THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON

Charity number: 208728
Charity reporting is up to date (on time)

Charity overview

Activities - how the charity spends its money

To achieve and promote the conservation of animals and their habitats.

Income and expenditure

Data for financial year ending 30 April 2024

Total income:
£83,329,000

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Donations and legacies £6.36m
Charitable activities £56.03m
Other trading activities £19.45m
Investments £1.20m
Other £299.00k

Total expenditure:
£80,646,000

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Raising funds £1.70m
Charitable activities £62.26m
Other £16.69m

£1,635,000 investments gains (losses)

Total income includes £6,857,643 from 44 government grant(s)

Charitable expenditure

Charitable expenditure

Some charities generate all, or a substantial part, of their income from investments which may have been donated to the charity as endowment or set aside by the charity from its own resources in the past. Such investments usually take the form of stocks and shares but may include other assets, such as property, that are capable of generating income and/or capital growth.

In managing their spending and investments charities need to strike a balance between the needs of future and current beneficiaries. They also need to take account of spending commitments that may stretch over a number of future years. To do this, charities will normally adopt an investment strategy designed to generate both income and capital growth. To maximise returns trustees may commit to investment strategies for several years.

Investments can experience large swings in value so trustees may, in a particular year, decide to realise and spend part of their charity’s capital or to invest part of its income.

By clicking the investment gains checkbox the charitable spending bar is adjusted to take account of capital growth as well as income. This shows the balance the charity is striking, between spending on current beneficiaries and retaining resources for future beneficiaries.

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Raising funds and other expenditure £18.39m
Charitable expenditure £62.26m
Retained for future use £2.68m

People

804 Employee(s)

11 Trustee(s)

1106 Volunteer(s)

Employees with total benefits over £60,000

Number of employees
£60k to £70k 26
£70k to £80k 15
£80k to £90k 9
£90k to £100k 2
£100k to £110k 4
£110k to £120k 1
£130k to £140k 1
£200k to £250k 2

Fundraising

No information available

Trading

One or more trustees are also directors of the subsidiaries

Trustee payments

No trustees receive any remuneration, payments or benefits from the charity.

What, who, how, where

What the charity does:
  • Education/training
  • Animals
  • Environment/conservation/heritage
Who the charity helps:
  • The General Public/mankind
How the charity helps:
  • Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
  • Other Charitable Activities
Where the charity operates:
  • Throughout England And Wales
  • Algeria
  • Angola
  • Argentina
  • Azerbaijan
  • Bangladesh
  • Belgium
  • Botswana
  • Brazil
  • British Indian Ocean Territory
  • Burkina Faso
  • Cameroon
  • Canada
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • China
  • Christmas Island
  • Czech Republic
  • Dominica
  • Ecuador
  • Ethiopia
  • France
  • French Polynesia
  • Ghana
  • Greece
  • Greenland
  • Iceland
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Ireland
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Kazakhstan
  • Kenya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Mali
  • Mauritius
  • Mongolia
  • Montserrat
  • Mozambique
  • Namibia
  • Nepal
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Niger
  • Norway
  • Panama
  • Papua New Guinea
  • Philippines
  • Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie And Oeno Islands
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Somalia
  • South Africa
  • South Sudan
  • Spain
  • Sri Lanka
  • Switzerland
  • Tanzania
  • Thailand
  • Turkey
  • Turkmenistan
  • Uganda
  • United States
  • Zambia
  • Zimbabwe

Governance

Registration history:
  • 08 April 1963: Standard registration
Organisation type:
Other
Other names:
  • INSTITUTE OF ZOOLOGY (Working name)
  • LONDON ZOO (Working name)
  • WHIPSNADE WILD ANIMAL PARK (Working name)
  • ZSL (Working name)
Company number:
RC000749 Open in new window
Gift aid:
Recognised by HMRC for gift aid
Other regulators:
No information available
Policies:
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • Paying staff
  • Risk management
  • Safeguarding policy and procedures
  • Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
  • Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
  • Social media policy and procedures
  • Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Land and property:
This charity owns and/or leases land or property

Trustees

Trustees are the people responsible for controlling the work, management and administration of the charity on behalf of its beneficiaries. Generally trustees are treasurer, chair, board member etc. The trustees are responsible for keeping this list up to date and can do this by updating their details as they happen through the online service

11 Trustee(s)

Name Role Date of appointment Other trusteeships Reporting status of other trusteeships
Dr Karen Lawrence Trustee 21 November 2024
BUXTON VILLAGE HALL AND PLAYING FIELD
Received: On time
Jonathan Cracknell Trustee 23 November 2023
FREE THE BEARS UK
Received: On time
Loraine Woodhouse Trustee 14 September 2023
None on record
Dr May Chiao Trustee 24 November 2022
None on record
Athena Natassa Markides Trustee 10 November 2021
None on record
Richard Thomas Kimblin KC Trustee 10 November 2021
None on record
Professor James Cuthbert Smith FRS Trustee 15 September 2021
None on record
David St John Jones Trustee 18 March 2020
None on record
Shruti Ajitsaria Trustee 13 November 2019
None on record
RICHARD JAMES SYKES Trustee 11 June 2019
HWHC LIMITED
Received: 23 days late
Alexander Richard Brooks Large Trustee 13 November 2018
None on record

