THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY
Registered charity 216652 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as B T O · also registered in Scotland as SC039193 (OSCR)
Ornithological research
Causes: Environment/conservation/heritage · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a net income deficit of £307k for the year, driven by a significant drop in legacy income. The Board maintains free reserves of £2,670k, which it considers equivalent to 4.4 months' running costs, within its stated policy target of three to four months. The defined benefit pension scheme deficit has reduced to £180k, described by the trustees as a 'comfortably manageable level'.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves policy: three to four months’ running costs (held: £2.7m)
“The Board has a free reserves target range of three to four months’ running costs.” — page 38
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: BTO Services Ltd is a wholly owned trading subsidiary that gifts profits to the Trust.
“The BTO’s wholly owned subsidiary, BTO Services Ltd, was established to undertake commercial activities to support the work of the BTO, and gifts its profits to the Trust.” — page 44
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: BTO Services Ltd
“The BTO’s wholly owned subsidiary, BTO Services Ltd, was established to undertake commercial activities to support the work of the BTO” — page 44
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Ensors Accountants LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
In the news
Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).
Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — BTO - British Trust for Ornithology (matched by registered charity number).
Property (HM Land Registry)
3 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (2 freehold); recorded price paid £811k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.
Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): facebook · instagram
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Cost of raising funds
£1.7m
Reported reserves equal ~3.5 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).
Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 19.9% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).
- Dominic Edward Buscall
- Dr Geeta Ludhra · trustee of 1 other charity
- Dr Rachel Clara Thomas
- Emma Dresser
- Emma Jane Thornton
- Iain Coucher
- Jamie Dunning
- Jane Elizabeth Miller
- Joel Meade Ziff
- Prof Zoe Georgina Davies
- Professor Stephen Geoffrey Willis · trustee of 1 other charity
- Simon Marquis
- Stephen Jonathan Metcalfe
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Northern Ireland · Scotland · Throughout England And Wales
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net income deficit of £307k for the year, driven by a significant drop in legacy income. The Board maintains free reserves of £2,670k, which it considers equivalent to 4.4 months' running costs, within its stated policy target of three to four months. The defined benefit pension scheme deficit has reduced to £180k, described by the trustees as a 'comfortably manageable level'. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Ensors Accountants LLP.
Who funds THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY as a grant recipient include THE RETA LILA HOWARD FOUNDATION, THE LINDER FOUNDATION, THE PENCHANT FOUNDATION, SANDRA CHARITABLE TRUST, THE JACK PATSTON 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 THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS' UNION.
Side by side with its peers
Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.