**REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: 12062786 (England and Wales) REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: 1198624** ## Report of the Trustees and Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 for Quality of Life Foundation Quality of Life Foundation ## Contents of the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ||Page| |---|---| |Report of the Trustees|1 to 14| |Independent Examiner's Report|15| |Statement of Financial Activities|16| |Balance Sheet|17 to 18| |Cash Flow Statement|19| |Notes to the Cash Flow Statement|20| |Notes to the Financial Statements|22 to 27| |Detailed Statement of Financial Activities|28 to 29| ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 The trustees who are also directors of the charity for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006, present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 30 June 2023. The trustees have adopted the provisions of Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019). ## **INCORPORATION** The charitable company was incorporated on 21 June 2019. ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** ## **Objectives and aims** The Quality of Life Foundation's charitable objects are: 1. The advancement of education in particular but not exclusively through conducting research and the publication of the useful results of such research, in relation to without limitation planning, design, construction, environmental sustainability, management and maintenance of new and existing housing development and the impact on human health and wellbeing of the built environment. We summarise this as: _Building and sharing the evidence base._ 2. To support high standards and best practice in planning, design, construction, environmental sustainability and management in the built environment. We summarise this as: _Supporting best practice across the built environment sector._ ## **Our aims and how these further our charitable objectives** The Quality of Life Foundation exists to help local communities, professionals and policymakers to plan, design, create and care for homes and neighbourhoods in ways that will benefit people’s health and wellbeing in the long term. To achieve this vision, we carry out independent research, share evidence, provide consultancy services and support organisations to implement best practice in their work. The Foundation undertakes this work because of its belief that having a decent, affordable home in a safe, well-designed and resilient neighbourhood is the foundation of a healthy, happy life. But unfortunately, too many people find themselves living in substandard, unaffordable homes, often in disconnected communities, with severe implications for their health and wellbeing. These are the issues that the Foundation is striving to address. ## **Public benefit** The principal activity of the Foundation during the year continued to be that of undertaking research and engagement projects and publishing information for public benefit openly available to organisations to help them implement best practices in their work. The trustees confirm that they have complied with the requirements of section 17 of the Charities Act 2011 to have due regard to the public benefit guidance published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Page 1 for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** ## **Volunteers** All volunteering activities with the Quality of Life Foundation are guided by our Volunteering Policy. This year, we worked with two student volunteers as part of a programme with the London School of Economics (LSE), who worked on different aspects of our programmes to give them experience in a live work setting. We gave each volunteer a discreet programme of work to complete that contributed to our understanding of the sector. ## **STRATEGIC REPORT Achievement and performance Overview** As we report on the 2022-2023 financial year, we have much to be proud of. The year marks the end of the Foundation’s first year as a registered charity, but our fourth year of operating. It has seen us grow into a productive organisation with exemplary work delivered by a hard-working and dedicated team. In a short time we have established ourselves as a respected organisation that seeks to impact people’s lives and influence industry and government by improving homes and neighbourhoods across the UK. We have worked to create a diverse and engaged board, and have ambitious plans for 2023-24 and beyond, building on our work to date and establishing the Foundation as a thought leader within the UK built-environment and health and wellbeing sectors. The year saw the Foundation achieve major milestones. Having recently secured generous support from the National Lottery Community Fund, we focused on expanding our team and growing our body of research and advocacy work. In addition, we grew our network of partners and launched key new services through our consultancy activities. We were delighted that our work and impact was recognised through winning the Davidson Prize. Importantly, the year marked the Foundation’s first full year with charitable status, with all of the opportunities and responsibilities that entails. A significant part of our work in the year was to embed the governance, policies and strategy needed to satisfy our statutory obligations and create a strong platform for success in the years to come. As such, the trustees’ primary focus for this period was on ensuring that, first, we have the governance, team, policies and strategy in place that are needed to deliver our charitable objects and, secondly, we continue to grow our programme of activities to deliver on these objects across the workstreams outlined below. ## **Strengthening our organisational resilience and governance with a focus on growth** This period saw a strong focus on building and growing as a resilient organisation, including the appointment of a new Chair of the Board, Jonny Anstead, following the resignation of the founding chair, Sadie Morgan, who has played a crucial role in the establishment and growth of the Foundation. With the appointment of the Foundation’s new chair and recognition of the need to grow the board alongside the growth of the charity, the Foundation began the recruitment of a larger and refreshed board of trustees. This new board encompassed a broad range of expertise and experience (including a senior civil servant, local authority leader, lawyer and directors from industry) to strengthen the charity’s governance and its future development through a new, long-term strategy. The board established several sub-committees that meet regularly and report to the board to ensure