Collective Aid Charitable Foundation
Trustee Annual Report (TAR) for 04th December 2024 until 31st December 2025
Charity Name: The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation Charity Status: CIO (1206028)
Governing Document: Constitution of The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation Registered Address: 57 Preston Street, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8PG
Trustees:
Bryce Cleborne-Berube Roanna Kong Matthew Cowling Amber Bauer Emma Musty Myriam del Alba Correa Zamorra
Head of Organisation: Noah Hatchwell
Independent Examiner: Robert Couser
162 Kingsquarter, Maidenhead, SL6 1AW
Approved: DD.MM.YYYY 05.06.2026 Signed: Name Myriam del Alba Name Bryce Correa Zamorra Cleborne-Berube Title Chair Title Treasurer Date DD.MM.YYYY Date DD.MM.YYYY ~~05.06.2026~~ 05.06.2026
1.0 Contents:
1.0 Introduction ................................................................... 2 2.0 Structure, Governance and Decision Making ............... 3 3.0 Structure, Governance and Management ..................... 4 4.0 Objectives and Activities ............................................... 5 5.0 Achievements and Performance ................................... 8 6.0 Financial Review ......................................................... 10 7.0 Risk Management and Compliance ............................ 12 8.0 Strategy for 2026 ........................................................ 15 9.0 Statement of Responsibilities of the Trustees ............ 17
1.0 Introduction
The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation (CACF) is a UK-registered Charitable Incorporated Organisation established to support humanitarian aid, communications, and operational coordination for displaced people across Europe through the International Collaborative Framework of Collective Aid (ICFCA). The charity works to ensure that refugees, asylum seekers, and people on the move can access dignified humanitarian assistance while supporting frontline programmes to operate ethically, sustainably, and safely. During the year ending 31 December 2025, the CACF continued to strengthen its governance, operational oversight, and organisational capacity while supporting ICFCA programmes in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and Greece. Across these programmes, more than 14,000 individual service users received humanitarian assistance including clothing, hygiene items, non-food items, outreach, referrals, and other essential support. Programmes also continued public awareness raising and communications work.
The year was characterised by both organisational growth and continued external pressures. ICFCA programmes operated in increasingly difficult political and operational environments, including heightened border securitisation, fluctuating migration patterns, and growing pressure on humanitarian organisations. Despite these challenges, programmes adapted operations and maintained essential support services throughout the reporting period. Trustees continued to prioritise the strengthening of governance, safeguarding, financial oversight, risk management, and monitoring systems during the year. Financially, 2025 represented a period of significant growth, allowing the CACF to expand programme support, improve reserves, and strengthen organisational sustainability.
The trustees would like to recognise the commitment of teams, volunteers, contractors, partners, and supporters who contributed to the CACF and ICFCA throughout the year. Trustees are satisfied that the charity continued to fulfil its charitable objectives effectively during 2025 and that its activities provided clear public benefit to displaced people and vulnerable communities across Europe.
2.0 Structure, Governance and Decision Making
Charity Name: The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation Registered Charity Number: 1206028 Registered Address: 57 Preston Street, Faversham, Kent, ME13 8PG
Head of Organisation: Noah Hatchwell SPP Manager: Irina Maria de la Pena Toledo Advocacy Manager: Anna Gruber Communications Manager: Keith Mapeki Logistics Manager: Nicholas Clifford SRB Programmes: Isabella Alonso Garcia & Myrthe Bergsma SRB Field and Service: Sara Chianchiano & Solene Havet BIH Programmes: Valter Gros SRB Field and Service: Genevieve Skudder GR Programmes: Rea Georghiades & Joana Vilagrasa Auditor: Robert Couser
2.1 Legal Structure
The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation (CACF) is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) registered in the United Kingdom (Charity Number: 1206028). It is governed by a constitution which sets out the purposes, powers, and governance arrangements of the organisation.
2.2 Governance
The CACF is governed by a Board of Trustees (the “Board”). Trustees are legally responsible for upholding the best interests of CACF, the International Collaborative Framework of Collective Aid (ICFCA), and for ensuring compliance with the constitution. Trustees are recruited by nomination and unanimous approval of the Board. Each must sign a Trustee Agreement before appointment. The Board must consist of at least three members, including a Chair and Treasurer. The current trustees are listed on the cover of this report.