Financial history

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Financial period end date

Income / Expenditure 30/04/2020 30/04/2021 30/04/2022 30/04/2023 30/04/2024
Total gross income £66.86m £58.82m £79.51m £79.41m £83.33m
Total expenditure £71.07m £58.13m £70.89m £75.56m £80.65m
Income from government contracts N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Income from government grants £7.65m £6.45m £6.37m £5.30m £6.86m
Income - Donations and legacies £7.45m £11.60m £9.34m £5.69m £6.36m
Income - Other trading activities £12.38m £6.62m £16.24m £16.77m £19.45m
Income - Charitable activities £46.39m £37.95m £53.75m £55.99m £56.03m
Income - Endowments £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Income - Investment £246.00k £144.00k £115.00k £573.00k £1.20m
Income - Other £394.00k £2.51m £68.00k £388.00k £299.00k
Income - Legacies £1.43m £958.00k £843.00k £470.00k £702.00k
Expenditure - Charitable activities £55.20m £47.94m £55.94m £60.61m £62.26m
Expenditure - Raising funds £15.87m £3.75m £1.69m £1.43m £1.70m
Expenditure - Governance £100.00k £77.00k £106.00k £84.00k £141.00k
Expenditure - Grants institution £0 £520.00k £0 £15.66m £1.58m
Expenditure - Investment management £0 £0 £0 £0 £0
Expenditure - Other £0 £6.45m £13.25m £13.52m £16.69m

Assets and liabilities

Definitions for assets and liabilities
Own use assets

These are assets, other than investments, which are held for more than 12 months and used to run and administer the charity such as buildings, offices, exhibits and fixtures and fittings.

Long term Investments

Investments are assets held by the charity with the sole aim of generating income which will be used for their charitable purposes such as deposit accounts, shares, rental property and unit trusts.
Investment assets are re-valued every year and included in the balance sheet at their current market value.
Long term investments are held for more than 12 months.

Other assets

These are assets held generally for less than 12 months such as cash and bank balances, debtors, investments to be sold within the coming year and trading stock.

Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability

This is a surplus or deficit in any defined benefit pension scheme operated and represents a potential long-term asset or liability.

Total liabilities

These are all the amounts owed by the charity at the balance sheet date to third parties such as bills due but not yet paid, bank overdrafts and loans and mortgages.

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Asset / Liability 30/04/2020 30/04/2021 30/04/2022 30/04/2023 30/04/2024
Own use assets £46.71m £45.44m £49.42m £55.26m £58.21m
Long-term investments £6.34m £6.90m £6.96m £6.94m £8.58m
Other assets £22.93m £28.17m £38.29m £33.17m £33.88m
Defined benefit pension scheme asset or liability £4.46m £1.92m £10.27m £5.98m £7.96m
Total liabilities £9.07m £12.50m £18.22m £15.43m £16.90m

Accounts and annual returns

This table shows the charity's record of submitting annual returns, accounts and trustees' annual report (TAR) for the last five financial periods.
Title Reporting year Date received Received Download
Annual return 30 April 2024 16 January 2025 On Time
Accounts and TAR 30 April 2024 16 January 2025 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 30 April 2023 20 February 2024 On Time
Accounts and TAR 30 April 2023 20 February 2024 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 30 April 2022 10 February 2023 On Time
Accounts and TAR 30 April 2022 10 February 2023 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 30 April 2021 25 February 2022 On Time
Accounts and TAR 30 April 2021 25 February 2022 On Time Download Open in new window
Annual return 30 April 2020 29 January 2021 On Time
Accounts and TAR 30 April 2020 29 January 2021 On Time Download Open in new window
Submit annual return Open in new window

Governing document

Details of the type of governing document the charity has and when it was established.
It is not the full text of the charity's governing document.

ROYAL CHARTER DATED 15TH JANUARY, 1963; ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON ACT 1928 ROYAL CHARTER DATED 15TH MAY 1995. And Royal Charter granted on 23 Jun 2021as amended by supplemental Charter 23 Jun 2021

Charitable objects

THE ADVANCEMENT OF ZOOLOGY BY, AMONGST OTHER THINGS, THE CONDUCTING OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH, THE PROMOTING OF CONSERVATION OF BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND THE WELFARE OF ANIMALS, THE CARE FOR AND BREEDING OF ENDANGERED AND OTHER SPECIES, THE FOSTERING OF PUBLIC INTEREST, THE IMPROVEMENT AND DISSEMINATION OF ZOOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND PARTICIPATION IN CONSERVATION WORLDWIDE

Area of benefit

The area the charity can operate in, as set out in its governing document.

NATIONAL & OVERSEAS

Linked charities

Linked charities
Linked charity 208728-1 ALFRED DAVIS
Governing document
COUNCIL MINUTES DATED 20/07/1980
Charitable objects
FOR OR TOWARDS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF ANNUAL PRIZES HAVING RELATION TO THE OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY OR IN ANY OTHER WAY THAT THE COUNCIL MAY DEEM CONDUCIVE TO THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE OBJECTS OF THE SOCIETY.
Area of benefit
NOT DEFINED
Registration history
  • 08 April 1963 : Standard registration

Contact information

Address:
Zoological Society of London
Regent's Park
London
NW1 4RY
Phone:
03442251826
Email:
GeneralEnquiries@zsl.org
Website:

www.zsl.org Open in new window