny village is a community-led relocation plan providing homes and jobs to those currently living in slum communities in Freetown.
What we do
We make donations through UK charities to support sustainable development projects in developing countries that help to meet the needs of the poorest in society.
We provide finance and facilitate the delivery of expertise by enabling built environment professionals to volunteer their time to contribute to sustainable development projects and to train others.
Administration
We are a small charity with low overheads. We are supported by a donor company making office facilities available.
Our Partnerships
We work in partnership with long established charitable organisations including:
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The Royal Town Planning Institute (charity ref: 262865) https://www.rtpi.org.uk/
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The Commonwealth Association of Planners https://www.commonwealthplanners.org/cap-mission
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One World Link (charity ref: 700714)
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The Prince’s Foundation (charity ref: SC038770) https://princes-foundation.org/
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Home Leone (charity ref: 1158211) https://homeleone.org/
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P4C Annual Report of Trustees and accounts Sept 2022 to Sept 2023
Our grant making policy
The Trustees have adopted a grant making policy in accordance with the Charity Commissions guidelines:.
1. The Policy
This policy sets out the charitable purposes and objectives of the Foundation and sets out the manner in which grants will be awarded and distributed. Having a policy in place provides a framework to aid any decision making process so that grants are applied legally and in accordance with the charitable purposes and that the grants are applied effectively. The Trustees will operate the Foundation as a charity in accordance with charity law and the Foundation’s purposes.
The Foundation will consider applications for grants from charities and other nongovernmental organisations.
Applications from individuals and/or from any profit-making organisation will not normally be considered.
2. Public Benefit
The Trustees have considered the public benefit guidance issued by the Charity Commission and recognise that as a charitable organisation, the Foundation must be able to demonstrate that its aims are for the public benefit.
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Firstly, as charity which will make grants as well as deliver training and planning expertise to advance sustainable (urban) development, the Foundation has clear purposes, set out in its constitution and which it fulfils by its grant making programme. The benefits are identifiable in the activities undertaken by the grant beneficiaries in delivering their own objectives with funds provided by the Foundation.
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Secondly, the benefit must be to the public or to a section of the public. The appropriateness of the beneficiaries in the context of the aims of the Foundation are assessed by the Trustees. .
Private benefit is unlikely to be an issue in the grant making activities of the Foundation as applications will only be considered from charitable or voluntary organisations. The Trustees are however mindful of this risk.
The Trustees are also aware of the Charities Act 2011 requirements for Trustees to report on the Foundation’s public benefit. The information contained in this section intends to meet that requirement. The Trustees are aware that when planning the Foundation’s activities they must have regard to the Commission’s guidance on public benefit.
3. Purpose of Grant
The Foundation will make payments to organisations that can support the delivery of sustainable development in the developing world.
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P4C Annual Report of Trustees and accounts Sept 2022 to Sept 2023
For example, the Foundation may fund the construction of a vocational training centre or engineering workshop building or it may fund the cost of hosting a professional development seminar in sustainable development.
4. Grants
The amount of any grant awarded in relation to any single application, will ordinarily not exceed £5,000.
5. Assessment, Administration and Monitoring Process
Each request for funding will be considered on its own merits. Where a request has been previously considered (whether successful or not) the earlier decision will be made available to the Trustees. Any request must meet both the charitable purposes and priorities for support of the Foundation.
The Trustees will review all requests made, and will seek any further information required in order to make a determination regarding the proposed project to be funded/ part-funded by the Foundation. The outcome of that determination will be communicated to the applicant and will be recorded by the Trustees.
The beneficiary organisation of any grant made by the Trustees will receive written confirmation of the amount of the grant made to the organisation. The organisation will be reminded that the grant must be used for the Foundation’s charitable purposes and to provide the Trustees with written confirmation of how the funds were or are intended to be spent.
6. Decision Making
The decision of the Trustees on whether to award a grant is final.
The Trustees are not obliged to provide an explanation to applicants in the event that their application is not successful.
The financial position and operation the charity
During the period covered by this report the charity has been begun to be able to engage in its activities following the impact of the global pandemic. This Covid pandemic had impacted the operation of the charity in the following ways:
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Trustees had been unable to open a bank account; and thus unable to receive or make donations
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Projects that the charity would normally be supporting had been suspended because of bans on international travel, lockdowns and breakdown in normal activity
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Fundraising events and activities that the charity would normally be seeking to engage in were made impossible because of the inability to hold meetings face to face.
In May 2023 the charity were finally able to open a bank account and begin to receive donations.
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P4C Annual Report of Trustees and accounts Sept 2022 to Sept 2023
Accounts 11[th] September 2022 to 11 September 2023
Money received by the charity – £2,100
Goods in kind received by the Charity:
| From | £ value | |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative support | Ryan & MayLtd | 1,500 |
| Use of offices | Ryan & MayLtd | 500 |
Money donated by the Charity - Nil
Expenses incurred by the Charity – Nil
Signed :
Paul Singleton - Chair of Trustees
Bob May – Trustee
Samantha Ryan – Trustee
11[th] June 2024
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P4C Annual Report of Trustees and accounts Sept 2022 to Sept 2023