The Head of Organisation is appointed by the Board and is responsible for leading the CACF and ICFCA Programmes. They have final say over senior leadership and management decisions. The Senior Management Team implements CACF and ICFCA objectives, reporting to the Head of Organisation. Programme Managers lead each ICFCA Field Programme and report to the Senior Management Team. Coordination contractors may be engaged to support programme delivery, reporting to Programme Managers and Senior Management.
2.3 Decision-Making
The Board meets monthly, with extraordinary meetings held in urgent cases. Decisions are generally made by a two-thirds majority vote. Trustee appointments and financial
compensation decisions require unanimity. The Chair facilitates meetings, ensures fair process, and has a casting vote in case of deadlock. Senior Management also meets monthly (or more frequently as required), with the Head of Organisation retaining final authority over decisions. In accordance with Charity Commission guidance, the trustees careful oversight of all decisions to ensure CACF decisions and subsequent activities provide public benefit. The CACF’s decisions directly support vulnerable populations, including asylum seekers, refugees, and displaced people across Europe, by funding, advising, and overseeing ICFCA programmes promoting health, dignity, and safety. Trustees are satisfied that the CACF decisions support ethical, sustainable, and inclusive activities that are accessible to those in need.
2.4 Policies
The CACF has adopted policies and practices to prevent conflicts of interest, ensure safeguarding, uphold transparency, and maintain high ethical standards. The CACF overall works to ensure and uphold the broader standards and protocols defined by the ICFCA.
3.0 Structure, Governance and Management
3.1 Objectives
- The objectives of the CACF, as set out in its constitution, are:
3.1.1 To facilitate, coordinate, and manage international collaboration among ICFCA programmes, to ensure that ICFCA programmes continue to provide adaptive and multidisciplinary aid and public communications on refugees and displaced people.
3.1.2 To provide funding, key advisory support, governance, and oversight to ICFCA programmes, supporting the delivery of humanitarian aid, human rights observation, and public awareness raising.
3.1.3 To uphold the Code of Ethics of the ICFCA, which emphasises impartial humanitarian aid, safeguarding, professionalism, fairness, respect, integrity, trust, transparency, cultural sensitivity, and teamwork.
3.2 Public Benefit
The Trustees confirm that they have had due regard to the Charity Commission’s guidance on public benefit when planning activities. The CACF’s work directly supports vulnerable populations, including asylum seekers, refugees, and displaced people, by strengthening field operations and ensuring programmes operate ethically, sustainably, and with dignity.
3.3 Activities
During 2025, the CACF pursued these objectives through:
3.3.1 Grant-making, providing funding to ICFCA Programmes in Bosnia & Herzegovina, France, Serbia, and Greece.
3.3.2 Programme oversight, supporting the Head of Organisation and teams to deliver humanitarian aid and operate human rights observation.
3.3.3 Capacity-building, supporting the implementation of training, safeguarding practices, and compliance across ICFCA programmes.
3.3.4 Governance and management, ensuring strong oversight of ICFCA programmes through monthly board and management meetings, and ensuring accountability via reporting and financial controls.
4.0 Objectives and Activities
During 2025, the Collective Aid Charitable Foundation (CACF) continued to pursue its charitable objectives by supporting and overseeing the work of the International Collaborative Framework of Collective Aid (ICFCA) programmes operating across Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Greece, and other areas connected to migration routes in Europe. Activities focused on the provision of humanitarian assistance, safeguarding, public awareness raising, operational coordination, and organisational capacity-building for programmes supporting displaced people, asylum seekers, and refugees.
Despite continued political hostility towards humanitarian actors and increasingly restrictive migration environments across Europe, ICFCA programmes supported by the CACF continued to adapt operations to maintain service continuity and protect beneficiaries’ dignity, safety, and wellbeing.
