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THE CONVERSATION TRUST (UK) LIMITED

Registered charity 1151436 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as THE CONVERSATION · also registered in Scotland as SC044707 (OSCR)

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Latest income
£2.7m
Latest spending
£2.5m
Registered
2013
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity returned to a surplus of £203,000 in FY25 after two years of losses, with total income growing 18.6% to £2.70 million. Free reserves stood at £423,511, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of approximately £550,000 (equivalent to four months' unrestricted operating expenditure). The trustees confirm adequate resources for going concern, supported by cash holdings of £1.3 million and diversified income streams.

What the accounts disclose

Related-party transaction: Management and payroll costs recharged to subsidiary Universal Impact Ltd.
“During the year, management and payroll costs of £174,732 (2024: £0) were recharged to subsidiary Universal Impact. At the reporting date, £14,753 (2024: £0) was due from Universal Impact to the charity.” — page 36
“Professer Nishan Canagarajah works for the University of Leicester, Einar Thorsen works for Bournemouth University, Diana Beech works for City St. George, Matt Walsh works for Cardiff University, Kavita Reddi works for University of London, Colleen Murrel works for Dublin City University and Kirsty Walker works for University College London, all of which are members of The Conversation.” — page 36
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustees hold positions at member universities or grant funders.
“During the year, management and payroll costs of £174,732 (2024: £0) were recharged to subsidiary Universal Impact. At the reporting date, £14,753 (2024: £0) was due from Universal Impact to the charity.” — page 36
“Professer Nishan Canagarajah works for the University of Leicester, Einar Thorsen works for Bournemouth University, Diana Beech works for City St. George, Matt Walsh works for Cardiff University, Kavita Reddi works for University of London, Colleen Murrel works for Dublin City University and Kirsty Walker works for University College London, all of which are members of The Conversation.” — page 36
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Nyman Libson Paul LLP. Discloses 3 of 6 completeness components.

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/07/2025)

Total income
£2.7m
Total spending
£2.5m
Cost of raising funds
£12k
Reserves (reported)
£424k
Employees
39

Reported reserves equal ~2.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

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Trustees

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/07/2025£2.7m£2.5m
31/07/2024£2.3m£2.5m
31/07/2023£2.4m£2.4m
31/07/2022£2.2m£2.0m
31/07/2021£1.9m£1.7m

Common questions

Is THE CONVERSATION TRUST (UK) LIMITED financially healthy?

The accounts state that the charity returned to a surplus of £203,000 in FY25 after two years of losses, with total income growing 18.6% to £2.70 million. Free reserves stood at £423,511, which is below the trustees' stated policy target of approximately £550,000 (equivalent to four months' unrestricted operating expenditure). The trustees confirm adequate resources for going concern, supported by cash holdings of £1.3 million and diversified income streams. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Nyman Libson Paul LLP.