The trustees present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the accounting policies set out in note 1 to the financial statements and comply with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006 and "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).
The charity's objectives are to promote the use of sport for social change.
The trustees have paid due regard to guidance issued by the Charity Commission in deciding what activities the charity should undertake.
During the period the charity has successfully received funding from corporate and individual donors to fund projects undertaken in the same period. The charity wrote grants to 66 organisations in the period as detailed in note 6.
The charity received £1,928,175 (2023 - £2,641,411 ) of funds in the period. It incurred charitable expenditure in the period of £1,132,510 (2023 - £1,705,554 ), and other costs of £791,565 (2023 - £769,531) The closing balance on unrestricted funds and total funds amounted to a deficit of £79,788 (2023 - a deficit of £83,888).
As at the Balance Sheet date the charity has net liabilities of £79,788. Benchmark Sport Holdings Limited, a company with directors that are also trustees of Beyond Sport Foundation, has agreed to provide financial support to the charity so that it can meet its liabilities as they fall due, for at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements.
Based on the above support the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the trustees continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing the financial statements.
The trustees believe that the company should hold in reserves a sufficient cushion of funds to enable it to continue to exist through a period of reduced income, and should it be necessary to cease to operate and wind up in an orderly fashion. The trustees consider the desirable level of reserves for this purpose to be 6 months of operational expenditure. There is a deficit on unrestricted funds of £79,788 (2023 - a deficit of £83,888). The charity continues to seek funding and the trustees believe that the charity's affairs are uncomplicated and costs can be easily controlled. The trustees are committed toward building the reserves to the required level and based upon financial projections and continued support from related entities the charity will have adequate resources to meet its liabilities as they fall due.
Public benefit requirements
The trustees have referred to guidance in the Charity Commission's general guidance on Public Benefit when reviewing their aims and objectives and in planning future activities. In particular, the trustees consider how planned activities will contribute to the aims and objectives they have set.
Beyond Sport focused its programmatic delivery in 2024, delivering to various partnerships and initiatives. Our Breaking Limits programme and work with the NFL Foundation continues as flagship programmes, and we continued our work supporting refugees and asylum seekers through sport with our Sport Together Fund.
We delivered our first-ever fundraising gala as part of our strategy to diversify income and increase individual giving to the Foundation with much success.
We also underwent a comprehensive brand identity refresh, including a logo, messaging and website, which has been very positively received. In line with this, we refreshed our measurement framework which contains comprehensive qualitative and quantitative inputs we are now tracking against. Our Theory of Change has guided this process and will form part of our holistic MEL framework.
In conjunction with this, we made some changes to the Board of Directors and intensified our efforts to utilise their expertise more constructively.
2024 represents a hugely successful year for Beyond Sport across multiple metrics through our UK foundation and US 501c3.
In 2025, we plan to continue our programmes from 2024. We hope to grow our work with the Sport Together Fund, as well as an ambition to find one new partnered programme by year-end. We also plan to secure a minimum of £25,000 via unrestricted donations.
The charity is a company limited by guarantee governed by its Memorandum of Association dated 23 July 2008. It is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission in England and Wales.
The trustees who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements, of which N Keller and R Becker are also the directors for the purpose of company law, were:
Trustees are appointed or reappointed by the Board or at the AGM. New trustees are invited to familiarise themselves with the charity and the context within which it operates by attending a briefing session led by the chairman of the Board. No remuneration is paid to trustees for their service.
In accordance with the company's articles, a resolution proposing that Gilberts Chartered Accountants be reappointed as auditor of the company will be put at a General Meeting.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Beyond Sport Foundation for the purpose of company law, are responsible for preparing the Trustees' Report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Company Law requires the trustees to prepare financial statements for each financial year which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charity and of the incoming resources and application of resources, including the income and expenditure, of the charitable company for that year.
In preparing these financial statements, the trustees are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- observe the methods and principles in the Charities SORP;
- make judgements and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
- state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charity will continue in operation.
The trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charity and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charity and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Beyond Sport Foundation (the ‘charity’) for the year ended 31 December 2024 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
In our opinion, the financial statements:
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the charity in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Material uncertainty relating to going concern
We draw attention to note 1.2 in the financial statements which indicates that while the trustees have a reasonable expectations that the charity will continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future, there is a reliance on external funding from the Benchmark Group. The fact that this funding is not legally binding gives rise to a material uncertainty relating to going concern. Our opinion is not modified in respect of this matter.
Other information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the financial statements and our auditor's report thereon. The trustees are responsible for the other information contained within the annual report. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether this gives rise to a material misstatement in the financial statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact.
We have nothing to report in this regard.