4.1 Charitable Purpose
The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation provides relief and protection to survivors of war and disaster in Europe. We benefit the public by delivering adaptive aid, monitoring human rights, and raising awareness for refugees. We provide grants and governance for field programs in Bosnia, France, Serbia, and Greece. Aid is impartial, prioritizing safeguarding and dignity to ensure the safety of vulnerable populations
The trustees are satisfied that the charity’s activities during the year continued to provide clear public benefit by supporting vulnerable populations facing displacement, poverty, exclusion, border violence, homelessness, and barriers to accessing basic services. Throughout the year, the CACF worked to ensure that programmes operated in a manner consistent with humanitarian principles, safeguarding obligations, and the ICFCA Code of Ethics.
4.2 Programme Delivery
The CACF provided grant funding, governance oversight, strategic support, and operational guidance to ICFCA programmes delivering frontline humanitarian assistance in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Greece.
In Serbia, programmes continued to support displaced populations affected by border violence, insecure housing conditions, limited access to reception facilities, and heightened policing. Following operational changes in prior periods, teams continued to adapt services to changing humanitarian conditions while maintaining distributions of essential non-food items (NFIs), clothing, hygiene materials, and information support.
In Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Sarajevo programme continued to experience sustained humanitarian demand throughout the year. The programme distributed essential clothing, hygiene items, footwear, and seasonal aid to displaced people living in precarious conditions, while continuing to strengthen referral pathways and coordination with local and international actors. The online ordering and service management systems introduced during the previous reporting period continued to improve accessibility, operational efficiency, and dignity within service delivery.
In Greece, the free shop programme on Lesvos continued to grow substantially during 2025, becoming an increasingly important source of clothing, hygiene items, and basic support for displaced populations living in and around camp settings. The programme responded to persistent challenges relating to overcrowding, prolonged asylum procedures, inadequate living conditions, and limited access to essential services.
Across all programmes, the CACF supported the strengthening of operational management systems, safeguarding implementation, volunteer coordination, monitoring systems, and programme governance. Trustees are satisfied that these activities directly advanced the charity’s constitutional objectives and contributed to the protection of vulnerable populations.
4.3 Communications
The CACF and ICFCA continued to support communications activities designed to document and raise awareness of conditions affecting displaced populations across Europe.
Programmes in Serbia, Greece, and Bosnia & Herzegovina contributed operational insights relating to border violence, pushbacks, inadequate reception conditions, barriers to asylum access, and humanitarian concerns affecting displaced people. This information informed communications activities, public reporting, and collaboration with partner organisations.Throughout the year, the CACF supported the production of situational updates, communications outputs, and communications materials intended to increase public awareness and contribute to discussions relating to migration and humanitarian access.
The trustees are satisfied that these activities remained within the charity’s charitable purposes and contributed to the advancement of human rights, dignity, safeguarding, and public awareness regarding the conditions faced by displaced populations.
4.4 Capacity Building, Monitoring and Organisational Development
A significant organisational priority during 2025 was the continued strengthening of management systems, accountability structures, and monitoring capacity across the CACF and ICFCA programmes.
Building on systems introduced in previous periods, the organisation continued to develop its Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability and Learning (MEAL) framework. Weekly and monthly reporting processes were refined to improve consistency, operational oversight, and evidence-based decision-making across programmes. Trustees received more structured operational reporting throughout the year, strengthening governance oversight and organisational accountability. The CACF also continued to support safeguarding implementation, training development, governance improvements, and operational compliance across programmes. Trustees maintained oversight of policy development and risk management processes to ensure that organisational growth remained proportionate, ethical, and sustainable.
The trustees consider these developments to be essential in ensuring that the charity remains resilient, accountable, and capable of delivering effective public benefit over the long term.
4.5 Partnerships and Collaboration
The CACF and ICFCA programmes continued to work collaboratively with a range of humanitarian organisations, grassroots initiatives, advocacy groups, and local actors throughout 2025. The trustees recognise that collaborative working remains essential to effective humanitarian response, particularly in politically and operationally challenging environments. The charity therefore continued to prioritise constructive partnerships and coalition-based approaches where these supported the charity’s objectives and strengthened public benefit.
4.6 Annual Reflection
The trustees are pleased to report that, despite a difficult operational environment, the CACF and ICFCA programmes continued to deliver meaningful humanitarian support, strengthen communications activities, and improve organisational systems throughout 2025. Humanitarian services were maintained and adapted where necessary, operational oversight and accountability mechanisms were strengthened, and programmes continued to provide support to displaced populations with dignity and professionalism. Taken together, the trustees are satisfied that the activities carried out and the current operating model used during the year are directly furthering the charity’s objectives and delivering clear and measurable public benefit.
