Centre for Enabling EA Learning & Research (CEEALAR) 36 York Street, Blackpool, FY1 5AQ Charity registration number: 1189768
Ceealar.org contact@ceealar.org 07466372990
Annual Report 2023/24
We are a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), controlled by three trustees - Gregory Hamish Colbourn (hereafter, Greg Colbourn), Dušan Nešić and Kyle Smith. Day-to-day management of the organisation is directed by our Executive Director (Attila Ujvari), and managed by our Operations and Community Managers. Our organisation structure is shown (as of October 2024) in the figure below:
Greg Colbourn stepped down as Executive Director in July 2025, and was replaced by Attila Ujvari. The trusteeship remained the same from the founding of the organisation until November 2023, when Sasha Cooper and Florent Berthet stepped down, and we welcomed onboard Dušan Nešić and Kyle Smith. We remain open to recruiting new trustees (in addition to the current three, or replacing any one of us if one of us were to leave), and have in the past reached out to various supporters of the project in this regard.
We make grants to individuals and charities in the form of providing free or subsidised serviced accommodation and board, and a moderate stipend for other living expenses. The Trustees apply the charity’s funds in accordance with the charitable purposes and objectives of the charity. Namely:
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To advance education, learning and research in all fields of academic study through the provision of free or subsidised living accommodation to those undertaking such learning and research.
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To promote the efficiency and effectiveness of charities and the efficient use of charitable resources for the public benefit by promoting the study of efficient use of charitable resources.
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To advance such other purposes which are exclusively charitable according to the law in England and Wales as the trustees may from time to time determine.
Our funding comes from individual donors (primarily those associated with the global Effective Altruism community) and grants from philanthropic foundations. This year, we got grants from AI Safety Tactical Opportunities, the EA Infrastructure fund, and Survival and Flourishing Fund.
Our activities this year (the year this report covers, 1 Nov 2023 - 31 Oct 2024) have primarily been those related to our core objectives of providing education and research opportunities to our grantees, by hosting them at our buildings in Blackpool. In the year to come (1 Nov 2024 - 31 Oct 2025), we have primarily been doing the same.
Our achievements are summarised on our Impact page: ceealar.org/impact. Of note, we've hosted events for organisations whose missions align with ours, including for ML4Good and Apart Research; had grantees produce work in AI Safety that was later published; and helped incubate non-profits focused on sustainable development and animal welfare, and AI Safety.
In the coming year (FY 2024/25, to 31 October 2025), we have the following objectives:
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Maintain income from donations and grants to a level where we have at least 6 months’ reserves, aiming toward 12 months reserves if possible. This year we did not achieve this, dropping below 6 months’ reserves before a significant grant came in in April 2024.
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Increase our average occupancy rate by grantees to a level where we are maximising the efficiency of our resources (building and staff). This would be preferably 80% (to leave contingency for accepting promising grantees when they apply). This year it was 56% (low in part due to low funds for part of the year).
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Maintain the percentage of grantees going on to develop their career in a manner that is focused on maximising public benefit (this could be further study, internships, work at charitable organisations within the Effective Altruism community and beyond). This has been a motivation of ours from our founding. We are however, cognizant of the fact that many of our grantees are at an early stage of their career, or making a career transition, and are therefore experimenting to some degree, so it cannot be expected that all will succeed. Because of this we feel that an ongoing rate of 50% for this objective is appropriate and achievable.
Financially, we are currently (as of August 2025) in good shape, with our operating expenses covered to midway through 2026, having received a significant grant earlier this year. As of the end of this year (October 2024), we had 12 months’ operating expenses in reserves. We aimed to obtain and keep at least 6 months of operating reserves throughout the next year
(until October 2025) and are on track for this. Preferably we would maintain a minimum of 12 months’ operating expenses, but this is conditional on receiving further grants, and the nature of our income being blocked into significant grants means that it is difficult to maintain reserves at a stable level. Reserves are held in cash. We briefly (as of our last Report, written in August 2024) held greater than 12 months operating reserves, and intended to develop a (low risk) investment strategy, with the aim of preserving the value of our reserves relative to inflation. However, we did not implement this as the time we had above 12 months reserves was limited to a few months. We have no debts. We do not hold any funds as a custodian trustee.
We have a new bank account (with Unity Trust Bank) that allows dual-authorisation of payments, but it still has a loophole whereby large payments can be split into smaller amounts that can be authorised by a single person. Ideally the bank would provide the ability to set a daily limit on payments that can’t be crossed without dual-authorisation. We have not found a bank which allows us to have the financial controls we want.
The Trustees have approved the accounts accompanying this report.
In carrying out its activities in the year under review, the Trustees confirm that they have complied with their duties under Section 17 of the Charities Act 2011, to have regard for the public benefit guidance issued by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Specifically, the Trustees confirm that they have strived to ensure that the two conditions of achieving public benefit are met: 1) that there are identifiable benefits to our work, and 2) that the benefits are to the public or a section of the public. Please refer to our objectives, listed above, which explain the nature of our work in relation to meeting the public benefit requirement.
Approved by the members of the board of Trustees on 29th August 2025, and signed on their behalf by:
Dr Gregory Hamish Colbourn 29/8/2025
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SECTION A Independent Examiners Report
| Report to the trustees / members of | CENTRE FOR ENABLING EA LEARNING & RESEARCH |
CENTRE FOR ENABLING EA LEARNING & RESEARCH |
CENTRE FOR ENABLING EA LEARNING & RESEARCH |
|---|---|---|---|
| On accounts for the year ended | 31/10/2024 | Charity No | 1189768 |
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the year ended 31/10/2024
Responsibilities and basis of report
As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (“the Act”).
I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent The charity’s gross income exceeded £50,000 and I am qualified to examiner's statement undertake the examination by being a qualified member of CIMA
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination. Please consider recommendations listed under SECTION B.
I have no material concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
SIGNED:
NAME: Kamran Hussain DATE: 17/09/2025 PROFESSION:AL BODY: CIMA MEMBERSHIP NUMBER: 1-7AS9HR ADDRESS: Room 23 Rosehill Business Centre Normanton Road Derby DE23 6RH
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Oct 2018
IER
SECTION B
Disclosure
Give here brief details of Recommendations for improvement this year: any items that the examiner wishes to disclose . Recommendations for improvement Carried forward:
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Oct 2018
IER