oversight of key issues relating to finance, risk, human resources and strategic development. Page 2 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 The Foundation’s team of staff also grew in this period with the recruitment of an External Affairs Manager and a Senior Engagement Officer to support and amplify the impact of the Foundation’s growing body of work. The Foundation was also recognised as a four-day week employer, with a focus on offering staff the same quality of life values espoused in the activities and work undertaken by the Foundation. ## **Expanding and strengthening our programme of activities** During the year, the Foundation focused on furthering its charitable objectives through our three work streams of research, consultancy, and advocacy. ## **Research** The Foundation’s implementation team continued to undertake a variety of research projects to build the evidence base, investigating different elements of the built environment and their impacts on people’s health and wellbeing. Two major research projects, funded by national and international funding bodies, saw us working with UK-based universities and industry partners: 1. Community Consultation for Quality of Life - funded by UKRI Arts and Humanities Research Board, working with the universities of Reading, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, as well as industry partners, Commonplace, Stantec and Urban Symbiotics. 2. Measuring Mass Timber - Funded by Built by Nature, working with dRMM Architects and Edinburgh Napier University. By joining forces with universities and industry partners from the private sector, the Foundation has ensured that its research is robust and credible, while providing a bridge between academia and practice and policy. ## **Consultancy** In 2022/2023 the Foundation continued to develop its consultancy services. This activity stream allows us to work with developers, local authorities and housing associations in order to: - deliver public benefit and contribute to our charitable objects through demonstrating best practice in the way that local authorities, developers and others can work with residents and local communities to deliver better long-term health and wellbeing outcomes - enable the Foundation to carry out research in live settings with clients from within the built environment sector, generating learning for the wider industry - generate income for the charity, enabling it to continue its work for the public benefit. The implementation team worked with clients in a variety of sectors with a stake in the built environment. These projects included: - Our post-occupancy evaluation service, Resident Review, which seeks insights from residents about where they live through a survey, analysis and recommendations to developers. - Quality of Life Mapping, which we carried out for Harlow & Gilston Garden Town, with funding from the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Proptech programme, to provide innovation in digital planning and a more long-term view of housing and neighbourhoods at a local authority level. Page 3 Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **Advocacy** To maximise the impact of the Foundation’s research and consultancy work, the team executed a communications and advocacy strategy to ensure that findings, evidence, case studies and best-practice were shared broadly amongst relevant stakeholders. This included dissemination through industry events, reports, media and social media activity. Highlights included speaking at the National Planning Summit, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Civic Societies, and popular industry events. The team also secured coverage in industry media outlets, providing commentary on pertinent topics. This included opinion pieces in Inside Housing, The Planner and BE News, and an article in the academic journal Perspectives in Public Health. To further our advocacy efforts, we worked in close partnership with like-minded organisations in the Better Planning Coalition, which represents 34 organisations across the environment, housing, planning, heritage and transport sectors with one common goal: a planning system fit for climate, nature and people. Through this cross-sector collaboration, we used the findings from our research to seek to influence legislation and national policy. This included discussions with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and the tabling of amendments to the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill and review of the National Planning Policy Framework. Page 4 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **Review of activities and performance** This section of the report explores the Foundation’s key activities and successes in the reporting period in further detail, including how these are furthering our charitable objects of building and sharing the evidence base and supporting best practice across the built environment sector. ## **Building and sharing the evidence base** As explained above, undertaking research is a key strategic activity for the Foundation in meeting its charitable objects. 2022/2023 saw the implementation team beginning or completing work on a variety of research projects, all aimed at building the evidence base on the need for a health and wellbeing approach to housing, and how that can be delivered in practice. All our research is underpinned by the Quality of Life Framework, which outlines, across six key themes, the things we need from our homes and neighbourhoods to enable a good quality of life. The Framework sets out how communities, developers and their designers, and local authorities can create better places for people to live by placing greater emphasis on health and wellbeing. ## **Community Consultation for Quality of Life** The Foundation continued its work with the universities of Reading, Cardiff, Belfast and Edinburgh on the UKRI AHRC-funded Community Consultation for Quality of Life project (CCQOL). In this period, we ran or participated in workshops in urban rooms, spaces where people can come together to discuss and help create a future for their local area. In Reading, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast, we talked with stakeholders about the themes of the Quality of Life Framework and sought to understand what people feel they need in their local areas to have a good quality of life. This was part of a much wider project aimed at improving the way communities are engaged with in relation to their local built environment - something we know is a key determinant in people’s wellbeing. Beyond these workshops, the Foundation continued to support the CCQOL research team in publishing and disseminating