**Registered Charity Number 1206961** ## **FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION** **(A Charitable Incorporated Organisation)** **FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 March 2025** FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## CONTENTS ## FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 ||Page| |---|---| |REFERENCE & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS|2| |TRUSTEES' REPORT|3-9| |INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT|10| |STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES|11| |BALANCE SHEET|12| |NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS|13-15| 1 FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## REFERENCE & ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 |Registered charity number:|1206961| |---|---| |Registered office and|4th Floor, Space4| |operational address|113-115 Fonthill Road| ||LONDON| ||N4 3HH| |Trustees|Gisela Valle Garcia| ||Sara Kirkpatrick| ||Nicola Rosemary Dhillon| ||Onaiza Fice (Appointed on 26 July 2024, resigned on 14 April 2025)| |Bankers|Metro Bank| ||One Southampton Row| ||London WC1B 5HA| |Independent examiners|Balanced Figures Accounting Limited| ||124 City Road| ||London| ||EC1V 2NX| 2 ## Faith and Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition ## **Annual Report Narrative** ## **For the year ended 31 March 2025** ## **1. Introduction** The Faith and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Coalition is a values-led charity working at the intersections of faith, race, feminism, and the elimination of violence against women and girls. Founded in March 2020 and becoming a charity in February 2024 and independent in April 2024. We are a coalition of organisations and individuals who believe faith and minoritised communities have a vital role to play in ending violence against women and girls. We work to build a movement of specialist organisations within and across communities to end all forms of VAWG including domestic abuse and sexual violence. We recognise and bridge the gap between women’s services, secular agencies and faith communities which lead to barriers in accessing lifesaving support; justice and entrenches discrimination including harmful racial stereotypes to ensure holistic support for survivors from faith backgrounds. ## **2. Our Charitable Object** As set out in our constitution, the objectives of the charity are to: - Advance education and awareness in UK faith communities on the impact and prevention of VAWG. - Promote the protection of women and girls through interfaith collaboration and advocacy. - Relieve suffering and distress experienced by survivors, regardless of background or belief. An essential part of our independence process was the creation of our organisational vision, mission and values. **Our vision:** A world where women & girls are free from all forms of violence, where they live and thrive without fear or intimidation. As people of faith and non, we believe that every human being is born free and deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. We 3 envision a society where violence, specifically by men against women is not tolerated, where communities act in solidarity with survivors, and where perpetrators are held accountable for their actions. We envision a world where faith and faith communities are seen and recognise themselves as invaluable partners in the mission to end violence against women, providing safe spaces for survivors to heal, and working to challenge societal norms that perpetuate inequalities, all forms of abuse and hold perpetrators accountable. F **Our mission** : is to build a movement of specialist organisations within and across communities to end violence against women and girls by: - Amplifying and centering the voices of survivors from faith and marginalised backgrounds to ensure that their concerns, needs and experiences shape responses to VAWG. - Build the literacy and capacity of the women’s sector and secular agencies to understand the unique needs, strengths and barriers faced by survivors from faith backgrounds- including how faith can be a tool for survivor-centered justice and for holding perpetrators to account- while building a movement between faith communities, advocates and professional committed to ending vawg. - Enable positive policy and practice change to improve government and organisational policies and practices so they are inclusive, empowering and responsive to the needs of survivors from faith communities. - Engage with and learn from faith communities by working collaboratively with them and their leadership to critically reflect on harmful practices, amplify faith-rooted approaches to ending VAWG and support faith leadership to challenge abuse. In doing so we are guided by our **foundational principles** and values which are: - Ascribing to an inclusive feminist analysis of male violence against women. - There is no hierarchy of faith, belief or non-belief. All are equal and can work together collaboratively. - We believe that faith and religion can be used and have the ethical traditions to eliminate VAWG. - Violence against women and girls is aided by systems of oppression that create marginalised and disparate experiences. - We are grounded in our expertise and experience as survivors, believers and professionals within the ending vawg movement. 