THE INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES
The Institute of Development Studies is a leading global institution for development research, teaching and learning, and impact and communications, based at the University of Sussex. IDS hosts numerous research clusters and postgraduate courses and a host of web-based knowledge services.
Latest income
£23.4m
Latest spending
£26.9m
Registered
1966
Accounts read
FY2025
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £3.6m for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in a decrease in total reserves to £9.8m. The Trustees note that free reserves of £4.7m are currently below the stated minimum policy level of £6m, citing ongoing pressures from funding cuts and student numbers, but confirm the accounts are prepared on a going concern basis.
What the accounts disclose
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £4.7m; policy: minimum of £6m)
“Total general reserves as at 31 March 2025 were £4.7m. The level of the unrestricted reserves are currently below the minimum level.” — page 26
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: Trustees who are employees received remuneration for their services as employees. The aggregate emoluments of those Trustees who are also employees of the Institute were £0.3m (2024 - £0.3m) whilst they were Trustees.
“The Trustees received no remuneration for their services as Trustees. In accordance with Clause 4 of the Memorandum of Association, Trustees who are also employees received remuneration for their services as employees.” — page 43
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: University of Sussex
“In the past year, IDS paid £0.9m (2024 - £0.9m) to the University of Sussex for services provided to the Institute,and received £3.4m (2024- £4.0m) from the University in respect of tuition fees and other income.” — page 51
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
In the news
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- Institute of Development Studies gets third director in three years
- Professor Anuradha Joshi appointed Director of the Institute of Development Studies
- Professor Peter Taylor appointed Director of the Institute of Development Studies
Funders the charity credits
- International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
Property (HM Land Registry)
Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)
Total income
£23.4m
Total spending
£26.9m
Cost of raising funds
£69k
Reserves (reported)
£5.3m
Employees
250
Trustees
- Professor Deepak Nayyarchair
- Awo Ablo
- Dr Sasha Roseneil
- Ernest Aryeetey
- Jenny Natasha Clayton
- Jeremy Lind
- Jose Antonio Ocampo Gaviria
- Mariam Zabakhidze
- Michael Charles Bellamy
- Professor Anuradha Joshi
- Tamsyn Barton
Income and spending
| Financial year end | Income | Spending |
|---|---|---|
| 31/03/2025 | £23.4m | £26.9m |
| 31/03/2024 | £26.3m | £29.8m |
| 31/03/2023 | £31.8m | £31.9m |
| 31/03/2022 | £29.2m | £29.7m |
| 31/03/2021 | £31.4m | £28.1m |
Common questions
Is THE INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a deficit of £3.6m for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in a decrease in total reserves to £9.8m. The Trustees note that free reserves of £4.7m are currently below the stated minimum policy level of £6m, citing ongoing pressures from funding cuts and student numbers, but confirm the accounts are prepared on a going concern basis. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Crowe U.K. LLP.
Who funds THE INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES as a grant recipient include THE BRITISH ACADEMY FOR THE PROMOTION OF HISTORICAL PHILOSOPHICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL STUDIES, GLOBAL DIALOGUE, INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT, ELRHA.
