Rewriting Earth ANNUAL REPORT 2023 ItptHtNbt AIYU AUMIIIIJ I NA I Ivt ut l AILI Governing document: Charitable Incorporated Organisation Constitution Board of Trustees: Sarah Florence Lord (appointed 19 May 2022) Sarah Elizabeih Greenfield Clark (appointed 27 April 2022) Dr Alister Scoll (appointed 25 August 2022) Truly Ko (appointed 13 September 2023) Paul Goodenough lex-officio) Founder and Chief Executive Officer: Paul Goodenough Registered office: 41-43 Market Place, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 3HR Bankers: Natwest, Chatham, Waterside Court, Western Avenue, Chatham Maritime, Chatham, Kent, ME4 4RT Independent examiner: Monder Duffill, The Old P05t Office, 41- 43 Market Place, Chippenham SN15 3HR Charity Number: 1198287 Company Number: CE028029 @rewrltlngearth Page I rewrltlng.earth
41Y IIYIHUUUbllUII FMUM UUM bM141M, ,14rf1,1 )DrrAiriri n Di ADII The world faces the Iwin challenges of catastrophic climate change and the nature crisis and we know that more needs to happen, faster, to address them. Yet we live in times where so many conversations are happening in echo chambers and where well-meaning messages are simply failing to cut through. l am convinced that Rewriling Earth, working as a creative agency for the planet, has a vital role to play in reaching the audiences who are outside the climate bubble, touching hearts and encouraging action. This year Rewriting Earth has gone from strength to strength. We agreed to change our name to appeal to broader audiences at the end of the year. In our second year we have built on the foundations that we laid last year and have continued to grow our impact, expand our collaborations, diversified the themes on which we have worked and Ihe breadth of content that we produce. We have reached a wide range of audiences on topics ranging from international climate finance to protecting endangered species, from plastic waste to fair farming. I know that there is so much more that we can do together with our incredible global network and we have the passion and expertise to do far more in the year ahead. SARAH GREENFIELD CLARK, CHAIR OF TRUSTEES @rewrltlngearth Page 2 rewrltlng.earth
Jt5JtbllVt; Rewriting Earth's charitable objects are: To promote for the benefit of Ihe public the conservation, protection and improvement of the physical and natural environment by: Raising awareness, primarily through the use of comics and accessible stories, of the importance of biodiversity, the effects of climate change, and effective ways the public can reduce their carbon footprint and promote biodiversity. Providing funding and grants for charities and/or other organisations which promote the conservation, protection, and improvement of the physical and natural environment and which promote biodiversity. @rewrltlngearth Page 3 rewrltlng.earth
This year was a breakthrough year for Rewriting Earth, keeping up the momentum from 2022. We connected with more people than ever, reaching over 12.5 million people, with 1 .3 million engagements across Instagram, Reddit, TikTok, Facebook and Twilter, and in particular focus, was our work moving from still image into social video - which allowed us to engage with different audiences and increase our reach and impact yet further. In terms of our charitable objectives, our big moments included our continued campaign for Swift Bricks, in which we helped to deliver over I I 0,000 UK signatures. We worked with the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group and Project Everyone to dive into the world of international finance, pressuring the World Bank and IMF to increase their cli mate spending. We worked with the Arctic research vessel Barba.no, statistically our most engaged project ever. We worked with the Climate and Land Use Alliance to bring awareness to the Drax power plant's role in the destruction of forest habitat5 despite its 'green' credentials. We had a strong year in terms of partnership building, and fostering relationships with organisations such as: Netflix, Universal Studios, European Climate Foundation, Project Everyone, Reli5t Wolves, Music Declares Emergency, Channel 4 and Earth Percent, as well as increasing our relationships with creators and celebrities including Jo Brand, Jonathan Pie, Idris Elba, Peter Gabriel, Jane Goodall and a whole h05t of online influencers and creatives. For such a small, and young, team, I couldn't be prouder of the impact we're having and our ability to punch above the weight of significanily larger international charities in this space continues to amaze me. PAUL GOODENOUGH, FOUNDER AND CEO @rewrltlngearth Page 4 rewrltlng.earth