5.0 Achievements and Performance
2025 represented a year of significant organisational growth and consolidation for the CACF. Following the establishment of foundational governance and financial systems during the previous reporting period, the charity entered a phase of expanded operational activity, increased grant-making, and strengthened organisational oversight. The trustees are satisfied that the charity made substantial progress against its operational, governance, financial, and strategic objectives during the year. This progress included increased programme reach, stronger financial sustainability, improved monitoring systems, expanded communications activity, and enhanced governance and risk management processes.
At the same time, trustees recognise that the organisation continues to operate in highly volatile and politically challenging environments, and that organisational growth has required ongoing adaptation, prioritisation, and systems development.
5.1 Performance and Reach
Across ICFCA programmes, humanitarian assistance continued throughout the year despite operational pressures and changing migration dynamics across Europe. During the reporting period, ICFCA programmes supported a total of 14,048 individual service users across Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Greece. Of these, 6,693 individuals were supported in Bosnia & Herzegovina, 5,536 in Greece and 1,819 in Serbia. Average monthly service user numbers across all programmes exceeded 1,080 individuals.
The Bosnia & Herzegovina programme maintained the highest overall service volume, averaging approximately 515 service users per month, while Greece averaged 426 monthly service users and Serbia averaged 140 monthly service users. Service demand fluctuated significantly throughout the year in response to migration patterns, policing activity, seasonal conditions, and programme accessibility.
Programmes also distributed substantial quantities of clothing, hygiene items, footwear, and other essential non-food items throughout the year. Across all programmes, total recorded
stock outgoing exceeded 75,000 distributed items during the reporting period, reflecting the scale of humanitarian need addressed through ICFCA operations.
Key operational achievements during the reporting period included: continued humanitarian service delivery across Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Greece; sustained distributions of essential non-food items to displaced populations; continued development of dignified and accessible service delivery systems; expansion and consolidation of the Greece free shop programme; improved programme coordination and operational reporting; continued collaboration with partner organisations and referral networks; and ongoing support for communications, human rights observation, and evidence collection activities.
The trustees are particularly encouraged by the organisation’s increased operational stability compared to previous years, despite ongoing external pressures including border violence, hostile political conditions, operational uncertainty, and fluctuating humanitarian demand.
5.2 Organisational Development
Public engagement activities continued to expand during 2025. Across the reporting period, ICFCA programmes produced 39 blogs and public communications outputs, and undertook approximately 574 recorded outreach conversations with service users and affected populations. Programmes also continued engagement with humanitarian actors, civil society organisations, and local stakeholders in order to contribute frontline evidence and operational insights to wider discussions regarding migration, humanitarian access, and border violence.
A major area of achievement during 2025 was the continued strengthening of governance, management systems, and organisational oversight. The Board formalised and expanded its use of structured governance processes, including enhanced risk management systems, more detailed financial oversight, and more consistent operational reporting. Trustees also strengthened the use of formal decision tracking and governance review mechanisms during the year. The organisation’s MEAL systems continued to mature significantly, improving the consistency and reliability of programme data and enabling more evidence-based operational oversight. Trustees consider this an important development in strengthening accountability, transparency, and long-term organisational resilience. The charity also continued to strengthen safeguarding implementation, policy development, and operational compliance processes across programmes.
5.3 Financial Performance
The charity experienced substantial financial growth during the reporting period, with income increasing from £50,968 in 2024 to £240,393 in 2025.
This growth enabled the CACF to significantly expand grant-making and operational support to ICFCA programmes while also strengthening reserves and improving financial resilience. Closing reserves increased to £85,918, placing the organisation in a substantially stronger financial position than in the previous reporting period.
The trustees consider this financial growth to reflect increasing organisational maturity, stronger donor confidence, and improved fundraising capacity. However, trustees also recognise that continued financial growth introduces additional governance and operational responsibilities, and therefore continued to prioritise prudent financial oversight and sustainability planning throughout the year.