its work in ways that would make it useful to the built environment industry - translating academic findings into usable advice and recommendations for practitioners working on the ground. This included publishing and disseminating an ‘Inclusive Engagement Toolkit’ aimed at helping built environment professionals to carry out more effective community engagement, enabling participation from a wider range of voices. This toolkit was extremely wellreceived by our audiences, who commented on the real need for such a document and its usefulness. ## **Measuring Mass Timber** While the embodied carbon potential of using timber for the construction of buildings is well documented, the evidence base for the social and psychological impacts of using it as a building material is not so well developed. To help address this evidence gap, the implementation team began a research project with dRMM architects, Edinburgh Napier University and Building Research Solutions to assess the whole life impact of using mass timber in construction. The project, funded by Built By Nature, involves the Foundation conducting a post-occupancy evaluation of five buildings made with mass timber, all of different scales, uses and appearance. This quality of life survey is complemented by a whole life carbon analysis by Edinburgh Napier University, which allows for an innovative and holistic new look at the benefits of mass timber design. The methodology can also be scaled for other building typologies. This work is ongoing and not yet complete, but the trustees see, as a key success, the fact that the project will be making use of the Foundation’s existing post-occupancy evaluation methodology in a new context and as part of an innovative research project. Page 5 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **New Quality of Life Foundation Website** To enable more effective sharing of the evidence base and best practice, the implementation team launched a new website in May 2023. The aim of the website project was to make it easier for people to find relevant information, to engage with the Foundation’s research and resources, and to learn about the Foundation’s services. This was a direct response to feedback from the Foundation’s audiences that the original website was no longer fit for purpose. Following the launch of the new site, the team has seen improvements in the website’s search rankings - meaning that people can more easily find information about the Foundation’s work. ## **Associates Programme** Quality of Life Associates are ambassadors of the Foundation. This network of like-minded individuals shines a light on projects up and down the country that improve people’s quality of life, relating them to the themes in the Quality of Life Framework, so we can share the lessons learned and encourage best practice in the industry. In this year, the implementation team ran a series of workshops based on their work, including _Social value: Building an evidence-based approach to strategic decision-making_ and _Creating community through construction_ . A number of Associates also wrote blogs that were published through the charity’s communications channels and contributed to broader thinking. ## **Supporting Best Practice** The Quality of Life Foundation’s second charitable object is to support high standards and best practice in planning, design, construction, environmental sustainability and management in the built environment. The team does this in different ways, including through consultancy work and by publishing and promoting best practice reports. ## **Resident Review: closing the feedback loop** Making informed, strategic decisions about improving existing homes and neighbourhoods or delivering new ones, needs a deep understanding of what people want and need, and of how people experience the homes and neighbourhoods where they live. But unlike most other industries, the housing sector rarely asks its customers what they think or carries out long-term evaluations on the places they build. This is why the Foundation has created _Resident Review_ , a bespoke and in-depth post-occupancy evaluation service that we launched in 2022. The service combines a site visit by our researchers with quantitative and qualitative data gathered from residents (both online and face-to-face) to give comprehensive insights into how people experience their homes and neighbourhoods, which can be used for strategic decision-making. We published a report, _Resident Review: Closing the Feedback Loop in UK Housing_ , and are now working on projects with commercial clients that include developers and housing associations. ## **Harlow and Gilston Garden Town: Your Quality of Life** During 2022/2023, the implementation team undertook the research and engagement phase of a major community engagement project in the Harlow and Gilston Garden Town area. Harlow and Gilston was designated as a garden town in January 2017. In total, 16,000 new homes are programmed to be delivered by 2033, with a further 7,000 planned for the Gilston area to be built from 2033 onwards. The Harlow and Gilston Garden Town partnership (HGGT) wanted to be able to measure the impact of such a significant period of change, and involve local people in that process. Page 6 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 With PropTech funding from the Department for Levelling Up Housing and Communities (DLUHC), HGGT commissioned the Quality of Life Foundation to deliver 'Your quality of life' - a social value mapping and monitoring project via digital and in-person engagement across the Garden Town. We worked with private sector partners Commonplace and Stantec and commissioned a local voluntary services organisation, Rainbow Services, and two local researchers, to build a clear picture of what people currently value, need and dislike in their local area, alongside socioeconomic and environmental data, to establish a quality of life baseline for the Garden Town area. This baseline will be used to support strategic decision making within the local authority, including master planning and stewardship arrangements. It will also enable monitoring of any changes to quality of life and social value in relation to the growth in the area. The Foundation's engagement programme, which combined digital and face-to-face methods to support local people to get involved in different ways, more than tripled the number of people taking part in conversations about their local area, compared to previous Garden Town consultations. It also increased participation from both younger people under 35 and those over 75, from people in ethnic minority communities, and from people who have a disability or long-term