WORDSMITH AWARDS

Registered charity 1181088 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as YOUNG IDENTITY

We develop literacy, critical thinking and active citizenship for young people, through experimenting with literature and combined arts. We nurture the talent of tomorrow. We empower disadvantaged and under-represented young people to fulfil their artistic potential. We do this through writing and performance workshops.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Latest income

£485k

Latest spending

£491k

Registered

2018

Accounts read

FY2026

Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts

The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a deficit of £6,168, though the trustees consider the organisation financially stable with healthy cash flow. Free/unrestricted reserves stood at £189,276, which is above the stated policy target of £52,944. The charity relies heavily on grant funding, which constituted 82% of total income.

Automated summary of the FY2026 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Largest income source: Grants (82% of income)

“Revenue is derived by earned income and grants, with 82% derived from grant funding and 18% from earned income.”

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: a minimum level of £52,944 should be maintained to provide sufficient funds to meet the costs associated with an orderly wind-down of the organisation (held: £189k)

“The Trustees review the charity’s reserves policy annually and have agreed that a minimum level of £52,944 should be maintained to provide sufficient funds to meet the costs associated with an orderly wind-down of the organisation, should this be required.” — page 12

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Payments to trustees: One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation. One trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee Nasima Begum received fees for workshop facilitation.

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustee Tolu Agbelusi received fees for legal support.

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Toluwa Productions (company run by trustee Tolu Agbelusi) was paid for legal support.

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Toluwa Productions received co-production fees.

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

“One trustee (Nasima Begum) received fees of £15,452 for workshop facilitation during this period and one trustee (Tolu Agbelusi) received fees of £960 for legal support.” — page 25

Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram · linkedin

Trustees · trustee networks

Adeola Adelakun
Ekua Bayunu
Emma Louise Mould
Emma Nicola Ford
MARY ELISABETH CORDINGLEY DR
Muhammad Fazeel Babur
Nasima Begum
SYLVIA LEE
Samuel Abel Olusegun Lee-French
TOLULOLA AGBELUSI
Udokanma Ondwudike

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

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2026	£485k	£491k
31/03/2025	£461k	£348k
31/03/2024	£401k	£345k
31/03/2023	£193k	£232k
31/03/2022	£233k	£192k

Common questions

Is WORDSMITH AWARDS financially healthy?

Per its FY2026 accounts: The accounts state that the charity ended the year with a deficit of £6,168, though the trustees consider the organisation financially stable with healthy cash flow. Free/unrestricted reserves stood at £189,276, which is above the stated policy target of £52,944. The charity relies heavily on grant funding, which constituted 82% of total income. Its FY2026 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds WORDSMITH AWARDS?

Funders whose own accounts filings name WORDSMITH AWARDS as a grant recipient include THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC	FY2024	£14k

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
UK government	13/10/2022	£250k	National Portfolio Organisations
UK government	13/10/2022	£250k	National Portfolio Organisations
The National Lottery Community Fund	22/09/2022	£274k	Young Identity
UK government	26/08/2020	£46k	Coronavirus Community Support Fund

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
The Portal Trust	2	£227k
THE EMMANUEL KAYE FOUNDATION	2	£192k
THE ADRIAN SWIRE CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£87k
THE CHILDHOOD TRUST	2	£46k
The Patricia Routledge Foundation	2	£25k
THE ALICE ELLEN COOPER-DEAN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	2	£22k
THE KEN AND EDNA MORRISON CHARITABLE TRUST	2	£17k
THE LIZ AND TERRY BRAMALL FOUNDATION	2	£13k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with ARTSWORK LIMITED.

ARTSWORK LIMITED income £1.9m
LLENYDDIAETH CYMRU - LITERATURE WALES income £1.3m
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST income £14.3m
THE WILBUR AND NISO SMITH FOUNDATION income £160k
LYRIC THEATRE HAMMERSMITH LIMITED income £6.7m
UNITED KINGDOM & EUROPE WORLD LITERACY FOUNDATION income £180k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
WORDSMITH AWARDS	£485k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ARTSWORK LIMITED FY2025	£1.9m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
LLENYDDIAETH CYMRU - LITERATURE WALES FY2025	£1.3m	—	—	unclear	—	no doubt
THE NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST FY2025	£14.3m	—	—	below	—	no doubt
THE WILBUR AND NISO SMITH FOUNDATION FY2024	£160k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
LYRIC THEATRE HAMMERSMITH LIMITED FY2025	£6.7m	£80,001 - £90,000	3	unclear	—	no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.