The Coco Joelle Foundation
Report and Financial Statements
Year ended: 31 December 2024
Charity No: 1189609
1
The Coco Joelle Foundation
(Charity No. 1189609)
Trustees
Ms Lisa Seymour, Chair of Trustees
Mrs Melissa Fife Mrs Gemma Watson Dr David Cotton
Trust Administrator
Mr John White MBE
Registered Office
Suite 44 LCLB 95 Mortimer Street London W1W 7GB
2
Report of the Trustees for the year ended 31 December 2024
The Trustees of the Coco Joelle Foundation (CJF) have pleasure in presenting their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the Foundation’s trust deed, the Charities Act 1993 and the Statement of Recommended Practice: Accounting and Reporting by Charities published in 2005.
Structure, Governance and Management
The Coco Joelle Foundation (CJF) is a registered charity, number 1189609, and is constituted under a constitution dated 18 May 2020 establishing it as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). It was established by Dr David Cotton and his daughter, Ms Lisa Seymour as a grant-making foundation whose objects are summarised as:
-
The relief of those in need by reason of ill-health, disability, financial hardship or other disadvantage;
-
The advancement of environmental protection or improvement;
-
Such other exclusively charitable purposes as the Charity Trustees decide.
The management of the Foundation is the responsibility of the Trustees who are elected and co-opted under the terms of the Constitution. All trustees were appointed for an initial period of one year, extended to three years by a resolution passed by the Trustees. The Trustees were selected with regard to the skills, knowledge and experience needed for the effective administration of the CIO. There are no sub-committees and all decisions are agreed by a majority of the trustees who have signified their agreement.
Since its establishment, and given the global dispersal of the Trustees and the Trust Administrator, all decisions regarding the Foundation have been conducted by email, phone or by virtual meeting.
All Trustees and the Trust Administrator give of their time freely and receive no remuneration. The Chair of Trustees covers the costs of administering the Foundation (hire of PO Box, website administration and postage) from her personal funds.
Grant Making Policy
The Foundation has established a grant making policy which will distribute funding to causes according to principles which include:
-
All organisations applying must be registered with the Charity Commission
-
All applications must be to support work that is wholly charitable in purpose
-
The grant will help the Foundation deliver against its charitable objects
3
-
The organisation applying can demonstrate credible and skilled leadership as well as strong sector understanding
-
The organisation should show a committed approach to measure and evaluate the grant/s provided and report in detail on the expenditure of the grant at regular intervals throughout the funding period
In addition to this policy, The Foundation is prepared to work in partnership with other organisations to fund initiatives beyond the scope of a single organisation
Charities Aid Foundation Donor-Advised Fund
The Coco Joelle Foundation is linked to a Donor-Advised Fund (DAF) administered by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). As well as being tax efficient, given that the majority of the Trust’s funds come from the US, this reduces the administrative burden on the Trustees and Trust Administrator as all accounting for funds and grants is administered by CAF.
The impact on grant disbursement is minimal. All beneficiaries, while approaching Coco Joelle trustees in the first instance, now undergo an eligibility check from CAF who then make grants based on recommendations of the Coco Joelle trustees. A summary of this process is on the Coco Joelle website and is explained to potential beneficiaries when they first approach the Foundation. This is reproduced below:
The Coco Joelle Foundation partners with the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) to facilitate its grant making. If you are nominated by our Trustees to receive funds, your information will be given to CAF who will send you a Grant Eligibility Application (GEA) form to complete, which should be returned to the team at CAF American Donor Fund. Your eligibility will then be processed and, upon approval, the grant payment will be made to you by CAF American Donor Fund. You will subsequently be contacted by CAF within 12 months who will ask you to complete a short grantee report, as per their terms and conditions.
Grants Made
Operating through the DAF established with CAF, the Coco Joelle Foundation trustees authorised two grants in 2024 totalling £102,000.00. These were as follows:
James’ Place (Charity No. 1121891). A total grant of £120,000 being paid over three years to fund a counsellor. The final instalment of £40,000 was paid in October 2024,
Dads Unlimited (Charity No. 1174832). Trustees agreed a total grant of £186,000 to fund two mentors for three years. The first instalment of £62,000.00 was paid in 2024 and the balance will be paid in two further instalments in 2025 and 2026.