illness. This project is part of ongoing efforts to ensure that the health and wellbeing of current and future residents in Harlow, Gilston and surrounding areas is protected and promoted to the highest standard. By combining existing data about the local population with comments made by individuals through consultation, the five local authorities in the Garden Town area are now better placed to develop evidence-based interventions and to assess the impact of any changes that may occur over the coming years. The project also establishes a methodology for working with other local authorities that we will seek to deploy in other locations. ## **Clarion Neighbourhood Standard** In 2022 the implementation team supported Clarion Housing Group to conduct a pilot process to create the housing association’s new 2050 Neighbourhood Standard. This was a first-of-its-kind project: it used our _Resident Review_ post-occupancy evaluation methodology to review existing estates and settled neighbourhoods that were chosen for a pilot for wider redevelopment and regeneration. Clarion’s Neighbourhood Standard Toolkit is powered by the Quality of Life Framework. It uses the Framework themes to guide and define Clarion’s 2050 principles, which will be used to measure how each neighbourhood achieves the standard, and to inform development decisions going forward. The aim of this project was to test the Neighbourhood Standard at a local level in order to ensure it reflects what residents believe it means to live in a good neighbourhood. We also sought to understand any local issues in the neighbourhoods we worked in, as well as the causes of these. Finally, the project aimed to test the types of questions Clarion would need to ask residents to understand, measure and report on residents' lived experience. As such, it equipped staff to conduct quality of life surveys and to interpret the findings. We worked closely with Clarion’s teams and their local community partners. We did this to better understand the context they work in, the challenges and opportunities they face, and how our research, outreach and engagement approach would have the most impact in their organisation and to access their residents. Page 7 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 During the project we: - Carried out desk research to get an overview of the sites and build a picture of the context. - Undertook site visits to assess each site to better understand the estates, local issues, and to meet site leads. - Ran online workshops with staff to brainstorm, clarify the list of survey questions, and understand their expectations of what they wanted to find out. - Co-designed and ran a variety of community outreach methods. - Co-designed and ran a variety of resident engagement activities. - Created an engagement toolkit to help shape and guide staff on what best practice looks like - Produced a project report with feedback analysis received for each site, key findings from the surveys, and recommendations made in response to the feedback. - Produced communications materials to share the key findings from the surveys with residents. - Developed a monitoring document - to help Clarion assess quality of life over the longer term. Our engagement approach was highly successful, with a response rate of almost 40%. This pilot project will enable Clarion to continue the conversations with residents and community partners about health and wellbeing in these areas. It will shape their decision making and action plans for stock investment and community investment for quality of life. It will also inform their social impact and ESG reporting for the business and to their investors. ## **Creating community through construction** The implementation team published its first investigative best practice report in May 2023. _Creating community through construction_ explored how developers can create and maintain a sense of community throughout the construction process. Feeling part of a community is an essential component for quality of life, but living in or near a construction site can feel isolating and can breed fear of what’s to come in the future. However, there are examples of good practice where companies are bringing people into construction sites through different activities, and these can help facilitate that sense of community. This report shared those stories of best practice, through case studies and interviews. The team disseminated the report via social media, newsletters, an opinion piece in a key trade media outlet and via a well-attended webinar for the Foundation’s Associates’ network. It generated informative discussions about best practice amongst our target audiences. It is a format that we will be developing further in future. ## **Summary** Through the Foundation’s activities and organisational growth, our work is helping to enable societal change by empowering residents, adding to industry and local government understanding, capacity, practice and decision-making and influencing national government’s political will, policy, standards and investment. Ultimately, our work is helping residents and communities achieve a greater sense of control over what they value and need in their local area, and changing the way government and industry approach housing, leading to more socially, environmentally and economically sustainable neighbourhoods. Page 8 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **STRATEGIC REPORT Financial review** ## **Review of financial position** During the year the organisation received income of £564,061 of which £209,571 were donations and £60,000 was from the core partners. In the same period the Expenditure totalled £527,857 giving a net surplus of £36,204. ## **Principal funding sources Grant funders** We’re generously supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, which pays for some of our staff and core research costs and ensures that we can keep working towards our charitable aims. This has come through the Growing Great Ideas programme, which has a focus on supporting transformational and long-term change. ## **Research and evaluation funding** Our research funding allows us to carry out specific research projects, enabling us to build the evidence base on why and how we can improve the way homes and neighbourhoods are created and cared for in the UK. In the year, we received funding from: - UK Research and Innovation Arts and Humanities Research Council: Collaborating on a largescale research project, Community Consultation for Quality of Life (CCQOL) with the universities of Reading, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Ulster. - Built By Nature: Investigating the effects of mass timber on both