| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
| Report of the Trustees and |
| Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| for |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| REGISTERED COMPANY NUMBER: |
| REGISTERED CHARITY NUMBER: |
| Report of the Trustees and |
| Unaudited Financial Statements for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| for |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| Contents of the Financial Statements |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| Page |
| Report of the trustees | 1 | to | 2 |
| Statement of financial activities | 3 |
| Balance sheet | 4 | to | 5 |
| Notes to the financial statements | 6 | to | 9 |
| The John Kobal Foundation (Registered number: 02743893) |
| Report of the Trustees |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| The John Kobal Foundation is a company limited by guarantee. It is a registered charity (Charity no. 1014275) |
| OBJECTIVES AND ACTIVITIES |
| Objectives and aims |
| The John Kobal Foundation is a charity organisation established in 1991. Our aim is to encourage and promote public interest in fine art photography and support emerging photographers by providing financial support. |
| Chair’s Report |
| In 2023, the first John Kobal Foundation Fellowship, an award of £50,000 over two years, was given to the South African photographer Lindokuhle Sobekwa. The Fellowship was accompanied by the establishment of the John Kobal Foundation Fellowship Lecture, an annual lecture to be given by or in honour of the Fellow, in partnership with Tate and held at Tate Modern. |
| After the success of the first Fellowship, and the inaugural JKF lecture, despite an initial agreement to host the lecture series for a period of six years, changes to Tate’s financial policies during 2024 meant it would only support events linked to its own exhibitions and could not continue with the partnership. This left the Foundation without a prestigious venue for the annual lecture and without the important attendant publicity. It was therefore decided to postpone the selection of the next JKF Fellow until we had found a new partner and/or sponsorship. |
| Following the acquisition of the John Kobal Foundation Collection of vintage Hollywood prints by the Hood Museum of Art in 2021, thanks to two of our trustees, the art historian Robert Dance, and Emeritus Chair Simon Crocker, the remaining collection of approximately 20,000 photographic negatives including portraits and behind-the-scene mages by some of Hollywood’s greatest photographers, was added to the reference collection of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Los Angeles at the end of 2025. This ensures that both the print and negative collections made by John Kobal will be a valuable resource for both film historians and students in future decades. |
| As in previous years, the Foundation continues to receive annual revenue from its sales of licenced images through Getty Images.com. |
| Liz Jobey & Michael Mack |
| Co-Chairs |
| FINANCIAL REVIEW |
| Reserves policy |
| The trustees believe that the charity should hold reserves in order to allow it to be managed efficiently and to provide a buffer for uninterrupted management. |
| Total funds |
| The balance sheet shows total funds amounting to £281,193. The completion of the sale of the print and document archive to the Hood Museum has returned the charity to a positive financial position which enables the charity to be managed efficiently in providing charitable support to fine art photography. |
| STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT |
| Governing document |
| The charity is controlled by its governing document, a deed of trust, and constitutes a limited company, limited by guarantee, as defined by the Companies Act 2006. |
| Organisation |
| The charity's base is Studio E, Ground Floor, Emperor House, Dragonfly Place, London SE4 2FL. It has no full-time employee. |
| REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATIVE DETAILS |
| Registered Company number |
| Registered Charity number |
| The John Kobal Foundation (Registered number: 02743893) |
| Report of the Trustees |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| Registered office |
| Trustees |
| Company Secretary |
| This report has been prepared in accordance with the special provisions of Part 15 of the Companies Act 2006 relating to small companies. |
| Approved by order of the board of trustees on |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| Statement of Financial Activities |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| 30.11.25 | 30.11.24 |
| Unrestricted | Total |
| fund | funds |
| Notes | £ | £ |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
| Donations and legacies |
| Investment income | 2 |
| Total |
| EXPENDITURE ON |
| Other |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
| Total funds brought forward |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 293,614 |
| The John Kobal Foundation (Registered number: 02743893) |
| Balance Sheet |
| 30 November 2025 |
| 30.11.25 | 30.11.24 |
| Total | Total |
| funds | funds |
| Notes | £ | £ |
| FIXED ASSETS |
| Tangible assets | 6 |
| CURRENT ASSETS |
| Debtors | 7 |
| Cash at bank and in hand |
| CREDITORS |
| Amounts falling due within one year | 8 | ( |
) | ( |
) |
| NET CURRENT ASSETS |
| TOTAL ASSETS LESS CURRENT LIABILITIES |
| NET ASSETS |
| FUNDS | 9 |
| Unrestricted funds | 293,614 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 293,614 |
| The charitable company is entitled to exemption from audit under Section 477 of the Companies Act 2006 for the year ended 30 November 2025. |
| The members have not required the company to obtain an audit of its financial statements for the year ended 30 November 2025 in accordance with Section 476 of the Companies Act 2006. |
| The trustees acknowledge their responsibilities for |