5.4 Areas for Improvement
The trustees recognise that rapid organisational growth has highlighted areas requiring continued development and investment. In particular, the organisation identified the need for: further strengthening of financial management systems; continued investment in monitoring and evaluation capacity; clearer operational standardisation across programmes; improved long-term workforce planning and contractor continuity; continued policy development and review; and further diversification of income streams to reduce reliance on a limited number of major funders.
The trustees also recognise that humanitarian and public-awareness-raising organisations operating within politically sensitive migration contexts continue to face elevated reputational, safeguarding, and operational risks. The Board therefore considers ongoing investment in governance, safeguarding, compliance, and accountability systems to remain a strategic priority.
6.0 Financial Review
6.1 Background
The financial year ending 31 December 2025 marks the second full year of active financial operations for the CACF, building on the foundations of governance, compliance and financial systems established in the prior year. During this period, the CACF significantly expanded its operational and fundraising activity, reflecting the growth trajectory anticipated in the 2024 Trustee Annual Report.
6.2 Income and Expenditure
The charity's total income for the year ending 31 December 2025 was £240,393 , representing a substantial increase on the prior year (2024: £50,968). Income comprised grants of £203,923 and donations of £36,470. This growth reflects the trustees' and Senior Management's
prioritisation of income diversification and strengthened donor engagement during the year, in line with the financial sustainability objectives set out in the 2024 report.
Total expenditure for the year was £164,364 (2024: £41,079), reflecting the significant expansion of programme activity and organisational capacity. The principal categories of expenditure were consultancy fees (£69,025), charitable costs (£20,199), and donations paid out (£76,632), alongside bank charges (£1,079), a foreign exchange gain of (£2,836), and sundry expenses (£265). This expenditure pattern reflects the CACF's continued model of delivering programmatic impact through contracted specialists and direct grant-making to ICFCA field programmes.
The year closed with net receipts of £76,029 , resulting in closing reserves of £85,918 as at 31 December 2025 (2024: £9,889). The trustees are pleased to note that this represents a significant strengthening of the charity's financial position.
6.3 Reserves Policy
The trustees maintain a formal reserves policy adopted in accordance with Charity Commission guidance and ISO 22301 standards, the purpose of which is to ensure operational continuity, safeguard against unforeseen financial risk, and preserve the charity's capacity to respond to humanitarian emergencies.
The policy targets emergency reserves of between 10% and 50% of annual operating costs, equating to between approximately one and six months of expenditure. On the basis of 2025 expenditure of £164,364, this range equates to a target of approximately £16,436 to £82,182.
The closing reserves of £85,918 place the CACF at the upper end of, and marginally above, this target range. The trustees consider this a positive outcome given the rapid growth in operational scale during the year, and will review the reserves policy and target range in 2026 to ensure it remains calibrated appropriately to the charity's current risk profile, financial outlook, and strategic priorities. The trustees are satisfied that the current level of reserves provides an appropriate buffer to sustain operations and protect programme delivery in the event of income disruption.
6.4 Accounts Compliance
The accounts for the year were prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Charity Commission for England and Wales. They have been independently examined by Robert Couser, whose report confirms that, to the best of his knowledge and belief, the accounts give a true and fair view of the CACF’s financial activities and position. Trustees have approved the accounts and are satisfied that the financial statements provide a transparent and accurate reflection of the CACF’s financial performance and compliance with statutory obligations.
6.5 Future Financial Planning
The trustees recognise that 2025 has been a year of significant financial growth and that the coming year will require careful stewardship. For 2026, priorities include continuing to diversify income beyond the current grant and donation base, developing more structured and sustainable fundraising activity, and strengthening donor relationships with both institutional and individual funders.
The Board has also agreed to move towards more formal accounting software from 2026 onwards, in order to support more strategic monitoring and longer-term planning. The trustees are confident that the financial systems, oversight mechanisms, and reserves position established and strengthened during 2025 provide a sound basis for the CACF's continued growth and for the delivery of its charitable objectives in the year ahead.
