The Trustees are pleased to present their annual directors’ report together with the financial statements for the Gender and Development Network for the year ending 31 March 2026, which are also prepared to meet the requirements for a directors’ report and account for Companies Act purposes.
The financial statements comply with the Charities Act 2011, the Companies Act 2006, the Memorandum and Articles of Association, 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 2015).
OBJECTIVES AND GOVERNING STATEMENTS
The charitable company brings together expert non-governmental organisations (NGOs), consultants, academics and individuals committed to working together on gender, development and women’s rights issues.
Objects
The objects of the charity, as set out in its governing document, are to relieve poverty among women and girls and to promote and protect their health (whether mental, physical, sexual or emotional) by any means the trustees in their absolute discretion choose.
Vision and aims
Our vision is a world defined by social justice and gender equality where women and girls everywhere are able to claim and enjoy their rights, and live free from oppression, prejudice and discrimination.
During this year, the Gender and Development Network (GADN) completed the third year of its three-year strategy 2023-2026:
Aim 1: To collaborate with feminist organisations and movements globally in challenging unjust international economic systems and promoting feminist alternatives;
Aim 2: To hold the UK government to account for its responsibility to promote gender equality and the rights of women and girls globally, and to atone for past and present harm;
Aim 3: To work cooperatively with members to deliver effectively on gender equality and the rights of women and girls internationally;
Aim 4: To build a network capable of achieving our aims.
In January 2026, the GADN Board agreed to refresh the current organisational strategy and extend it to 2028. This strategy refresh was implemented from April 2026.
Activity planning and public benefit
GADN’s activities, which are described below, have been designed to deliver benefits in accordance with these strategic aims. Our activities have been reviewed throughout the year, referring to the Charities Commission’s guidance on public benefit so as to ensure that our work complies with these requirements.
ACTIVITIES, ACHIEVEMENTS AND PERFORMANCE
GADN brings together the UK’s leading experts on gender and development including staff from NGOs, consultants and individuals. In 2025-26 GADN’s membership was made up of 66 organisations and 185 individuals, with members including a range from small women’s rights groups to large international development organisations. The diverse expertise, knowledge and time provided by our broad membership allow the network to make a significant impact with modest resources. In addition, we continue to receive core funding from member organisations ActionAid UK, Christian Aid, Plan International UK, WaterAid, and Womankind. In 2025-26, we also received a core funding grant from the G.W. Cadbury Trust. With these contributions, we were able to implement a wide range of activities in support of our strategic aims in 2025-26.
Highlights of 2025-2026
This year again, our work took place against a backdrop of rising authoritarianism, worsening inequality, and deepening backlash against gender equality. Across the globe, far-right governments and movements gained momentum, promoting misogyny, racism and the erosion of rights under the banner of tradition and nationalism. The implications for women and girls, particularly in the Global South, have been stark, with rollbacks on bodily autonomy, shrinking civic space, and increasing political violence.
In the UK, the devastating aid cuts announced in early 2025 continued to cast a long shadow over the sector throughout the year. These cuts threaten vital gender equality programming and highly risk disproportionately affecting women and girls. GADN responded swiftly and publicly, raising concerns directly with the Foreign Secretary and calling on the government to protect gender equality funding. We worked alongside our members to highlight the critical importance of targeted aid that centres the rights of women and girls.
In a year defined by this level of external pressure, one of GADN's most significant achievements has been the space we have held for our membership. Our June members' meeting, "Feminist Solidarity in a Time of Aid Cuts and Backlash: Reflecting, Resisting, Reimagining," created a much needed and valued space for members to process shared anger and grief together. Over the summer, when redundancies and restructures were widespread across the sector, we offered a solidarity social, giving members room for peer support and self-care at a particularly difficult moment. In autumn, we created space to strategise on next steps with our meeting “Resources and Rights under attack: Obstacles and Strategies”. We returned to this theme in January with a members' meeting on transformative decolonial action in a moment of backlash. Finally, we grew our Women of Colour Forum's reach with both online and in-person sessions, including a joint session with Bond's People of Colour Forum. We also introduced quarterly decolonisation group sessions to give particular constituent groups of our membership dedicated space to connect.
Beyond convening our own membership, we also created and sustained spaces for wider cross-learning and solidarity across the sector internationally. With the Bretton Woods Project, we delivered the Gender and International Financial Institutions Summer School, a series of seven free, translated online sessions that drew over 2,000 sign-ups and up to 100 participants per session, with speakers from 26 organisations - connecting activists, civil society and students across the world to share advocacy and organising strategies.