IEWRITING EARTH HAS ACHIEVED IN 2023 Our assistance with Hannah Bourne Taylor's swifi brick campaign continued into 2023, the campaign was featured in a wide-range of traditional media including the Piers Morgan Show and the petition presented to l O Downing Street. Subsequently, Ihe call was debated in Parliament and garnered support from across the political spectrum, including Ben and Zac Goldsmith and Micheal Gove as well as other members of parliament such as Caroline Lucas and Kerry Mccarthy. We ventured into the complicated world of International Finance, pressuring the World Bank and the IMF to increase their spending on climate mitigation and adaptation. Working with Project Everyone and the Climate Emergency Collaboration Group, we produced four comics ond a short-form video, reaching l .5 million people, with an engagement of over 100,000 people. Another key partnership in 2023 was with Google Arts and Culture, they invited us to create a page on their website showcasing our conlent and our message, as well as creating a 3 D virtual gallery with our best pieces of content. This was a huge opportunity for us, working with a company like Google gives us a level of legitimacy with other companies and provides us with a unique resource to showcase our work. We started the year off strongly by working with the Climate and Land Use Alliance to raise awareness about Drax, a 'green' biomass power station in the UK. The power station has received billions OF pounds of taxpayers, money yet is linked to the deslruction of old-growth forests in North America. We worked with The Guardian illustrator Ben Jennings to create two striking visual pieces, this was a new style of content for us, and we received positive feedback from the client and partners. @rewrltlngearth Page 5 rewrltlng.earth
We completed our grant with the British Council, raising awareness of issues around waste and litter in Indonesia. We worked exclusively with Indonesian artists and experts, with the aim OF building partnerships between the two countries for Future projects. COP was once again a key moment in the year for u5, we had 0 grants focused on the evenl, and we released six pieces of content across the Iwo week period. We worked with International Anirnal Rescue to promole their "Give Animals a Seat at Ihe Table" campaign, as well as Project Everyone as mentioned above. Across the event, we reached l .7 million people and had 130,000 people engage with our content. Through our support from the Summa Foundation, we worked with Barba.no, a Norwegian Arctic research vessel to bring awareness to their mission, and the fantastic research they do in a strongly misunderstood landscape. We created three comics alongside that reached l .2 million people, with an engagement rate of 23.2 % across the Ihree pieces of content, this was our most successful project of all time in terms of engagement. Internolly, we have continued to grow, increasing Ihe size and skills within the team. We have increased our in-house capacity to create 5hort-form videos for our clients, as well as increasing our ability to react quickly to news stories. Through the year we made fast, topical content as part of our newly formed rapid response lab. @rewrfitlngearth Page 6 rewrltlng.earth
Performance In the year total income was £362,855. Notes on income and expenditure: Rewriting Earth has continued to strengthen collaborations and partnerships, particularly with Foundations. This has enabled the activities and achievements outlined above to be achieved. The charity has maintained a very lean operation in order to maintain a low cost bose while delivering on its core mission. The charity is extremely grateful to those individuals and organisations who have bought into the vision and have supported the work in 2023. Staff wages have been low as the charity has made use of consultancy arrangements in the early stages of the charity's development. Governance costs were zero. Key risks at the start of 2024 are: l. Medium and long-term funding We are keen to continue to grow and need to continue developing a larger, more diverse portfolio of funding in 2023 and beyond in order to deliver on its mission. Aclions to conlrol/mitigate: al Increase focus on gaining new major funding from trusts, foundations, NGOS and philanthropists including multi-annual commitments bl Nurture our existing key funder relationships, including through delivering strong impact in our work c) Use unrestricted income to support the growth and sustainability of the charity @rewrfitlngearth Page 7 rewrltlng.earth
- Financial risk related to low reserves Reserves need to be built in order to mitigate financial risk. The trustees acknowledge that this will take time. In the meantime, the trustees are cognisant of cashflow issues and the need for regular and timely forecasting. Actions to control/mitigate: al See risk I b) The charity needs to ensure that in this start up phase that it keeps expenditure as low as it can cl On-boarding of new Treasurer d) Regular, timely review of cashflow, income and expenditure and forecast with early corrective action if needed Reserve5 Policy The Trustees have set a desired reserves position of 3 months of operating Costs. Trustees recognise that the charity needs to have sufficient cash and reserves to absorb short term fluctuations in income. The level of unrestricted reserves needs to consider both the plans of the charity and the wider economic climate. However, the Trustee5 also realise that building reserves takes time and Ihat the mitigations mentioned above seek to address this. @rewrltSngearih Page 8 rewrltlng.earth