7.0 Risk Management and Compliance
7.1 Overview
The trustees regard risk management as a core governance responsibility and an integral part of the CACF's oversight of both its own operations and those of the ICFCA programmes it funds and supports. As the charity has grown significantly in scale during 2025, the trustees have continued to strengthen the frameworks, systems and processes through which risks are identified, assessed, mitigated and monitored. The trustees are satisfied that proportionate and prudent risk management arrangements are in place across all areas of the CACF's activity, and that these arrangements are adequate to protect the charity's objectives, assets, reputation, and the public benefit it delivers.
7.2 Risk Management Framework
7.2.1 The trustees and Senior Management Team maintain and review a formal risk register on a quarterly basis. Each risk is assessed according to its likelihood and potential impact, and assigned appropriate mitigation measures. The Board receives regular reports on emerging and evolving risks, and the Head of Organisation retains direct operational responsibility for implementing and monitoring mitigation strategies. The risk register covers four principal categories: financial and funding risks, operational and programme risks, reputational risks, and compliance risks.
In 2025, the Board formalised its use of the organisational risk register for governance risk management purposes (Decision 2025-GOV-15), reflecting the trustees'
commitment to embedding structured risk oversight across all levels of the organisation.
7.2.2 The CACF's most significant financial risk remains income volatility and dependency on a limited number of grant funders. The charity's income grew substantially in 2025, which itself introduces risks relating to financial management capacity and the sustainability of that income base. Mitigation measures include the active diversification of income streams, the cultivation of longer-term institutional partnerships, the maintenance of reserves in accordance with the reserves policy (see Section 6.3), and the appointment of a continuing accountant to provide financial oversight and timely year-end closure. The Board has also agreed to move to trimestral financial reviews from 2026, supporting more strategic and forward-looking financial monitoring.
The trustees also formally assessed the threshold at which a financial hiatus might become necessary (Decision 2025-FIN-01), demonstrating a transparent and proactive approach to solvency risk. No such hiatus was required during the year, and the charity closed 2025 in a sound financial position.
7.2.3 Operational risks include programme continuity in challenging and politically hostile environments, team and volunteer turnover, contractor reliability, and the safeguarding of beneficiaries and personnel across multiple jurisdictions. ICFCA programmes operate in contexts where legal and political conditions can change rapidly, as evidenced by the relocation of the Serbia programme and the pause of the France programme during the reporting period.
Mitigation strategies include adaptive operational planning, close monitoring of security and political developments in programme regions, strong contractual arrangements with programme contractors, and the embedding of safeguarding policies and mandatory training across all ICFCA programmes. The new MEAL framework introduced during the year has also reduced monitoring gaps caused by team transitions or programme relocations, providing trustees with more reliable programme data on which to base oversight decisions.
In 2025, the Board also considered and approved the acquisition of the LNOB project as a pilot programme (Decision 2025-GOV-16), subject to satisfactory resolution of risk, rent and operational considerations. This demonstrates the trustees' practice of applying structured risk assessment to strategic programme decisions before committing resources.
7.2.4 The CACF operates in an environment of significant public and media scrutiny of humanitarian organisations, particularly those working with displaced and asylum-seeking populations. Reputational risks include public perception of the CACF and ICFCA, partner relationships, public-engagement activities, and the conduct of volunteers and team members on and off duty.
During 2025, the Board addressed an incident involving a volunteer sharing service information content on personal social media (Decision 2025-GOV-18). This was handled through a governance response that balanced safeguarding obligations with a proportionate approach, and the matter was referred to policy review cycle for systemic address. The trustees consider this a demonstration of appropriate and timely risk governance in practice.
Mitigation measures more broadly include a robust communications policy, clear protocols for external engagement and media relations, and ongoing trustee oversight of public-engagement activities to ensure they remain within the CACF's charitable purposes and do not expose the charity to undue reputational risk.
7.3 Regulatory Compliance
7.3.1 The CACF is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (1206028) and the trustees are committed to full compliance with all applicable regulatory requirements.
The accounts have been prepared in accordance with the Receipts and Payments basis applicable to charities of the CACF's income level, and will be independently examined prior to submission in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. The trustees are satisfied that the CACF has met all material Charity Commission reporting and compliance obligations for the year.