building performance and health and wellbeing, working with dRMM and Edinburgh Napier University. ## **Core partners and supporters** Our core partners and supporters are a fantastic group of organisations working in the built environment sector who include the Berkeley Group, the Crown Estate, Earls Court Development Company, Landsec and Lovell. They provide funding that enables us to carry out our core activities. They also fulfil the role of industry leaders, demonstrating their commitment to improving quality of life across the country. Their funding is not ring-fenced for specific projects and can be used to further the charitable aims of the foundation in a range of ways. Separately, we seek to work with them on projects to implement best practice across the industry and government. We were pleased that we were able to renew this partnership with Lovell and look forward to continuing to work with our other partners in the years ahead. Supporters dRMM and ING Media continued to provide pro bono support for our work. ## **Consultancy work** As a proportion of the Foundation’s work, we’ve been working with a range of stakeholders across the built environment sector, offering services including carrying our _Resident Review_ postoccupancy evaluations and our Mapping service for local authorities, the pilot for which we are developing with Harlow & Gilston Garden Town. In partnership with Nature Positive, we also assessed a new Natural England tool around health, wellbeing, nature and sustainability to help local authorities bring these elements into their strategic decision-making. This work generates income additional to our core funding and grants and research budgets. Page 9 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **STRATEGIC REPORT Financial review** ## **Reserves policy** The Foundation started work on a Reserves Policy to retain unrestricted reserves. The reserves policy will be developed and reviewed annually by the trustees to ensure it meets the demands and requirements of current charity performance. At the end of the period the amount of reserves held was £47,874. ## **Going concern** The trustees have not identified any circumstances which would give rise to the charity being unable to meet its obligations in the next twelve months hence the charity accounts have been prepared on a going concern basis. ## **Principal risks and uncertainties** Delivering on the Foundation’s upcoming aims means acknowledging the risks that exist in a shifting political, economic and regulatory landscape and the need to refine the organisation’s business model, with a focus on developing a more stable and sustainable financial base if we are to deliver further growth and impact. To respond to this, we have developed a blended funding model, including funding from charitable grants, core partnerships with industry, research grants with universities and funding bodies and future income from our trading subsidiary. This will undergo continued interrogation and strengthening to create a structured, strategic approach with the focus of building a financially viable and sustainable organisation with room for growth in the months and years to come. Page 10 Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **STRATEGIC REPORT** ## **Future plans** The Foundation’s staff and trustees have agreed upon four main goals for the coming year to guide the future direction of the charity. ## **1. Maintain financial stability, build reserves and mitigate risks, including;** - delivering on our one-year strategy and business plan to increase the Foundation’s resilience over the coming year. - developing a five-year strategy to provide long-term vision for growth. - developing and delivering a strategy for the Foundation’s trading subsidiary, QoLF Trading Limited, to provide greater productivity and revenue for the charity. - further growing the board of trustees to ensure a broad array of knowledge and expertise is represented. ## **2. Enhance staff satisfaction, management and performance** - developing and strengthening our process of staff reviews, appraisals, objectives and personal development. - recruiting further key staff to help deliver the organisation’s strategy, including growing our research capacity and hiring a full-time business manager / head of operations to support staff alongside the organisation’s resilience and growth. - establishing a mentorship scheme between staff and trustees to support staff career development and further familiarise the trustees with the work of the Foundation. ## **3. Continue to build and share the evidence base** - launching a new and improved version of our Quality of Life Framework, updated with the latest evidence. - launching multiple new research collaborations and partnerships to build on and increase the utilisation of the evidence base for health and wellbeing in the built environment. ## **4. Establish the Foundation as a thought leader within UK housing** - strengthening our understanding of, and partnerships with, key collaborators across the housing landscape. - hosting a Quality of Life symposium to grow the coalition of the willing. - implementing a strategic communications plan to amplify the work of the Foundation and other actors promoting health and wellbeing in the built environment. - reviewing our vision, mission and values, including their relevance and alignment with a new five-year strategy. - growing our Associates Network in order to foster knowledge-sharing and best-practice about what works to improve health and wellbeing. - growing our internal systems for tracking and monitoring impact, to ensure our activities continue to serve our objects and beneficiaries. In addition, the Quality of Life Foundation has established a trading subsidiary, QoLF Trading Limited (company number 13723472, incorporated 4 November 2021), which is wholly owned by the charity. The trading subsidiary is a social impact consultancy whose primary purposes are to further the charity’s objectives of expanding the evidence base and promoting best practice in the built environment sector, and to provide income for the charity. The Trading Subsidiary was dormant for this financial period but, recognising the growing opportunities for commercial work, the intention is for these to be carried out by QoLF Trading Limited in future periods for the charity’s benefit. Page 11 Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Governing document** The charity is controlled by its governing document, an articles of association, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. ## **Organisational structure** The Quality of Life Foundation is a charitable company registered as a charity with the