A third grant was made to The Links Group (Charity No. 1196067), which raises awareness about the link between the abuse of people and animals. This was made on the instructions of the Chair of the Coco Joelle Foundation and was not discussed by the trustees. The grant of £20,000.00 was directed to be made in the name of the The Chelsea and Mr French Fund,
4
a foundation controlled by Ms Lisa Seymour which is not registered with the Charity Commission.
Future Plans
Trustees remain keen to deepen their commitment to those organisations that are most closely aligned to the Foundation’s objectives and in particular to James’ Place, to which further support was authorised by trustees in 2024 for grant making between 2025 and 2027.
Approved by order of the members of the Board of Trustees on 9th October 2025 and signed on their behalf by:
(Original signed)
Lisa Seymour Chair of Trustees
5
Coco Joelle Foundation
11
Recei ts and a ments accou p p y
01-Jan-24 To
For the period from
Section A Receipts and payments
Unrestricted Endowment Restricted funds funds funds
to the nearest £ to the nearest £ to the nearest £
A1 Receipts
| A1 Receipts | Unrestricted funds to the nearest £ |
Restricted funds to the nearest £ |
Endowment funds to the nearest £ |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | - | - | - |
| Sub total(Gross income for AR) | - | - | - | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A2 Asset and investment sales, | |||||
| (see table). | |||||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| Sub total | - | 0 | - | - | |
| Total receipts | - | - | - |
A3 Payments
| - | - | - | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| - | - | - | |||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - |
| A4 Asset and investment | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| purchases, (see table) | |||||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| - | - | - | |||||||
| **Sub total ** | - | - | - | ||||||
| Total payments | - | - | - | ||||||
| Net of receipts/(payments) | - | - | - | ||||||
| A5 Transfers between funds | - | - | - | ||||||
| CCXX R1 accounts (SS) A6 Cash funds last year end |
1 |
- | - | 13/10/2025 - |
Cash funds this year end -
CCXX R2 accounts (SS)
13/10/2025
2
Section B Statement of assets and liabilities at the end of the perio
| Categories B1 Cash funds B2 Other monetary assets B4 Assets retained for the charity’s own use B3 Investment assets |
Details Details Details Total cash funds (agree balances with receipts and payments account(s)) Details |
Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
|---|---|---|
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| 240 | ||
| Agreement Error | ||
| Unrestricted funds to nearest £ |
||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| - | ||
| Fund to which asset belongs |
||
| Fund to which asset belongs |
||
| Fund to which | |
|---|---|
| Details | liability relates |
B5 Liabilities
CCXX R3 accounts (SS)
3 13/10/2025
Signed by one or two trustees on behalf of all the trustees
| Signature | Print N JOHN W |
|---|---|
CCXX R4 accounts (SS)
13/10/2025
4
189609
unts CC16a 31-Dec-24
Total funds
Last year
to the nearest £ to the nearest £
| - | - | |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - |
| - | ||
|---|---|---|
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | 240 |
| - | - | |
|---|---|---|
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - | |
| - | - |
----- Start of picture text -----
-
-
- -
- -
- 240
- -
- -
5
----- End of picture text -----
CCXX R5 accounts (SS)
13/10/2025
240
CCXX R6 accounts (SS)
13/10/2025
6
od
| od | |
|---|---|
| Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - |
Endowment funds to nearest £ |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| OK Restricted funds to nearest £ - - - - - - |
OK |
|---|---|
| Endowment funds to nearest £ |
|
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| Cost (optional) - - - - - |
Current value (optional) |
|---|---|
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| Cost (optional) - - - - - - - - - |
Current value (optional) |
|---|---|
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
| - | - |
Amount due When due (optional) (optional) - - 7
CCXX R7 accounts (SS)
13/10/2025
| - - - Name WHITE |
|
|---|---|
| Date of approval | |
| 13-Oct-25 | |
CCXX R8 accounts (SS)
13/10/2025
8