7.3.2 The CACF is committed to compliance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. The nature of the CACF's work, supporting programmes and teams working with vulnerable populations including asylum seekers, refugees, and displaced people, means that data protection is a matter of particular sensitivity and ethical weight. The charity holds personal data only where necessary, for defined purposes, and in accordance with its data protection obligations. Access to sensitive data is restricted to those with a legitimate need, and data is not shared with third parties except where legally required or where the data subject has given informed consent.
The reputational incident involving volunteer social media use, addressed by the Board in August 2025, also highlighted the importance of proper guidance with data protection compliance at the programme level, and the trustees have committed to strengthening relevant policies through the forthcoming policy review cycle.
7.3.3 Safeguarding also remains a central organisational priority. The CACF and ICFCA programmes work directly with vulnerable adults and, in some contexts, children, in environments where risks of exploitation, abuse, and harm are elevated. The CACF upholds a robust safeguarding framework, including mandatory safeguarding training for all programme teams and volunteers, clear reporting lines for safeguarding concerns, and compliance with the ICFCA's Code of Ethics and wider safeguarding protocols.
The trustees receive safeguarding updates as part of regular governance reporting and are satisfied that the systems in place are adequate and proportionate to the environments in which ICFCA programmes operate. Safeguarding policy review is embedded in the annual governance cycle and will continue to be a priority in 2026.
7.3.4 The CACF and ICFCA are committed to the health, safety and dignity of all programme teams, contractors, and beneficiaries. ICFCA programmes operate under the ICFCA Code of Ethics, which sets standards for impartiality, professionalism, fairness, respect, integrity, transparency, cultural sensitivity, and teamwork. Health and safety considerations are embedded in programme planning, particularly in contexts where teams operate in physically and politically challenging environments.
8.0 Strategy for 2026
The trustees recognise that 2025 represented a year of significant growth and organisational development for the CACF. Building on this progress, the charity’s strategy for 2026 focuses on consolidation, sustainability, governance strengthening, and the continued delivery of effective humanitarian support and communications.
The trustees are conscious that the organisation is operating within an increasingly volatile humanitarian and political environment, and therefore consider resilience, adaptability, and prudent governance to be central strategic priorities for the year ahead. The CACF enters 2026 in a substantially stronger operational and financial position than in previous years. While recognising the uncertainties and challenges inherent in humanitarian work, trustees are confident that the charity’s strengthened governance systems, improved financial position, and developing organisational capacity provide a strong foundation for continued delivery of public benefit in the year ahead.
8.1 Sustainability
During 2026, the CACF will continue supporting ICFCA programmes in Serbia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, and Greece through grant-making, governance oversight, operational advice, and strategic support. A key priority for the year will be strengthening the long-term sustainability and operational resilience of existing programmes while ensuring that services remain adaptive to changing humanitarian conditions and migration dynamics. The charity will continue to support dignified humanitarian assistance, safeguarding implementation, and evidence-based operational planning across all programmes.
The trustees will also continue to assess opportunities for strategic partnerships, programme development, and responsible expansion where these align with the charity’s objectives, operational capacity, and risk framework.
8.2 Communications
The CACF and ICFCA will continue supporting public awareness raising activities that amplify the experiences and concerns of displaced populations and contribute to evidence-based public engagement. Strategic priorities for 2026 in this stream include: strengthening the quality and consistency of programme reporting; expanding evidence collection capacity; improving external communications and public engagement; and continuing collaborative work with humanitarian and civil society partners.
The trustees consider evidence-gathering and communications to remain an essential component of the charity’s public benefit objectives, particularly in environments where displaced people face heightened exclusion, violence, or barriers to accessing support.
8.3 Capacity
A major strategic priority for 2026 will be strengthening long-term financial sustainability and organisational capacity. The trustees intend to continue diversifying income streams, strengthening donor engagement, and developing more structured fundraising systems in order to reduce dependency on a limited number of funding sources. The organisation will also continue strengthening financial oversight systems and implementing more formal financial monitoring processes to support sustainable growth.
The Board will oversee the planned transition towards more formal accounting and financial management systems during 2026, supporting improved financial planning, reporting, and governance capacity.