We also continued to hold and grow the collective space through which our membership speaks with one voice to government. We launched a new Policy Forum, open to all members advocating towards the UK government. Through this infrastructure we secured direct engagement with a succession of ministers and senior officials - including Minister Chapman, the FCDO's Second Permanent Under-Secretary Nick Dyer, Minister Elmore, and Special Envoy for Women and Girls Harriet Harman - and coordinated joint letters signed by a dozen or more member organisations at a time, holding government to account while pushing our shared agenda on gender equality forward.
Throughout this turbulent period, GADN has worked with determination and care, continuing to centre feminist, anti-racist and decolonial values in everything we do. We continued to influence UK policy, elevate feminist alternatives, support member learning, and amplify the leadership of women's rights organisations in the Global South. Our work is rooted in a clear belief: gender equality must remain a core priority in development policy, and feminist movements must be resourced and respected if we are to achieve meaningful change.
FINANCIAL REVIEW
Result for the year ended 31 March 2026
The Board of Trustees reports total income of £354,041 and total expenditure of £329,374 for the year, giving a net movement in funds of £24,667. This included £116,826 of income received into a new unrestricted Designated Fund – Wellsprings, established during the year. Total funds carried forward at 31 March 2026 were £351,380 (2025: £326,713), including restricted funds of £8,354, comprising £8,354 in BWP project funds. £49,910 of income received in the year has been deferred to 2026-27 (2025: £104,819 deferred from 2024-25 into 2025-26).
Reserves
Trustees have designated £100,798 as core reserves, equivalent to four months of core operating costs. In addition, following a revision to the free-reserves policy approved by the Board in November 2025, Trustees have provided for a free-reserves threshold of £25,000, being the greater of £25,000 or 5% of annual expenditure (5% of the year's expenditure of £329,374 being £16,469).
Reserves Policy
The charity’s Reserves Policy is as follows:
GADN is a small organisation dependent on few sources of income; the Trustees, therefore, decided to set a high level of Core Reserves. Finances are carefully managed through budgeting and monitoring processes, and setting a reserve policy is part of our financial management strategy. The Board monitors the level of reserves held throughout the year and will review this policy and the basis for the level of reserves needed annually.
GADN Reserves Policy has the following aims:
To cover falls in expected income
To cover unexpected core operating costs, and costs in the event of closure
To provide a cushion for cashflow management, including the free-reserves threshold noted above
The Board has committed to maintaining a core reserve fund enough to cover four months of core running costs, plus free reserves of the greater of £25,000 or 5% of annual expenditure. This change to the free-reserves threshold - from a flat 5% of expenditure to whichever is greater of £25,000 or 5% of expenditure - was approved by the Board in November 2025, to provide a more reliable cushion in years with smaller budgets while continuing to scale with activity levels in stronger years.
GADN will strive to balance the needs for current expenditure with the need for a reserve. Reserves will only be expended in pursuit of the above aims and as a result of a decision by the Board.
STRUCTURE, GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT
Governing document
The Gender and Development Network is a company limited by guarantee, and a registered charity (with effect from 8 February 2011) and is governed by its Memorandum and Articles of Association as amended 4 February 2011.
The trustees, who are also the directors for the purpose of company law, and who served during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were:
Recruitment and appointment of new Trustees
GADN’s Trustees for 2025-26 were Sabina Basi, Lila Caballero Sosa (incumbent Co-Chair), Chiara Capraro (Co-Chair until January 2026), Alexandra Gough, Katharina Hanifnia (incumbent Treasurer), Caterina Mansueto (Treasurer until October 2025), Lata Narayanaswamy, Priya Nath, Piyumi Samaraweera, and Sue Turrell (incumbent Co-Chair). Trustees that stepped down during the reporting period: Chiara Capraro (January 2026). Trustees that started during the reporting period: Sabina Basi (July 2025); Priya Nath (July 2025), and Katharina Hanifnia (October 2025).
Volunteers
This year, GADN has benefitted from the support of our membership volunteer Elizeh Basim. As ever, our volunteer's work has been vital to the continuation of the network.
Risk Management
The Trustees note their duty to identify and review the risks to which the charity is exposed and to ensure appropriate controls are in place to provide reasonable assurance against fraud and error. A risk register is discussed and updated at each quarterly Board meeting.
The trustees' report was approved by the Board of Trustees.
The trustees, who are also the directors of Gender and Development Network 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 charitable company and of the surplus or deficit of the charitable company for that period.
In preparing those financial statements, the directors are required to:
Select suitable accounting policies and apply them consistently;
Make judgments and estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
Prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the charitable company will continue in operation.
The directors are responsible for keeping proper accounting records that disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the charitable company, and to enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006.
They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the charitable company and hence for take responsible steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
These financial statements have been prepared in accordance with the provisions applicable to companies subject to the small companies’ regime.
I report to the trustees on my examination of the financial statements of Gender and Development Network (the charity) for the year ended 31 March 2026.