4 - Recognise that in a secular system, faith can be racialised and intersects with race and ‘invisibilsed’ within white majority populations, thereby impacting the visibility and experience of survivors and communities. - We actively pursue learning and reflexivity in our work and practice ## **3. Activities and Achievements this year** In pursuit of our strategic vision and mission the following was achieved between April 2024 and March 2025: In April 2024, we transitioned from being hosted by Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse since our launch in March 2020 into an independent charity with continued support from the Oak Foundation and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. This involved the setting up of structures and systems that enable the functioning of an organisation and a charity in accordance with the Charity Commission and compliant with the laws of England and Wales as a charitable organisation, as an employer and a constituted organisation. This was such a central part of the work that it became a workstream that we named Building resilient and adaptable infrastructure **Building resilient and adaptable infrastructure** (BRAI) Much of this year involved building the different components of the organisation such as recruiting a trustee board, creating the executive team of staff and ensuring legal requirements such as contracts, policies, employee handbooks, a bank account, financial systems and processes, and fundraising. We worked with multiple experts and specialists in fundraising, financial management, human resources, and received support in creating our ways of working including team building exercises and training to develop our capacity and organisational culture. This work is ongoing. In addition, we reviewed our organisational mission and strategic priorities, spending significant time mapping these into our current and future activities. As identified previously, our 4 strategic priorities are: **Amplifying Survivor Voices** - we amplify survivors voices by working and providing support for our 45 existing members. However, we made extra effort and resources for over 10-member organisation (who provide front-line support and services to survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence). This work involved joint activities either through public-facing events advocating for survivors, informing the public, or providing strategic support internally. We have also consulted with three member organisations particularly Church of Scotland –VAWG Integrity subgroup, Muslim Youth Helpline and The Traveller Movement on their priorities to continue centering survivors in their work. **Building Literacy and Knowledge** - this year we have participated in over 20 network meetings including Harmful Practices Strategic Partnership, Harmful Practices Operational Group, and the Lived Experience Leads Network run by a combination of 5 local authorities, sector specialists and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner’s Office. We have also presented and spoken at five VAWG sector-led national conferences, sharing our knowledge about the barriers faced by survivors from faith backgrounds and their needs. Our **movement building** work comes from our membership work which saw us convening 3 Membership Network meetings and delivering 3 public events where collectively over 150 participants were in attendance. Participants in all meetings reported the appreciation and use of the spaces for safety, collaboration and partnership that we created between members and also between people attending our public events. **Policy and Practice Change-** In our first year we have had a very successful engagement strategy of meeting and working with over 10 policymaking, funding and influencing bodies including (e.g., Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime, the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Safeguarding in Safe Communities and the APPG on Perpetrators of domestic abuse to improve responses to perpetrators, male victims, and young people using violence and abuse. We consulted the London Government Authority on DARDR (Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews) and the importance of understanding and being curious about the role of faith in the victims and their families’ lives. This year also saw us communicate and media in our knowledge building and advocacy work. We took part in BBC Radio 5 Live’s special show and gender-based violence in the UK in March 2025. We have also been featured in Third Sector magazine discussing the impact of setting up setting up and maintaining a small charity working on systemic discrimination on a team of three. In addition, We partnered with faith informed domestic abuse charities Restored and Jewish Women’s Aid, alongside the think tank Theos to carry out a series of activities including a roundtable, an open letter and media