8.4 Attention to good governance, risk management and compliance
The trustees recognise that continued organisational growth must be matched by continued investment in governance and compliance systems. Strategic priorities for 2026 in this stream therefore include: continued trustee development and recruitment; strengthening policy review and compliance systems; further embedding safeguarding and accountability practices across programmes; improving risk management processes and governance reporting; and strengthening organisational resilience planning.
The trustees will continue to ensure that the CACF operates in accordance with Charity Commission guidance, its constitutional objectives, and the broader ethical standards of the ICFCA.
9.0 Statement of Responsibilities of the Trustees
9.1 Legal Responsibilities
The trustees of the Collective Aid Charitable Foundation are responsible for preparing the Trustee Annual Report and the receipts and payments accounts in accordance with applicable law and the requirements of the Charity Commission for England and Wales.
Under charity law, the trustees are required to prepare accounts for each financial year that give a true and fair view of the charity's financial activities during the year and of its financial position at the end of the year. In preparing those accounts, the trustees are required to select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently, observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP, make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent, and prepare the accounts on a going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to assume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity, and for ensuring that the accounts comply with the charity's governing document, the Charities Act 2011, and Charity Commission regulations. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and for taking reasonable steps to prevent and detect fraud and other irregularities.
9.2 Approval
The trustees confirm that this Trustee Annual Report, covering the year ended 31 December 2025, was approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue.
������� No. 1206028
THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.� ��������������������� ACCOUNTS�FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
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THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.� ��������������������� ACCOUNTS�FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
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THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.� ������� INFORMATION FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
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Amber Bauer Matthew Cowling Roanna Kong Bryce Cleborne-Berube
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1206028 (England and Wales)
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57 Preston Street Faversham Kent ME13 8PG England
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THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.� ��������������������� FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
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| 2025 £ 240,393 (164,364) 76,029 |
2024 £ 50,968 (41,079) |
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| 9,889 |
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THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.� STATEMENT OF ���������������������� AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2025
| ��������� Net current assets Total assets less current liabilities Net assets �eserves |
85,918 | 2025 £ 9,889 85,918 85,918 85,918 85,918 ���������� ����� |
2024 £ 9,889 9,889 9,889 9,889 ���������� ����� |
|---|---|---|---|
Approved by the �������� on
Bryce Cleborne Berube, 23.07.2026 ��������� ������� Board Treasurer and Trustee of The Collective Aid Charitable Foundation
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THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION.� DETAILED ��������������������� FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2025
DRAFT
DRAFT
| Turnover ������ ��������� Other Bank charges Donations Loss/(profit) on foreign exchange transactions Sundry expenses Consultancy fees ���������� costs ������������� |
2025 £ 2������ - 240,393 1,079 ������ (2,836) 265 69,025 - 164,364 76,029 ������ ������ |
2024 £ 49,082 1,��� |
|---|---|---|
| 50,968 | ||
| 24 - (16) 40 22,309 18,722 |
||
| 41,079 | ||
| 9,889 |
���������������
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Independent examiner's report on the accounts
Section A Independent Examiner’s Report
| Report to the trustees/ members of On accounts for the period ended Set out on pages |
Charity Name THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. |
Charity Name THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. |
Charity Name THE COLLECTIVE AID CHARITABLE FOUNDATION. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 31st December 2025 | Charity no (if any) |
1206028 | |
| (remember to include the page | numbers of additional sheets) |
I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts of the above charity (“the Trust”) for the period ended 31 / 12 / 2025 .
Responsibilities and As the charity trustees of the Trust, you are responsible for the preparation basis of report 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 the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act.
Independent examiner's statement
I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention (other than that disclosed below *) in connection with the examination which gives me cause to believe that in, any material respect:
-
accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Act or
-
the accounts do not accord with the accounting records
I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.
- Please delete the words in the brackets if they do not apply.
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IER
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Date: 02/03/2026 Signed: Name: Robert Couser Relevant professional ICAEW - ACA qualification(s) or body (if any): Address: 162 Kingsquarter Maidenhead SL6 1AW
1
Section B
Disclosure
Only complete if the examiner needs to highlight matters of concern (see CC32, Independent examination of charity accounts: directions and guidance for examiners).
Give here brief details of any items that the examiner wishes to disclose .
2
IER