| (a) | ensuring that the charitable company keeps accounting records that comply with Sections 386 and 387 of the Companies Act 2006 and |
| (b) | preparing financial statements which give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the charitable company as at the end of each financial year and of its surplus or deficit for each financial year in accordance with the requirements of Sections 394 and 395 and which otherwise comply with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006 relating to financial statements, so far as applicable to the charitable company. |
| The John Kobal Foundation (Registered number: 02743893) |
| Balance Sheet - continued |
| 30 November 2025 |
| These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to charitable companies subject to the small companies regime. |
| The financial statements were approved by the Board of Trustees and authorised for issue on |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| Notes to the Financial Statements |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| 1. | ACCOUNTING POLICIES |
| Basis of preparing the financial statements |
| The financial statements of the charitable company, which is a public benefit entity under FRS 102, have been prepared in accordance with the Charities SORP (FRS 102) 'Accounting and Reporting by Charities: Statement of Recommended Practice applicable to charities preparing their accounts in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102) (effective 1 January 2019)', Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland' and the Companies Act 2006. The financial statements have been prepared under the historical cost convention. |
| The presentation currency of the financial statements is the Pound Sterling (£). |
| Income |
| All income is recognised in the Statement of Financial Activities once the charity has entitlement to the funds, it is probable that the income will be received and the amount can be measured reliably. |
| Expenditure |
| Liabilities are recognised as expenditure as soon as there is a legal or constructive obligation committing the charity to that expenditure, it is probable that a transfer of economic benefits will be required in settlement and the amount of the obligation can be measured reliably. Expenditure is accounted for on an accruals basis and has been classified under headings that aggregate all cost related to the category. Where costs cannot be directly attributed to particular headings they have been allocated to activities on a basis consistent with the use of resources. |
| Tangible fixed assets |
| Depreciation is provided at the following annual rates in order to write off each asset over its estimated useful life. |
| Fixtures and fittings | - |
| Computer equipment | - |
| Taxation |
| The charity is exempt from corporation tax on its charitable activities. |
| Fund accounting |
| Unrestricted funds can be used in accordance with the charitable objectives at the discretion of the trustees. |
| At present, the charity holds no restricted funds. |
| 2. | INVESTMENT INCOME |
| 30.11.25 | 30.11.24 |
| £ | £ |
| Bank interest | 1,341 | 1,565 |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| 3. | NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) |
| Net income/(expenditure) is stated after charging/(crediting): |
| 30.11.25 | 30.11.24 |
| £ | £ |
| Depreciation - owned assets |
| 4. | TRUSTEES' REMUNERATION AND BENEFITS |
| Trustees' expenses |
| There were no trustee's expenses paid for the year ended 30 November 2024 nor for the year ended 30 November 2023. |
| Trustees' remuneration |
| The were no trustees' remuneration or other benefits for the year ended 30 November 2024 nor for the year ended 30 November 2023. |
| 5. | COMPARATIVES FOR THE STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES |
| Unrestricted |
| fund |
| £ |
| INCOME AND ENDOWMENTS FROM |
| Donations and legacies |
| Investment income |
| Total |
| EXPENDITURE ON |
| Other |
| NET INCOME/(EXPENDITURE) | ( |
) |
| RECONCILIATION OF FUNDS |
| Total funds brought forward |
| TOTAL FUNDS CARRIED FORWARD | 293,614 |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| 6. | TANGIBLE FIXED ASSETS |
| Fixtures |
| Vintage | and | Computer |
| prints | fittings | equipment | Totals |
| £ | £ | £ | £ |
| Cost |
| At 1 December 2024 and 30 November 2025 |
| Depreciation |
| At 1 December 2024 |
| Charge for year |
| At 30 November 2025 |
| Net book value |
| At 30 November 2025 |
| At 30 November 2024 |
| 7. | DEBTORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 30.11.25 | 30.11.24 |
| £ | £ |
| VAT |
| 8. | CREDITORS: AMOUNTS FALLING DUE WITHIN ONE YEAR |
| 30.11.25 | 30.11.24 |
| £ | £ |
| Trade creditors |
| Other creditors |
| Accruals and deferred income |
| 9. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS |
| Net |
| At | movement | At |
| 1.12.24 | in funds | 30.11.25 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 293,614 | (12,421 | ) | 281,193 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | (12,421 | ) | 281,193 |
| The John Kobal Foundation |
| Notes to the Financial Statements - continued |
| for the Year Ended 30 November 2025 |
| 9. | MOVEMENT IN FUNDS - continued |
| Net movement in funds, included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted funds |
| General fund | 11,155 | (23,576 | ) | (12,421 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | ( |
) | (12,421 | ) |
| Comparatives for movement in funds |
| Net |
| At | movement | At |
| 1.12.23 | in funds | 30.11.24 |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted fund | 308,905 | (15,291 | ) | 293,614 |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 308,905 | (15,291 | ) | 293,614 |
| Comparative net movement in funds included in the above are as follows: |
| Incoming | Resources | Movement |
| resources | expended | in funds |
| £ | £ | £ |
| Unrestricted fund | 17,797 | (33,088 | ) | (15,291 | ) |
| TOTAL FUNDS | 17,797 | (33,088 | ) | (15,291 | ) |
| 10. | RELATED PARTY DISCLOSURES |