campaign on the “Assisted Dying Bill’s” impact and its vulnerabilities on survivors of VAWG, particularly when faith and spirituality are part of the dynamics of abuse. In addition, we partnered with our member, the Inclusive Mosque Initiative to feature a series of blogs throughout Islamophobia awareness month to highlight the impact of Islamophobia and particularly gendered Islamophobia on survivors of abuse. Similarly, during Black History Month we created a social media campaign to raise awareness of ‘Misogynoir’ the experiences of racism and discrimination Black women face and its impact on their daily lives. **Engaging Faith Communities-** is our fourth strategic priorities and this year we have held 12 engagements with faith communities, whether through direct visits to faith institutions, partaking in podcasts about domestic abuse and faith led by faith communities or through formal multi and interfaith platforms such as Religions for Peace UK, the Faith Charities Forum or working with faith leaders to host a webinar on faith, theology and violence against women and girls. 6 We were delighted to be featured and awarded a _True Honour Award_ by the Iranian and Kurdish Rights of Women Organisation (IKROW) as part of their annual True Honour Awards Ceremony in March, recognising our work and efforts this year. ## **4. Financial Review** This being our first year of operation as an independent charity, financial sustainability is at the forefront of our priorities. We have been lucky enough to be supported by the Oak Foundation for multi-year funding (3 years) and the Esme Fairbarin Foundation’s 15month support (the sole funder of our seed project). Our total income for this year is £313,939 and our total expenditure is £171,710. All our expenditure supports the key objectives and priorities of our charity as described above. The complex independence process resulted in us requesting a delay of releasing of funds from Oak until our bank account was set up and our charity registration was complete. This coincided with Oak Foundation’s internal changes to their grant management system (the change in intermediary, Global Dialogue) that required the release of year ‘two’ funding in one transaction. Consequently, the release of remaining funds for year ‘one’ and the provision of all funding for year ‘two’ was given within our first year of independent operation. Whilst this ensured we are financially viable it has inflated the true figure of our budget. Our incubator, Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse, provided us with the remainder of the first payment of the Oak year 1 grant as they were no longer fiscally hosting us (£14,629). Whilst the Transformational Governance Group awarded us £5K that we decided to allocate to our governance work. Our co-founding organisation, Foundation for Women’s Health Research and Development (FORWARD) invited us to collaborate on their specialist retreat for by and for leadership that included reimbursement of expenses (£686). We envisage our second year of independence to give a true reflection of our budget which we know is around £200K figure. **Reserves Policy-** The Trustees have adopted a policy whereby the unrestricted reserves held by the charity allow for three months of budgeted expenditure in the event of a funding shortfall. As a new charity, that was nested as part of a larger organisation with an established financial system and reserves policy that has been around for more than 20 years, we are naturally at the start of our Reserves development. Currently we are not at our target of 3 months operating figure but in collaboration with our trustees are building a dedicated Reserves account to ensure these funds are held separately to the existing core funding that we have received from our two principal funders. Trustees meeting regularly throughout the year (a minimum of 5 times a year) and the financial health and Reserves Policy of the Charity are reviewed at each meeting. Everyone considers it a 7 priority to secure sufficient income to ensure sufficient reserves and the long-term future of the Charity. ## **5. Governance and Structure** The charity is governed by a board of trustees and its constitution. It is also a registered charity in England and Wales, and its Charity number is 1206961. Trustees are selected based on skills, experience, and alignment with the charity’s aims. The Charity’s constitution states that a minimum of three trustees is required, and a maximum of 11 may serve on the Board. Currently we have three trustees, all of whom are co-founding members. We have plans for expanding the board and expect new trustees to undertake training and a bespoke induction programme that we are in the middle of developing. Trustees meet at least five times per year, and all trustees are volunteers and receive no renumeration from or in connection with the charity outside of reasonable expenses such as travel and overnight stay where applicable. **Origins-** The Charity was founded at the end of a project (Safety Across Faith and Ethnic Communities Project) led by Huda Jawad, funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation in 2017 whilst at Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse. At the end of the two- year project funding was received from Oak Foundation in October 2019, and the Faith and VAWG Coalition project was officially launched on 5 March 2020 at a conference in London co-founded by participation from FORWARD UK (Mary Otuko), Restored (Mandy Marshall), Muslim Youth Helpline (Zohra Khaku), Jewish Women’s Aid (Noami Dickson), Latin American Women's Rights Service (Gisela Vale), Respect (Sara Kirpatrick), Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse (Huda Jawad and Sally Jackson) Nikki Dhillon-Keane, Natalie Collins and Sara Hyde. The funding agreement with Oak Foundation confirmed that the Coalition would become an independent entity by the end of the 3-year funding period. In 2023 work began on the independence process which involved recruiting a ‘shadow’ board of trustees to help steer, advise and enable the transition. Trustees were recruited from the original ‘founding group’ who were asked to self-nominate if there was an interest in being part of the trustee board, on the understanding that the 'founding group’ would be disbanded to ensure the efficient and transparent use of power and decision making required for independence. On 9 February 2024 the Charity Commission confirmed the registration of the Faith and VAWG Coalition as a charity and it was agreed with Standing Together Against Domestic Abuse that the staff TUPE process would end on 1 April 2024 where the Charity becomes the official employer. 8 In June 2024, the trustees appointed an Executive Director, with the day-to-day operations managed by a team of three including the Organisation Lead and the Membership & Strategy Lead. ## **7. Auditor's Report** The charity's income and budget do not require an independent auditor’s report. 9 FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 I report to the trustees on my examination of the accounts for Faith and Violence Against Women and Girls Coalition (“the charity”) for the year ended 31 March 2025 ## **Responsibilities and basis of report** As the charity's trustees, you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011(“the Act”). I report in respect of my examination of the Trust’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination, I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Act. ## **Independent examiner's statement** Since the Charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000 your examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the 2011 Act. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT), which is one of the listed bodies. I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with the examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect: 1) the accounting records were not kept in accordance with section 130 of the Charities Act; or 2) the accounts did not accord with the accounting records; or 3) the accounts do not comply with the applicable requirements concerning the form and content of accounts set out in the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 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. 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. Farheen Usmani MAAT Balanced Figures Accounting Limited 124 City Road London EC1V 2NX Date: 22 May 2025 10 ## FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 |Notes
**Income from:**
Donations and Legacies
2
Charitable activities
3
Investments
**Total**
**Expenditure on:**
Raising funds
4
Charitable activities
5
Other
**Total**
**Net income/(expenditure)**
Transfers between funds
**Net movement in funds**
**Reconciliation of funds:**
Total funds brought forward
**Total funds carried forward**|Unrestricted
Restricted
Total Funds
Funds
Funds
2025
£
£
£
313,089
-
313,089
850
-
850
-
-
-
**313,939**
**-**
**313,939**
1,370
-
1,370
171,710
-
171,710
-
-
-
**173,080**
**-**
**173,080**
**140,859**
**-**
**140,859**
-
-
-
140,859
-
140,859
-
-
-
140,859
-
140,859| |---|---| The results for the year derive from continuing activities. 11 FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## BALANCE SHEET ## FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 |Notes
**Fixed assets**
Tangible assets
Investments
**Current assets**
Debtors
9
Cash at bank and in hand
**Creditors: amounts falling**
**due within one year**
10
**Net current assets**
**Total net assets or liabilities**
**Funds of the charity**
Unrestricted funds
Restricted income funds
**Total funds**|2025
£
£
-
-
-
2,999
140,716
143,715
(2,856)
140,859
140,859
140,859
-