Rewriting Earth was constituted as a company limited by guarantee and is governed by a Constitution. The charity was registered with the Charity Commission in March 2022. Appointment and Recruitment of Trustees The members of the Board are its Trustees for the purpose of charity law and are the Directors of the charitable company For the purpose of company law. Appointment of Trustees is governed by the Constitution of the charitable company. The number of Trustees appointed should not be less than three and no more than twelve. There was one new trustee appointment in the period. Organisational Structure The Trustees had four full formal meetings in 2023. In addition to the full Board meetings, there was active engagement of trustees in all aspects of the charity's work including communications, fundraising and finance. Senior Staff The CEO works closely with the COO on establishment and strengthen ing OF systems, developing the team and working with the Trustees in developing strategy. Pay and Remuneration Rewriting Earth is an equal opportunities employer and applies objective criteria to assess merit. Pay reviews are held with staff annually. @rewrltlngearth Page 9 rewrltlng.earth
Risk assessment and management The Trustees are aware of Ihe major strategic, business and operational risks that Ihe charity faces and are of the opinion that there are systems in place to minimise any perceived risks. Risk 15 regularly discussed by the Board on all issues that might affect the running of the organisation. Public Benefit In deciding on which activities to undertake we have taken into consideration Charity Commission guidance on public benefit. The Trustees are satisfied that the charity meets these guidelines with regard to delivering public benefit. Approved by the Board of Trustees on 02.09.2024 and signed on its behalf by: SARAH GREENFIELD CLARK CHARITY NUMBER: 1198287, COMPANY NUMBER: CE028629 @rewrltlngearth Page 10 rewrfitlng.earth
Inde •ndènl Examlner's Re rt Rewrltln Earth o the Trusleos of Ind8pendent examlner's report to the trustees of Rèwrlllng Earth I'lho Company'l I reporl lo the chaiily Iiuslees on my examination of Ihe accounts ol the Company for Ihe year ended 31 December 2023. Responslbllltlos and basls of report As Ihe charily's Iruslees of the Company {8nd also ils directors for the purposes of company lawl you are responsible for the preparation ol the accounts in accordance with the requirements ol the Companles Act 20061.lhe 2006 A¢l'). Havlng salisfied mysell that the accounls of ihe Company are not requlred lo be audlled under Pail 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible lor independent examination. I report in respect of my examinalion ol you¥ chafily's accounts as carried out under Section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 {'Ihe 2011 Acl'l. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by Ihe Charlty Commission under Seclion 145151 Ibl of Ihe 2011 Act. Independent examlnei's statement Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member ol a Ilsled body. I can confirm that l am qualified lo undertake the examination because l am a member of the Inslilule ol Chartered Accounlanls in England and Wales, which is one of Ihe1Ssled bodles. I have completed my examlnallon. I confirm that no mallers have come lo my atlenllon In connecllon with the examlnallon giving me cause to bellève- accounting records were not kepl in respecl ol the Company as iequired by Section 386 of the 2006 Act., or the accounts do not accord wilh those records., or Ihe accounts do nol comply with the accounting requirements of Seclion 396 of the 2006 Act olh&r Ihan any requirement that the accounts give a true and lair view whlch Is nol a maller considered as pail of an independent examination.. or Ihe accounts hav8 not been prepaied In accordance with the melhods and prlnciples of Ihe Slalemenl ol Recommended Practice lor accounling and reporting by charilles lapplicable lo charities preparing their accounts in accor(Fance with the Flnanclal Reporllng Standard appllcable In Ihe UK and Republlc ol Ireland {FRS 10211. I have no concerns and have come across no other mallers In connection with Ihe examinalion to whlch allenllon should be drawn in Ihis report In order lo enable a proper understanding ol the accounts lo be reaehed. Richard Mander FCA The Inslilule of Chailered Accounianls In England and Wales Mander Duffill Chartered Accounlanls The Old Posl Oflice 41-43 Markel Place Chippenham Willshlre SN153HR Dale.. Page11