Charity Commission (England and Wales), charity number 1198624. The charity is constituted as a charitable company and governed by its Articles of Association. It has a trading subsidiary, QoLF Trading Limited, which is wholly owned by the charity. The charity is governed by a board of trustees. The board of trustees meet every two months (normally six times per year, a minimum of four times per year). There are two sub-committees whose members are the trustees that report to the Board of Trustees. These consist of a Finance, Governance and Risk sub-committee and an Human Resources sub-committee. The subcommittees are governed by Terms of Reference. In addition, working groups met regularly to focus on strategy development, composed of Trustees and senior staff, of which membership is voluntary and open to all trustees. There are further plans to implement a financial health-check working group in the coming financial year. The charity employed six full time members of staff and a number of consultants to provide expert support on an ad hoc basis. ## **Recruitment, appointment and induction of new trustees** Trustees are appointed by the decision of the members at the annual general meeting and rotate by resignation of one third of their number on an annual basis, unless re-appointed. The trustees are appointed under the terms outlined in its Articles of Association. There is a minimum requirement of three trustees and no maximum number. If the number of trustees falls below three, the remaining trustees may only act to appoint further trustees. Trustees have been recruited from a competitive, open call for trustees to achieve a wide variety of expertise and experience across the board of trustees. ## All trustees are provided with: - A copy of the Articles of Association - An introductory presentation on the mission and work of the Foundation - A declaration of willingness to act as a charity trustee of the charity, which all trustees must sign before they are eligible to act as a trustee and/or vote at any meeting of the trustees. - Key guidance from the Charities Commission on the role and obligations of trustees. All trustees are told of their obligation to ensure they possess adequate knowledge and skills to fulfil their duty as trustees. To support this, trustees are provided with opportunities to attend both free and paid for training, in particular relating to governance and financial responsibilities. Trustees are also required to complete, and regularly update, a Register of Interests to ensure the charity is aware of, and able to manage, any potential conflicts of interest. ## **Decision making** Decision making lies with the board of trustees. The trustees may delegate decision-making to sub-committees and senior staff where this is voted on and minuted at board meetings. Page 12 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT Key management remuneration** The Foundation has undertaken research and benchmarking to assess appropriate salary levels for staff. Staff are categorised into staff levels based on experience, seniority and responsibilities, for which salary bands have been identified and approved by the Board of Trustees. These ensure transparency and fairness in pay and offer staff and the ability to understand their opportunities for progression within the organisation. Staff pay is reviewed annually in June, with consideration of pay increases due to rises in inflation and cost of living. ## **Related parties** The charity has formed a subsidiary company, QOLF Trading Limited (Company registration number:13723472), which is fully owned by the charity, and which will act as its trading arm. ## **Engagement with employees** The Foundation works closely with its employees in the design of its strategic objectives and its subsequent strategic plan to deliver these objectives. ## **Engagement with suppliers, customers and others** The Foundation works with a broad array of stakeholders, from our Associates Network to Core Partners, funders, clients and research collaborators. We receive and request regular feedback, input and guidance from a range of stakeholders to strengthen our work, our strategic planning and the future direction of the Foundation. We do so to ensure that our activities and future plans are aligned with our charitable objects and that they can be refined and strengthened to ensure we continue to see impact as we deliver these. ## **Key Management Remuneration** The Foundation has undertaken research and benchmarking to assess appropriate salary levels for staff. Staff are categorised into staff levels based on experience, seniority and responsibilities, for which salary bands have been identified and approved by the board of trustees. These ensure transparency and fairness in pay and offer staff the ability to understand their opportunities for progression within the organisation. Staff pay is reviewed annually in June, with consideration of pay increases due to rises in inflation and cost of living. ## **Risk management** The trustees have a duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. The trustees have given consideration to the major risks to which the Foundation is exposed and satisfied themselves that systems or procedures are established in order to manage those risks. The trustees regularly review the risks faced by the charity at trustees' meetings and have developed an organisational risk register to formalise the procedures. This is reviewed regularly by trustees and senior staff. All risk items have an associated risk owner and for all risk items mitigation strategies should be identified and regularly reviewed. Risk items are ranked based on likelihood and impact, and a total risk score is calculated to identify low, medium and high risk items. High risk items are reviewed regularly to ensure that risks are mitigated or, where unavoidable, managed. The finance, governance and risk sub-committee is responsible for maintaining and overseeing the risk register and reporting to the board. Page 13 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Report of the Trustees for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **STREAMLINED ENERGY AND CARBON REPORTING** The charity consumed less than 40,000kWh of energy during the period and hence it is claiming exemption from reporting on this. ## **REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS Registered Company number** 12062786 (England and Wales) **Registered Charity number** 1198624 ## **Registered office** C/O Drmm 148 Tooley Street London SE1 2TU ## **Trustees** J Anstead Chair Ms C Langdon-Platt Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) Ms J Lancaster Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) Ms