Known funders
| Funder | Year | Amount | Purpose (as stated by the funder) |
|---|---|---|---|
| THE BRITISH ACADEMY FOR THE PROMOTION OF HISTORICAL PHILOSOPHICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL STUDIES | FY2025 | £1.8m | Challenge Led Research |
| THE BRITISH ACADEMY FOR THE PROMOTION OF HISTORICAL PHILOSOPHICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL STUDIES | FY2022 | £604k | |
| THE BRITISH ACADEMY FOR THE PROMOTION OF HISTORICAL PHILOSOPHICAL AND PHILOLOGICAL STUDIES | FY2023 | £279k | Fellowships and research awards |
| GLOBAL DIALOGUE | FY2023 | £81k | Hosting - Funders' Initiative for Civil Society |
| INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT | FY2025 | £38k | Payments to collaborating organisations |
| ELRHA | FY2022 | £30k | |
| GLOBAL DIALOGUE | FY2024 | £18k | Funders' Initiative for Civil Society |
| GLOBAL DIALOGUE | FY2025 | £271 | Ariadne |
Government & lottery funding
| Funder | Date | Amount | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK government | 08/05/2023 | £65k | Disability Inclusive Sustainable Global Development Networking awards Cohort Coordinator |
| UK government | 24/04/2023 | £39k | Open Access Block Award 2023 - Institute of Development Studies |
| UK government | 19/10/2022 | £129k | The Great Green Wall and Sahelian Environmental Imaginaries - Green Fix and the persistence of a Policy Idea |
| UK government | 17/10/2022 | £66k | The Living Roots Project: Building a community asset and research consortium in Ealing, West London to address health equity |
| UK government | 15/09/2022 | £11k | Breeding for coffee and cocoa root resilience in low input farming systems based on improved rootstocks (BOLERO) |
| UK government | 18/05/2022 | £23k | AHRC DCMS Fellowship - Sofya Shahab |
| UK government | 06/04/2022 | £108k | Building Back Better from Below |
| UK government | 14/12/2021 | £26k | The ESRC STEPS Centre's Legacy Initiative: Future Natures |
| UK government | 29/11/2021 | £126k | Innovation and Complentary Capabilities for Vaccines |
| UK government | 01/04/2020 | £100k | Syrian Cultural Heritage Project |
| UK government | 05/03/2020 | £169k | Towards Brown Gold: Reimagining off-grid sanitation in rapidly urbanising areas in Asia and Africa |
| UK government | 03/03/2020 | £126k | Reimagining Infrastructure: how is marginalised people's food and nutrition security shaped by a continuum of urban infrastructure assemblages |
| UK government | 30/09/2019 | £77k | Islands of innovation in protracted crises: a new approach to building equitable resilience from below |
| UK government | 28/06/2019 | £465k | Sustaining Power: Women's struggles against contemporary backlash in South Asia |
| UK government | 01/04/2018 | £3.0m | Freedom Of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for inclusive, interdependent and diverse societies |
| UK government | 01/04/2018 | £2.1m | Partnership with the Institute of Development Studies ( IDS) |
Funders of similar charities
| Funder | Similar charities funded | Amount to them |
|---|---|---|
| FITZGERALD FAMILY FOUNDATION | 1 | £275k |
| THE MCBAIN FAMILY FOUNDATION | 1 | £220k |
| THE ROTHSCHILD FOUNDATION | 1 | £170k |
| HAYDEN FAMILY (UK) LTD. | 1 | £145k |
| ANTI-SLAVERY INTERNATIONAL | 1 | £98k |
| ATKIN CHARITABLE FOUNDATION | 1 | £55k |
| THE ARCHIE SHERMAN CHARITABLE TRUST | 1 | £25k |
| THE LANKELLYCHASE FOUNDATION | 1 | £22k |
Charities like this
- INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT
- UK FRIENDS OF I.D.C.
- INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC DIALOGUE
- THE TAVISTOCK INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RELATIONS
- THE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT
- THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Side by side with its peers
| Charity | Income | Top pay band | Staff >£60k | Reserves vs policy | Fundraising cost | Going concern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| THE INSTITUTE OF DEVELOPMENT STUDIES | £23.4m | — | — | below | — | no doubt |
| INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT | £32.5m | — | — | unclear | — | no doubt |
| UK FRIENDS OF I.D.C. | £868k | — | 0 | below | — | no doubt |
| INSTITUTE FOR STRATEGIC DIALOGUE | £6.1m | — | — | above | — | no doubt |
| THE TAVISTOCK INSTITUTE OF HUMAN RELATIONS | £2.1m | — | — | below | — | no doubt |
| THE CHARITABLE FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT | £259k | — | 0 | unclear | — | no doubt |