Rewrllln Earlh Slalement of Flnanclal Acllvltl8s for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 Period 17.3.22 Year Ended 31.12.23 Ur¢reslriGled fund 31.12.22 Total funds Notes INCOME FROM Donations and legacles 263.479 47,147 Charllabl& actlvltlès Media production income Grants receiva(I 53,143 46.233 45,298 Tofal 362.855 105,616 EXPENDITURE ON Raising funds 224.425 85,591 Other 38.383 8.344 Tolal 262.808 93.935 NET INCOME 1c1.047 11.681 RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS Totsl (unds broughl forward 11.681 TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD 111,728 11.681 The notes form pail of Ihese financial slalemenls Page 12
R6wrltln Earth Balance Sheet 31 December 2023 31.12.23 Unreslrlcled nd 31.12.22 Totsl lunds Notes CURRENT ASSETS Cash al bank 127.913 17.896 CREDITORS Amtsunls falling due wilhln on¢ year 116,185) (6,215) NET CURRENT ASSETS 111,728 11,681 TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES 111.728 11.681 NET ASSETS 111,728 11,681 FUNDS Unreslrlcled funds 111,728 11,681 TOTAL FUNDS 111,728 11,681 The charilable company Is enlllled lo exempllon from audil under Section 477 01 the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 31 December 2023. The members have nol fequSred Ihe company lo oblaln an audll of Its linancial slalemenls for Ihe year ended 31 December 2023 In accordance wllh Section 476 01 the Companles Act 2006. The truslees acknowltrdge Ihelr iesponslblllli¢s for {a} ensurlng th81 the chariiable company kèeps accoLtnllng records that comply with SeGlions 386 and 387 of the Companies Acl 2006 and Ibl preparing financial slalements which give a liue and lair view ol Ihe slate of affalrs of the charllabl8 company as al Ihe ond ol each financial yèar and ol ils surplL*S or dellcil for each financial year in accordance with the requirements ol Seolions 394 and 395 and which olhefwlse comply wllh the requiremenls of the Companies Act 2006 relallno lo Ilnanclal slalemenls, so far as applicable lo the chaiilabl6 company. These fin8nclal slalemenls have been prepared in a¢cordan¢8 wilh Ihe PTovlslons applicable lo chaTitable companies sublecl lo the sm311 companies regime. The linancial stsl8monls were approved by the Board of Tiuslees and aulhorised for Issuè on and were slgnèd on lis behalf by: S Greenlield-Clark- Truslèe 2 September 2024 The notes foim part ol these flnancial slalemenls Page13
Rewrltln Earth Notes to the Flnanclal Slalements for the Year Ended 31 Decembèr 2023 AGCOUNTING POLICIES Basls of preparlng the flnanclal statements The linancial slaleinenls of the chafilable company. whlch is a public benefit enlily under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with Ihe Chaiilies SORP IFRS 1021 'Accounling and RepoFling by Charilies.. Slalemenl of Recommended Practice applicable lo charitie5 preparing Ihelr accounts in accordance with the Flnanclal Reporting Slandard applicable in Ihe UK and Rèpubllc ol Ireland IFRS 1021 {èfle¢live 1 January 20191,, Flnanclal Repling Slandaid 102 'The Financial RèpoTling Standard appllcable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, and the Companles Act 2006. The financial statements havè been prepared under the hislorical ¢osl wnvenlion. The piesenlallon currency ol th¢ financial slalèments s the Pound Sierling {£). Income All income is recognised in Ihe Statement ol Flnancial Activities once tho charlly has enlillemenl to Ihe funds, il is probable Ihal the incomè will recèived and the amount Can be measured rellably. Expendllure Liabllilles are iecognised as expendiluTe as soon as there Is a legal or conslructlve oblSgallon commlttlng the charily lo that expondilure. it is probable that a transfer ol economic benefits will be fequired In selllemenl and the amount ol the obllgalion Can be measured reliably. Expendilure Is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classllied under headings that aggregala all cosl related to Ihe category. Where costs canntsl be direclly allrlbuled lo parlicular hgadings Ihoy have been allocaled lo acllvllies on a basis consislenl with thè usè ol resotsices. Toxatlon The charity is exempt from corporallon lax on ils chaiilable activilies. The charity has taken advanlag¢ ol the small tfadlng tax exemption on its trading aclivilies. The charily's gross annual income is belw88n £32,001 £320.000 and Iradirig lurnover represents less than 25% 01 Ihe chaiily's lolal annual IL*Tnover. Fund aceounllng Unreslrlcled funds can be used in a¢¢ordance wllh the charllabl8 oblecllves al the discrelion ol the Iruslees. Reslricled funds can only be used for p3rticular reslrScted purposes wilhin Ihe objects of Ihe charity. Reslriclions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised lor particular TeslrlGted purposes. Furlh8f tsxplanalion of the nature and purpts$e ol each lund Is Included In the notes lo Ihe financlal slalements. Page 14 conlSnued.,.
