BBC MEDIA ACTION
Registered charity 1076235 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BBC WST, THE BBC WORLD SERVICE TRAINING TRUST, THE BBC WORLD SERVICE TRUST
BBC Media Action uses media and communication to reduce poverty and promote human rights, thereby enabling people to build better lives. We work in more than 40 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and Central Asia. We have three main thematic areas: health, governance and humanitarian, and two subsidiary areas: education/livelihoods and climate.
Causes: Education/training · The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives · The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty · Overseas Aid/famine Relief · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £0.1 million for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £32.9 million and total expenditure of £33.0 million. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves of £1.4 million are below the recommended policy range of £2.8–3.5 million, though the charity maintains a cash balance of £5.7 million and has received written assurance of support from the BBC Group.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Related-party transaction: Services procured from BBC
“During the year, BBC Media Action procured HR, IT and other support services of £154,479 (2024: £180,896) from the BBC.” — page 70
“Donations received from the BBC World Service, BBC Group and BBC Global News Limited are detailed in note 2.” — page 70
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Donations from BBC Group
“During the year, BBC Media Action procured HR, IT and other support services of £154,479 (2024: £180,896) from the BBC.” — page 70
“Donations received from the BBC World Service, BBC Group and BBC Global News Limited are detailed in note 2.” — page 70
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Amounts owed from BBC Group
“During the year, BBC Media Action procured HR, IT and other support services of £154,479 (2024: £180,896) from the BBC.” — page 70
“Donations received from the BBC World Service, BBC Group and BBC Global News Limited are detailed in note 2.” — page 70
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: BBC Media Action (India) Limited, BBC Media Action Nepal Private Limited, British Broadcasting Corporation Media Action Ltd/Gte
“BBC Media Action has three subsidiary companies, which were 100% owned by BBC Media Action as at 31 March 2025: BBC Media Action (India) Limited, BBC Media Action Nepal Private Limited and British Broadcasting Corporation Media Action Ltd/Gte (a Nigerian entity).” — page 40
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.
Corporate structure
BBC MEDIA ACTION (INDIA) LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
- Turnover: £834k
- The company shares banking arrangements with its parent BBC Media Action.
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — BBC Media Action (matched by registered charity number).
Company officers (Companies House)
Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.
- MADNICK, Michael — director, appointed 03/07/2026not on trustee list
- SEDGLEY, Anna — director, appointed 03/06/2026not on trustee list
- JONES, Hannah Ceri — director, appointed 12/02/2026on trustee list
- WASS, Naomi Katherine — director, appointed 12/02/2026on trustee list
- BRADY, James Mark — director, appointed 23/10/2025on trustee list
- ZILKHA, Jonathan Mark — director, appointed 23/10/2025on trustee list
- TALFAN DAVIES, Rhodri — director, appointed 30/04/2025not on trustee list
- NORTH, Lindsey Mary — director, appointed 24/01/2022on trustee list
- WICKSTEAD, Myles Antony, Professor — director, appointed 12/07/2019on trustee list
- CAMERON, Shirley Faye — director, appointed 12/07/2019on trustee list
- RANK, Julia Ruth — director, appointed 01/07/2018on trustee list
- PICKLES, Nicholas James — director, appointed 01/10/2017on trustee list
- KARUNATILLEKA, Dushani — secretary, appointed 16/11/2022
Official officers record.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£378k
Reported reserves equal ~0.5 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.6 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (79% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 1.1% of total income — below the median for charities its size (3.8%) (benchmarks).
- Professor Myles Antony Wicksteadchair
- Hannah Jones
- James Mark Brady
- Jonathan Mark Zilkha
- Julia Ruth Rank
- Lindsey North · trustee of 2 other charities
- Naomi Wass Ms
- Nicholas James Pickles
- Rhodri Talfan Davies
- Shirley Cameron · trustee of 1 other charity
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Afghanistan · Algeria · Armenia · Bangladesh · Burma · Cambodia · Ethiopia · Fiji · Georgia · India · Indonesia · Kenya
Income and spending
Common questions
Is BBC MEDIA ACTION financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £0.1 million for the year ended 31 March 2025, with total income of £32.9 million and total expenditure of £33.0 million. Per the trustees' report, unrestricted reserves of £1.4 million are below the recommended policy range of £2.8–3.5 million, though the charity maintains a cash balance of £5.7 million and has received written assurance of support from the BBC Group. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Buzzacott Audit LLP.
Who funds BBC MEDIA ACTION?
Funders whose own accounts filings name BBC MEDIA ACTION as a grant recipient include THE BRIGHT FUTURE TRUST, EVERSHEDS SUTHERLAND (INTERNATIONAL) CHARITABLE TRUST.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
Funders of similar charities
Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.
Charities like this
Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with BBC MEDIA ACTION (INDIA) LIMITED.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.