# **British Society for the History of Philosophy Charity Number 299041** ## **Annual Report and Financial Statements** Year ended 31[st] March 2023 1 ## **British Society for the History of Philosophy** REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS |

Registered Charity Number
|299041|299041| |---|---|---| |Trustees


|Dr J Dunham|| |

|Dr J Callanan|| ||Z Toth|| ||Dr F Benevich|| ||Dr C Pello|| |

|Dr R Wiseman|| ||Dr A Douglas|| ||Dr A Breitenbach|| ||Dr K O’Reilly-Fleming|| ||Dr S Golob|| ||Dr J Cottrell|| ||Dr S Connell|| ||Prof S James|| ||Dr A Cohen|| |Contact address|Kings College London|| ||Strand|| ||London|| ||WC2R|2LS| |Independent|Mark Heaton FCCA FCIE|| |Examiner|KM Chartered Accountants|| ||1stFloor, Block C, The Wharf|| ||Manchester Rd, Burnley, BB11 1JG|| |Bankers|Metro Bank|| 2 ## **British Society for the History of Philosophy** ## **TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT** The trustees present their report with the financial statements of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2023. ## **OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES** The objects of the charity as set out in its constitution are to promote and foster all aspects of the study and teaching of the history of philosophy. ## **Achievements and Performance** Our activities this year followed the usual pattern and included two meetings of the Management Committee, one in the November ’22 at the time of the Annual Lecture, the other in April ’23 at the time of the Annual Conference. The Society’s Annual Lecture was given at the Maison Francaise in Oxford. The speaker, Professor **Clare Carlisle, spoke** on “Thought and Feeling: George Eliot and the Expansion of Philosophy”. The year culminated in a successful international conference at the University of Aberdeen on _Knowing in Historical and Cross-Cultural Contexts_ . We assessed applications for our various grants and fellowships. We awarded two postgraduate fellowships, each worth £4,000, to Lea Cantor (Oxford) and Wouter Cohen (Cambridge); two postdoctoral fellowships, each worth £6,000, to Hanna Laurens (St. Andrews) and Richard Elliott (Birkbeck); and a graduate essay prize of £1,000. We also disbursed a number of grants for conferences and scholarly activities. We recently began to sponsor a book series with Oxford University Press, _New Texts in the History of Philosophy_ , of which Professor Mogens Laerke is the Managing Editor. The first volumes appeared in the course of this year. The year was marred by the premature death of our Chair, Professor Rosa Antognazza, in March 2023. When the Management Committee met in Aberdeen, it was agreed that Professor Susan James would take temporarily take over the post. Some other new members were elected to the Management Committee: the Secretary, Jeremy Dunham (Durham); the Deputy Secretary and Membership Co-ordinator, Caterina Pello (Geneva); Zita Toth (KCL) and John Callanan (KCL). ## **Public Benefit** In accordance with their objectives for this year, and with due regard to the published Charity Commission guidance on the operation of the Public Benefit requirements of the Charities Act 2006, the trustees have undertaken appropriate activities in furtherance of these aims for the public benefit. 3 ## **British Society for the History of Philosophy** ## **TRUSTEES ANNUAL REPORT (continued)** ## **RESERVES POLICY** We do not have a reserves policy, although we are aware that we need one and are discussing the matter with our financial advisors. At the financial year end the charity held £94k in balances. ## **STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT** ## **Governing Document** The charity is unincorporated and governed by its constitution dated 21[st] September 1987. ## **How does the charity operate?** The Charity is run by its Officers and Management Committee. The members of the Management Committee are Trustees of the Society and are responsible for its activities and finances. Because we are a small organisation it is easy for Officers to consult the Committee as matters arise, but there is of course some devolution of responsibility. Some members have specific areas of responsibility, such as the membership, the website, or the book series. Others are responsible for organising events or awards, such as the Annual Conference or Postgraduate Fellowships. They all report back to the Committee as a whole. In accordance with the constitution, members of the Management Committee (including Officers) are elected for a fixed term by the Society’s members. One must be a member of the Society in order to apply for its funding. The members of the Management Committee are Trustees of the Society, and are responsible for its activities and finances. ## **Risk Assessment** The Trustees have carried out a detailed review of the charity's activities and produced a comprehensive plan setting out the risks to which it was exposed. A strategy has been implemented to establish systems and procedures to mitigate those risks identified. These will be reviewed annually. Approved by the trustees on 19[th] February 2024 and signed on its behalf by: Prof S James 4 ## **INDEPENDENT EXAMINER'S REPORT TO THE TRUSTEES OF BRITISH SOCIETY FOR THE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY** I report to the charity trustees on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the year ended 31[st] March 2023. 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 charity’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 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 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 charity as required by Section 130 of the Act; or - (2) the accounts do not accord with those records. 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. Mark Heaton FCCA FCIE KM, Chartered Accountants 1[st] Floor, Block C The Wharf Manchester Road Burnley BB11 1JG 19[th] February 2024 5 ## **British Society for the History of Philosophy** ## **RECEIPTS AND PAYMENTS ACCOUNT** For the year ended 31[st] March 2023 ||Unrestricted| |---|---| ||Funds (£)| |RECEIPTS|| |Subscriptions|8.029| |Royalties|20,063| |Other|250| |Total receipts|28,342| |PAYMENTS|| |Special Project Support|5,000| |Prizes|5,000| |Fellowships|17,500| |Grants to conferences|8,070| |Other|6,850| |Total payments|42,420| |Net receipts less payments|(14,078)| |Balances brought forward|108,492| |Balances carried forward|94,414| |**STATEMENT OF ASSETS AND LIABILITIES AS AT 31st MARCH 2023**|| |Bank balances|£94,414| |
Liabilities: Independent examination|£900| These accounts were approved by the trustees on 19[th] February 2024 and signed on their behalf by: Prof Susan James – Trustee 6 ## **British Society for the History of Philosophy** NOTES TO THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS - 1 Basis of preparation These accounts have been prepared on the Receipts and Payments basis in accordance with the Charities Act 2011. - 2 Fund Accounting Unrestricted funds are those that can be expended at the discretion of the trustees in the furtherance of the objects of the charity - 3 Taxation The charity is not liable to tax on its charitable activities. The charity is not registered for VAT. Irrecoverable VAT is included in the expense to which it relates. - 4 Transactions with trustees No remuneration nor expenses were paid to trustees or any persons connected with them during the period. 7