Having satisfied myself that the financial statements of the charity are not required to be audited under Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006 and are eligible for independent examination, I report in respect of my examination of the charity’s financial statements carried out under section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. In carrying out my examination I have followed the Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the Charities Act 2011.
Since the charity’s gross income exceeded £250,000, the independent examiner must be a member of a body listed in section 145 of the Charities Act 2011. I confirm that I am qualified to undertake the examination because I am a member of the ICAEW, which is one of the listed bodies.
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 that in any material respect:
accounting records were not kept in respect of the charity as required by section 386 of the Companies Act 2006.
the financial statements do not accord with those records; or
the financial statements do not comply with the accounting requirements of section 396 of the Companies Act 2006 other than any requirement that the financial statements give a true and fair view, which is not a matter considered as part of an independent examination; or
the financial statements have not been prepared in accordance with the methods and principles of the Statement of Recommended Practice for accounting and reporting by charities applicable to charities preparing their financial statements in accordance with the Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (FRS 102).
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 financial statements to be reached.
The statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. All income and expenditure derive from continuing activities.
Gender and Development Network is a private charitable company limited by guarantee incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is c/o Action Aid, 2nd Floor, 1 Easton Street, London, WC1X 0DW.
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" 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)". The charity is a Public Benefit Entity as defined by FRS 102.
The charity has taken advantage of the provisions in the SORP for charities not to prepare a statement of cash flows.
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.
At the time of approving the financial statements, 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.
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.
Cash and cash equivalents include cash in hand, deposits held at call with banks, other short-term liquid investments with original maturities of three months or less, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities.
The charity has elected to apply the provisions of Section 11 ‘Basic Financial Instruments’ and Section 12 ‘Other Financial Instruments Issues’ 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.
Financial assets and liabilities are offset, with the net amounts presented in the financial statements, when there is a legally enforceable right to set off the recognised amounts and there is an intention to settle on a net basis or to realise the asset and settle the liability simultaneously.
Basic financial assets, which include debtors and cash and bank balances, are initially measured at transaction price including transaction costs 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 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, including creditors and bank loans are initially recognised at transaction price unless the arrangement constitutes a financing transaction, where the debt instrument is measured at the present value of the future payments discounted at a market rate of interest. Financial liabilities classified as payable within one year are not amortised.
Debt instruments are subsequently carried at amortised cost, using the effective interest rate method.
Trade creditors are obligations to pay for goods or services that have been acquired in the ordinary course of operations from suppliers. Amounts payable are classified as current liabilities if payment is due within one year or less. If not, they are presented as non-current liabilities. Trade creditors are recognised initially at transaction price and subsequently measured at amortised cost using the effective interest method.
Financial liabilities are derecognised when the charity’s contractual obligations expire or are discharged or cancelled.
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.
Payments to defined contribution retirement benefit schemes are charged as an expense as they fall due.
In the application of the charity’s accounting policies, the trustees are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
New support cost categories in the year of payroll fees and subscriptions represent an increase in the detail of analysis given of support costs. These costs were previously included within other categories in the prior year.
During the year expenses of £530 (2025: £759) were reimbursed to three (2025: four) trustees for travel and meeting expenses.
The average monthly number of employees during the year was:
The remuneration of key management personnel was as follows:
The charity is exempt from taxation on its activities because all its income is applied for charitable purposes.
Deferred income is included in the financial statements as follows:
The charity operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the charity in an independently administered fund.
The restricted funds of the charity comprise the unexpended balances of donations and grants held on trust subject to specific conditions by donors as to how they may be used.
Designated funds have been set aside by the Trustees to provide for contingencies, as provided for in the charity's reserve policy which is described within the Trustees' Report.
BWP - The Gender Equality and Macroeconomics Project aims to challenge the ways in which macroeconomic policies promoted by international financial institutions (IFIs), especially the IMF and World Bank, undermine gender equality and women's rights.
Hewlett/Wellsprings project - Promoting Feminist Macroeconomic Alternatives in Global Economic Recovery Plans.
FEMNET - Women's rights organisations and activists challenging macro-level economic policy making.
Nawi - Identifying best practice in building cooperative feminist influence among civil society organisations (CSOs) based in the UK and those in Africa.
Hewlett Supplemental - To support our organisational structures with the funding providing resource for a focus on 1) ensuring stability of leadership, 2) nurturing leadership skills, 3) filling temporary capacity gaps while staff are in 'Acting Up' roles, 4) supporting core operations, 5) supporting staff wellbeing, and 6) evaluating changes.
These are unrestricted funds which are material to the charity's activities.
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 a designated fund which has been set aside out of unrestricted funds by the trustees for specific purposes.
There were no disclosable related party transactions during the year other than the ones disclosed in note 8 (2025 - none).