We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation to which the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008 require us to report to you if, in our opinion:
the information given in the financial statements is inconsistent in any material respect with the trustees' report; or
sufficient accounting records have not been kept; or
the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records; or
we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
As explained more fully in the statement of trustees' responsibilities, the trustees, who are also the directors of the charity for the purpose of company law, are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the trustees are responsible for assessing the charity’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
We have been appointed as auditor under section 144 of the Charities Act 2011 and report in accordance with the Act and relevant regulations made or having effect thereunder.
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor's report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor's report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the charity’s trustees, as a body, in accordance with part 4 of the Charities (Accounts and Reports) Regulations 2008. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the charity's trustees those matters we are required to state to them in an auditor's report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charity and the charity’s trustees as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Gilberts Chartered Accountants is eligible for appointment as auditor of the charity by virtue of its eligibility for appointment as auditor of a company under section 1212 of the Companies Act 2006.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Beyond Sport Foundation is a private company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is 110 High Holborn, 5th Floor, London, WC1V 6JS.
The financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the charity's governing document, the Companies Act 2006, FRS 102 “The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland” (“FRS 102”) and the Charities SORP "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). The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the charity. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. The principal accounting policies adopted are set out below.
As at the Balance Sheet date the charity has net liabilities of £79,788. Benchmark Sport Holdings Limited, a company with directors that are also trustees of Beyond Sport Foundation, has agreed to provide financial support to the charity so that it can meet its liabilities as they fall due, for at least twelve months from the date of approval of the financial statements.
Based on the above support the trustees have a reasonable expectation that the charity has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Although this expectation is reasonable, the continued reliance on external funding does give rise to a level of uncertainty.
Unrestricted funds are available for use at the discretion of the trustees in furtherance of their charitable objectives.
Restricted funds are subject to specific conditions by donors or grantors as to how they may be used. The purposes and uses of the restricted funds are set out in the notes to the financial statements.
Cash donations are recognised on receipt. Other donations are recognised once the charity has been notified of the donation, unless performance conditions require deferral of the amount. Income tax recoverable in relation to donations received under Gift Aid or deeds of covenant is recognised at the time of the donation.
Expenditure is recognised once there is a legal or constructive obligation to transfer economic benefit to a third party, 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 classified by activity. The costs of each activity are made up of the total of direct costs and shared costs, including support costs involved in undertaking each activity. Direct costs attributable to a single activity are allocated directly to that activity. Shared costs which contribute to more than one activity and support costs which are not attributable to a single activity are apportioned between those activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. Central staff costs are allocated on the basis of time spent, and depreciation charges are allocated on the portion of the asset’s use.
Intangible assets acquired separately from a business are recognised at cost and are subsequently measured at cost less accumulated amortisation and accumulated impairment losses.
Intangible assets acquired on business combinations are recognised separately from goodwill at the acquisition date where it is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity and the fair value of the asset can be measured reliably; the intangible asset arises from contractual or other legal rights; and the intangible asset is separable from the entity.
Amortisation is recognised so as to write off the cost or valuation of assets less their residual values over their useful lives on the following bases:
At each reporting end date, the charity reviews the carrying amounts of its tangible and intangible assets to determine whether there is any indication that those assets have suffered an impairment loss. If any such indication exists, the recoverable amount of the asset is estimated in order to determine the extent of the impairment loss (if any).
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand anddeposits held at call with banks.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 and Section 12 of FRS 102 to all of its financial instruments.
Financial instruments are recognised in the charity's balance sheet when the charity becomes party to the contractual provisions of the instrument.
Basic financial assets
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the transaction is measured at the present fair value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial assets classified as receivable within one year are not amortised.
Basic financial liabilities
Basic financial liabilities, which include trade and other payables and bank loans, are initially measured at transaction price and are subsequently carried at amortised cost using the effective interest method unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present fair value of the future receipts discounted at a market rate of interest.
The Charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within sections 472-489 of the Corporation Tax Act 2010 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
The cost of any unused holiday entitlement is recognised in the period in which the employee’s services are received.
Termination benefits are recognised immediately as an expense when the charity is demonstrably committed to terminate the employment of an employee or to provide termination benefits.
Fundraising & event costs
Overheads
Sub contracted consultancy
Grants payable
Audit fees
Profit on foreign exhange
None of the trustees (or any persons connected with them) received any remuneration or benefits from the charity during the year.
Grants totalling £7,000 were received from trustees in 2024; no grants were received from trustees in 2023.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The charity is exempt from tax on income and gains falling within section 505 of the Taxes Act 1988 or section 252 of the Taxation of Chargeable Gains Act 1992 to the extent that these are applied to its charitable objects.
The unrestricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants which are not subject to specific conditions by donors and grantors as to how they may be used. These include designated funds which have been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
During the year the charity entered into the following transactions with related parties:
The charity received £150,114 service charge income from a non for profit organisation under same management.
The charity had no material debt during the year.