Governance and transparency

At the Global Returns Project (GRP), we are committed to transparency and openness. We are a registered charity in England and Wales and a company limited by guarantee, subject to rigorous oversight.

Our mission is to unlock new philanthropy to deliver urgent solutions for our planet. In doing so, we ensure your donation goes directly to high-impact climate and nature charities, without taking any fees. Donors may choose to cover transaction fees when donating via our website or to allocate Gift Aid on their donation to our operating costs.

Below you will find our legal status, governance structure, financial breakdowns, selection methodology, and independent oversight mechanisms.

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Legal Status & Regulatory Compliance

The Global Returns Project Limited is a charity incorporated by guarantee with no share capital. This structure ensures that our assets are held exclusively for charitable purposes and cannot be distributed to individuals.

Charity Number: 1186683
Company Number: 11882899
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) registration: ZA540861
Registered Office: Room 424, Linen Hall 162-168 Regent Street, London, England, W1B 5TE

We are fully compliant with UK regulations and registered with key oversight bodies:

As a member of the Fundraising Regulator, we adhere to the Code of Fundraising Practice, ensuring high standards of behaviour, transparency, and donor care.

Our Board of Trustees

Our Trustees serve voluntarily, receive no remuneration, and bear ultimate responsibility for the charity’s strategy, governance, and financial probity.

Conflicts of interest are declared and managed strictly in accordance with Charity Commission guidance.

Current Trustees:

Joanna Hermione Bacon – Chair of Trustees
Yan Carlos Swiderski – Executive Trustee and Co-Founder
Jasper Rayner Augusto Judd – Executive Trustee and Co-Founder
Camilla Swiderska – Executive Trustee
Alexandrina Sofia Blount – Non-Executive Trustee
Stefanie Pfeil – Non-Executive Trustee
Daniel Appiah – Board Advisor (non-voting Board observer appointed for one-year terms with the possibility of renewal)

Financial Integrity: Zero Fees, Full Impact

Our model is built on a fundamental principle: 100% of your donation goes directly to our climate solutions unless you tell us to do otherwise.

We do not charge fees or take deductions. If you make a donation that has associated transaction fees, you will have the opportunity to cover your own fees.

If you opt out, we will cover them for you – ensuring your full intended donation reaches our portfolio of charities.

Our operational costs are covered separately by unrestricted core funding from dedicated supporters who believe in our infrastructure.

This separation ensures that every pound allocated for rainforest protection, marine conservation, legal action or otherwise is deployed exactly as intended.

If your donation is eligible for Gift Aid in the UK, we will give you the option of allocating that Gift Aid to the Global Returns Project’s operating costs.

This is fully optional but very helpful for supporting our ongoing research and reporting activities. Any Gift Aid on donations via our website is automatically allocated to our operating costs if donors do not indicate a preference when prompted.

Independent Oversight & Examination

As a registered charity, GRP is subject to rigorous statutory requirements and independent scrutiny.

Audits and Independent Examinations

As a charity, our annual report and financial statements are required to be independently examined (when annual income is less than £1 million) or audited (when income exceeds £1 million) in accordance with the Charities Act 2011.

In the most recent year ended 31 March 2026, the auditor confirmed that proper accounting records were kept and that the financial statements accord with these records and comply with the Charity Commission’s directions.

Statutory Compliance

We file our Annual Report and Financial Statements publicly with the Charity Commission. You can verify our registration status and download our full audited accounts here.

Tax Status: As a registered charity, GRP is exempt from income tax and corporation tax on income derived from charitable activities.

Leadership & Advisory Expertise

Our core team manages day-to-day operations, leaning on expertise from our advisors and governance by our Trustees. Our strategy and unique giving model are reinforced by world-leading scientific expertise.

Technical Advisory Board (TAB)

To ensure our impact is scientifically robust, we rely on our Technical Advisory Board, composed of leading academics and experts in climate science, ecology, and nonprofit assessment.

Members include:

Prof Joanna Haigh CBE FRS (Chair)
Prof Rosalind Rickaby FRS
Prof Yadvinder Malhi CBE FRS
Dr Mamta Mehra
Doree Marentette

The Technical Advisory Board, along with our Trustees, oversees our proprietary charity selection methodology, ensuring that only the highest-performing, most scalable organisations enter our portfolio.

Conflict of Interest & Related Party Transactions

Transparency extends to our relationships. We maintain strict protocols to manage conflicts of interest.

Trustee remuneration: No Trustee receives payment for their service.
Related donations: Trustees and related parties may donate to GRP like any other supporter. In FY25, related party donations totalled £59,676, fully disclosed in our financial notes.
Contractual integrity: No Trustee has a personal financial interest in contracts entered into by the charity. Any expenses reimbursed to trustees (e.g., event-related costs) are minimal and fully documented (£82 in FY25).

Data Privacy & Donor Rights

We treat donor data with the utmost care – all data processing adheres to UK GDPR standards.

We never sell or share donor information with third-party marketers.

You control what you receive. Request to opt out of communications at any time, or request deletion of your data via our privacy policy.

Published Reports & Accounts

For complete transparency, we publish our full annual reports, which include detailed financial statements, notes on accounting policies, and impact assessments. Please download our most recent publications below:

Download Annual Report & Financial Statements (Year Ended March 2025)
Download our latest Impact Report (Year Ended March 2026)