Rewrllln Ea th e5tot nanclal Statements - eontlnued for Ihe Year Entled 31 Decèmbèr 2023 RAISING FUNDS Ralslng donatlon8 and l•g8eles Period 17.3.22 lo 31.12.22 Year Ended 31.12.23 Support costs 128895 56.236 TRUSTEES, REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS There were no Iruslees, remunerallon or other benellls for the year ended 31 December 2023 nor for the perlod ended 310ecembeT 2022. Trust&es' expensos There were no Iruslees, expenses paid lor the yèar ended 31 December 2023 nor for the period ended 31 De¢embg1 2022. CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR 31.12.23 31.12.22 Trade credilors Other creditors Accrtjed expenses 10.775 2,638 2,772 2.461 634 3.120 16,185 6,215 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS N81 movement in lunds At 31,12.23 At 1.1.23 Unr•strlct$d funds Gener81 fund 11.681 100.047 111.728 TOTAL FUNDS 11,681 100,047 111,728 Nel movement in funds. included In Ihe above are as follows: Incomlng re%xJrces Resources expended Movement n funds Unr8strl¢led funds General fund 362,855 {262,808) 100,047 TOTAL FUNDS 362 855 262 808} 100,047 Pag8 15 continued...
Rewrltln Earth Notès to the Flnanclal Statements . conllnued for thè Yèar Ended 31 Dècember 2023 MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - contlnued Comparatlves for movement In lund5 Nel movement in funds Al 31.12.22 Unrestrlctèd funds GeneTal lund 11.681 11.681 TOTAL FUNDS 11,681 11.681 Compafallve nel movement in lunds, included in the above are as lollows.. Incoming resources Resource8 oxpended Mov8ment in funds Unrestrlcted funds General lund 105,616 {93.9351 11.681 TOTAL FUNDS 105 616 93.9351 11,681 RELATED PARTY OISCLOSURES There were no related pafly transactions for the year ended 31 Decembef 2023. Page 16
Rewrilln Earth Dètalled Statèmènt of Fln nclal Actlvlll for the Year Ended 31 December 2023 Period 17.3.22 lo 31.12.22 Year Ended 31.12.23 INCOME Donatlon$ ènd legaclè¥ Don81ions 263,479 47,147 Charltable actlvllles Media production income Granls 53,143 46.233 4S.298 13.171 99,376 58.469 Total In¢omlng r¢seureoS 362,855 105,616 EXPENDITURE Other tradlng a¢tlvitl&s Purchases AilisUAnimalionlConlenl cosls Subconlraclor costs 2,638 22,856 3.861 39,444 58.021 97,530 29,355 Other Wagès 37,987 5,224 Support ¢ost5 Other Insuiance Postage and slallonery Sundries Computer Expenses Travel & Subsislenc? Production & media management Consultancy fees Admin F¢es 734 238 2,086 4.072 22,325 54,511 36.750 3,803 293 34 709 2.855 8,877 13,837 25,725 3,906 124,519 56.236 Govornance costs Accountancy and legal fees 2,772 3,120 Tolal rèsources exp8ndeO 262.808 93,935 Nat Incomg 100.047 11.681 This page does not form parl of the slalulory financial stolemenls Page 17