C A de Ferrars Green Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) Ms Y Aladerun Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) Ms R Fisher Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) Dr K Watson Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) D Roberts Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) Ms D Whitfield Trustee (appointed 21.4.23) M Chang Trustee J Alker Trustee Ms F Samuel Trustee Report of the trustees, incorporating a strategic report, approved by order of the board of trustees, as the company directors, on ............................................. and signed on the board's behalf by: 20/03/24 .......................................................... J Anstead - Trustee Page 14 ## Independent Examiner's Report to the Trustees of Quality of Life Foundation ## **Independent examiner's report to the trustees of Quality of Life Foundation ('the Company')** I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the Company for the year ended 30 June 2023. ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity's trustees of the Company (and also its directors for the purposes of company law) you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 ('the 2006 Act'). Having satisfied myself that the accounts of the Company are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the 2006 Act and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of your charity's accounts as carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011 ('the 2011 Act'). In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5) (b) of the 2011 Act. ## **Independent examiner's statement** Since your charity's gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a listed body. I can confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a registered member of ACCA which is one of the listed bodies. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe: 1. accounting records were not kept in respect of the Company as required by section 386 of the 2006 Act; or 2. the accounts do not accord with those records; or 3. the accounts do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the 2006 Act other than any requirement that the accounts give a true and fair view which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or 4. the accounts have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities (applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102)). I have no 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. Sajjad Jaffer FCCA Harris Accountancy Services Ltd Cobalt Square 83 Hagley Road Birmingham B16 8QG Date: 21[st] March 2024 Page 15 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 |Unrestricted
funds
Notes
£
**INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM**
Donations and legacies
2
2,000
Other trading activities
3
353,590
Other income
900
**Total**
356,490
**EXPENDITURE ON**
**Charitable activities**
4
Project Expenses
170,662
Other
149,624
**Total**
320,286
**NET INCOME**
36,204
**RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS**
**Total funds brought forward**
11,670
**TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD**
47,874|Restricted
fund
£
207,571
-
-
207,571
147,571
60,000
207,571
-
-
-|Total
funds
£
209,571
353,590
900
564,061
318,233
209,624
527,857
36,204
11,670
47,874| |---|---|---| The notes form part of these financial statements Page 16 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Balance Sheet 30 June 2023 |Unrestricted Restricted
funds
fund
Notes
£
£
**FIXED ASSETS**
Tangible assets
9
1,828
-
**CURRENT ASSETS**
Debtors
10
7,500
-
Cash at bank
68,313
-
75,813
-
**CREDITORS**
Amounts falling due within one year
11
(29,767)
-
**NET CURRENT ASSETS**
46,046
-
**TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT**
**LIABILITIES**
47,874
-
**NET ASSETS**
47,874
-
**FUNDS**
12
Unrestricted funds
**TOTAL FUNDS**|Total
funds
£
1,828
7,500
68,313
75,813
(29,767)
46,046
47,874
47,874
47,874
47,874| |---|---| The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 30 June 2023. The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2023 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for - (a) ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and - (b) preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company. The notes form part of these financial statements Page 17 continued... ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Balance Sheet - continued ## 30 June 2023 The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on ............................................. and were signed on its behalf by: 20/03/24 ............................................. J Anstead - Trustee The notes form part of these financial statements Page 18 ## Quality of Life Foundation Cash Flow Statement for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 |Notes
**Cash flows from operating activities**
Cash generated from operations
1
Interest paid
Tax Paid
Net cash provided by operating activities
**Cash flows from investing activities**
Purchase of tangible fixed assets
Net cash (used in)/provided by investing activities
**Change in cash and cash**
**equivalents in the reporting**
**period**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the**
**beginning of the reporting period**
**Cash and cash equivalents at the**
**end of the reporting period**|£
28,259
(5)
(945)
27,309
(1,853)
(1,853)
25,456
42,857
68,313| |---|---| The notes form part of these financial statements Page 19 ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Notes to the Cash Flow Statement for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **1. RECONCILIATION OF NET INCOME TO NET CASH FLOW FROM OPERATING ACTIVITIES** |**Net income for the reporting period (as per the Statement**
**of Financial Activities)**
**Adjustments for:**
Depreciation charges
Interest paid
Decrease in debtors
Decrease in creditors
**Net cash provided by operations**|£
36,204
683
5
21,146
(29,779)