140,859| |---|---| The financial statements were approved by the trustees on 22 May 2025 and signed on its behalf by: Gisela Valle Garcia Trustee Nicola Rosemary Dhillon Trustee Nicola Rosemary Dhillon (Jul 15, 2025 19:32 GMT+1) 12 FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 ## **1 Accounting Policies** The principal accounting policies adopted by the Charity, which is a public benefit entity, in the preparation of the accounts are as follows. ## **1.1 Basis of preparation** These accounts have been prepared under the historical cost convention, as modified by the inclusion of charitable properties and fixed asset investments and investment properties at valuation. These accounts have been prepared in accordance with “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) - (Charities SORP (FRS 102)), the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) and the Charities Act 2011. These accounts are presented in pounds sterling and rounded to the nearest pound. ## **1.2 Going concern** The Trustees have prepared financial projections, taking into consideration the current economic conditions and have, at the time of approving these accounts, a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus they continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the accounts. ## **1.3 Income** Income is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, after any performance conditions attached to the item of income have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. Income from the government and other grants, whether 'capital' grants or 'revenue' grants, is recognised when the charity has entitlement to the funds, any performance conditions attached to the grants have been met, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably and is not deferred. ## **1.4 Fund accounting** Unrestricted funds are those funds which are available for use at the discretion of the Trustees in furtherance of the general objectives of the charity and which have not been designated for other purposes. Restricted funds are funds which are to be used in accordance with specific restrictions imposed by donors or which have been raised by the charity for particular purposes. ## **1.5 Donated services and facilities** Donated services and facilities are included in the SOFA when received at the value of the gift to the charity provided the value of the gift can be measured reliably. Donated services and facilities that are consumed immediately are recognised as income with an equivalent amount recognised as an expense under the appropriate heading in the SOFA. ## **1.6 Tax reclaims on donations and gifts** Gift Aid receivable is included in income when there is a valid declaration from the donor. Any Gift Aid amount recovered on a donation is considered to be part of that gift and is treated as an addition to the same fund as the initial donation unless the donor or the terms of the appeal have specified otherwise. ## **1.7 Expenditure** Expenditure is recognised when a present legal or constructive obligation exists at the balance sheet date as a result of a past event, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required to settle the obligation, and the amount can be estimated reliably. It is inclusive of VAT which cannot be recovered. ## **1.8 Pensions** The Charity makes contributions to defined contribution pension schemes through auto enrolment. These contributions are charged to the income and expenditure account in the year in which they become payable. ## **1.9 Taxation** The organisation is a registered charity and has no liability to income tax or corporation tax on its charitable activities during the year. Value added tax is accounted for on an accruals basis. 13 FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ## FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 ## **2. Income from donations** |**2. Income from donations**
Grants:
Core Funding
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
Global Dialogue
Oak Foundation
Women's Health
Standing Together
Other Donations
Total
**3. Income from Charitable activities**
Training and Presentation
Total
**4. Raising funds**
Consultancy fees
Meetings & events
Promotion- Brochure and advertising
Total
**5. Expenditure on Charitable activities**
Telephone & internet
Printing, postage & stationery
Travel & subsistence
Admin costs
HR support
Website development
Consultancy & facilitation fee
IT membership & other subscriptions
Speakers & contributors fee
Activities & events
Sundry costs
Staff training & welfare
Staff costs
Governance and support costs
**Total**|2025
£
5,000
60,000
129,500
102,684
686
14,629
590
313,089
2025
£
850
850
2025
£
800
62
508
1,370
2025
£
1,475
425
498
1,018
792
720
621
1,882
1,176
2,108
1,041
1,998
117,384
40,572
171,710| |---|---| 14 FAITH AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS COALITION ## NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 MARCH 2025 |**6. Governance and support costs**
Office costs
Insurance
Accountancy
Consultancy
Legal & professional fees
Organisational Strategy & Planning
Trustee meeting expenses
**Total**
**7. Staff Costs**
Wages and salaries
Social security costs
Pension costs|2025
£
21,480
1,520
1,040
13,047
3,443
30
12
40,572
2025
£
107,644
6,299
3,441
117,384| |---|---| The average head count of staff employed during the year was 3. No employee earned over £60,000 during the year. ## **8. Related party transactions** There were no related party transactions during the year. |**9. Debtors**
Wages receivables
Other debtors
**10. Creditors: amounts falling due within 1 year**
Accruals
Other taxes and social security
Other creditors|2025
£
2,649
350
2,999
2025
£
1,089
1,608
159
2,856| |---|---| 15