28,259| |---|---| ## 2. **ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN NET FUNDS** ||At 1.7.22|Cash flow|At 30.6.23| |---|---|---|---| ||£|£|£| |**Net cash**|||| |Cash at bank|42,857|25,456|68,313| ||42,857|25,456|68,313| |**Total**|42,857|25,456|68,313| The notes form part of these financial statements Page 20 Quality of Life Foundation Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES** ## **Basis of preparing the financial statements** The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. ## **Income** All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. ## **Donations** Donations are recognised when the charity has been notified in writing of both the amount and settlement date. In the event that a donation is subject to conditions that require a level of performance by the charity before the charity is entitled to the funds, the income is deferred and not recognised until either those conditions are fully met, or the fulfilment of those conditions is wholly within the control of the charity, and it is probable that these conditions will be fulfilled in the reporting period. ## **Grants receivable** Grants are recognised when the charity has an entitlement to the funds and any conditions linked to the grants have been met. Where performance conditions are attached to the grant and are yet to be met, the income is recognised as a liability and included on the balance sheet as deferred income to be released. ## **Expenditure** Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. ## **Tangible fixed assets** Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. Computer equipment - 25% on cost ## **Taxation** The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. Page 22 continued... Quality of Life Foundation Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **1. ACCOUNTING POLICIES - continued** ## **Fund accounting** Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. Restricted funds can only be used for particular restricted purposes within the objects of the charity. Restrictions arise when specified by the donor or when funds are raised for particular restricted purposes. Further explanation of the nature and purpose of each fund is included in the notes to the financial statements. ## **Pension costs and other post-retirement benefits** The charitable company operates a defined contribution pension scheme. Contributions payable to the charitable company's pension scheme are charged to the Statement of Financial Activities in the period to which they relate. ## **2. DONATIONS AND LEGACIES** |Donations
National Lottery Community Fund
**3.**
**OTHER TRADING ACTIVITIES**
Consulting Services
Core Partners
**4.**
**CHARITABLE ACTIVITIES COSTS**
Project Expenses|£
2,000
207,571
209,571
£
293,590
60,000
353,590
Direct
Costs
£
318,233| |---|---| Page 23 continued... ## Quality of Life Foundation ## Notes to the Financial Statements - continued ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 |**5.**
**SUPPORT COSTS**
Other resources expended
Other resources expended
Support costs, included in the above, are as follows:
Bank charges
Interest payable and similar charges
Website
IT Support and Consumables
Software Subscriptions
HR Fees & Software
Recruitment
Depreciation of tangible fixed assets
Accountancy fees
Legal fees|Information
Human
Finance
technology
resources
£
£
£
7
16,704
3,211
Governance
Other
costs
Totals
£
£
£
683
15,948
36,553
Other
resources
expended
£
2
5
10,992
1,782
3,930
1,746
1,465
683
7,226
8,722
36,553| |---|---| ## **6. NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE)** Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting): Depreciation - owned assets £ 683 Page 24 continued... Quality of Life Foundation ## Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **7. TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS** There were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 30 June 2023. ## **Trustees' expenses** There were no trustees' expenses paid for the year ended 30 June 2023. ## **8. STAFF COSTS** |Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Other pension costs
The average monthly number of employees during the year was as follows:|£
233,107
17,904
7,229| |---|---| ||258,240| ||6| No employees received emoluments in excess of £60,000. ## **9. TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS** ||Computer| |---|---| ||equipment| ||£| |**COST**|| |At 1 July 2022|877| |Additions|1,853| |At 30 June 2023|2,730| |**DEPRECIATION**|| |At 1 July 2022|219| |Charge for year|683| |At 30 June 2023|902| |**NET BOOK VALUE**|| |At 30 June 2023|1,828| Page 25 continued... Quality of Life Foundation ## Notes to the Financial Statements - continued for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 |**10.**
**DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**
Trade debtors
**11.**
**CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR**
Trade creditors
VAT
Other creditors
**12.**
**MOVEMENT IN FUNDS**
At 1.7.22
£
**Unrestricted funds**
General fund
11,670
**TOTAL FUNDS**
11,670
Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows:
Incoming
resources
£
**Unrestricted funds**
General fund
356,490
**Restricted funds**
National Lottery Community Fund
207,571
**TOTAL FUNDS**
564,061|Net
movement
in funds
£
36,204
36,204
Resources
expended
£
(320,286)
(207,571)
(527,857)|£
7,500
£
11,640
16,405
1,722
29,767
At
30.6.23
£
47,874
47,874
Movement
in funds
£
36,204
-
36,204| |---|---|---| Page 26 continued... Quality of Life Foundation ## Notes to the Financial Statements - continued ## for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 ## **13. RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES** There were no related party transactions for the year ended 30 June 2023. Page 27 Quality of Life Foundation ## Detailed Statement of Financial Activities for the Year Ended 30 June 2023 |**INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS**
**Donations and legacies**
Donations
National Lottery Community Fund
**Other trading activities**
Consulting Services
Core Partners
**Other income**
Other Income
**Total incoming resources**
**EXPENDITURE**
**Charitable activities**
Wages
Social security
Pensions
Advertising & Marketing
Direct Consulting fees
Direct Expenses
Printing, Design & Translation
Travel & Subsistence
Fundraising
**Other**
Rent
Research & Framework
Insurance
Telephone
Postage & Stationery
Subscriptions
Travel - National
Staff Training
Travel - International
Carried forward|£
2,000
207,571
209,571
293,590
60,000
353,590
900
564,061
233,107
17,904
7,229
2,193
40,183
959
13,090
3,318
250
318,233
27,964
8,031
1,298
188
132
652
557
2,775
115
41,712| |---|---| This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements Page 28 ## Quality of Life Foundation |Detailed Statement of Financial Activities
for the Year Ended 30 June 2023
**Other**
Brought forward
Subsistence
Consultancy fees
Business Development
Board Expenses
Sundries
**Support costs**
**Finance**
Bank charges
Bank interest
**Information technology**
Website
IT Support and Consumables
Software Subscriptions
**Human resources**
HR Fees & Software
Recruitment
**Other**
Computer equipment
**Governance costs**
Accountancy fees
Legal fees
Total resources expended
**Net income**|£
41,712
378
118,524
10,254
816
1,387
173,071
2
5
7
10,992
1,782
3,930
16,704
1,746
1,465
3,211
683
7,226
8,722
15,948
527,857
36,204| |---|---| This page does not form part of the statutory financial statements Page 29