Annual report and accounts For the year ending 31 March 2019 Contents Honorary Roles and Charity Management .......................................................................................................................................... 4 Chairman and Chief Executive’s Report ................................................................................................................................................ 5 Trustees’ Strategic Report ....................................................................................................................................................................... 6 2018-19 Grant Commitments ................................................................................................................................................................. 7 Our Research ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 8 -10 Communicating for Change ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 Funding Brighter Futures ...................................................................................................................................................................... 13 Looking Ahead ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 14 Public Benefit and Impact ..................................................................................................................................................................... 15 Structure, Governance and Management ................................................................................................................................... 16 -17 Statement of Trustees’ Responsibilities ............................................................................................................................................... 18 Independent Auditor’s Report to the Members ........................................................................................................................ 19 - 21 Statement of Financial Activities, including Income and Expenditure ........................................................................................... 22 Comparative Statement of Financial Activities, including Income and Expenditure ................................................................... 23 Balance Sheet ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 24 Statement of Cash Flow ........................................................................................................................................................................ 25 Notes to the Financial Statements ............................................................................................................................................... 26 - 34 Board of Trustees: Committees and Advisory Committees .............................................................................................................. 35 Thanks ...................................................................................................................................................................................................... 35 All of our photos are of autistic children, adults and families that we work with. They are either members of our Discover network or pupils at Queensmill School in West London. 2 3 Honorary Roles and Charity Management Chairman and Chief Executive’s Report Honorary Roles Key Management Personnel As the UK’s leading autism research charity, Autistica exists to harness the potential of cutting- edge science to improve the lives of every autistic person. Since our foundation, we have funded Patron Chief Executive: Jon Spiers the set-up and development of some of the most important UK studies and scientific assets in Professor Sir Michael Rutter Director of Science autism, including the BASIS and iBASIS trials, the ASD-UK and AASC databases and the Autism President Dr James Cusack Brain Bank. We fund leading scientists and rising stars at top universities across the UK, including Dame Stephanie Shirley CH Director of Fundraising Cambridge, UCL, Edinburgh, Newcastle, King’s College London, Plymouth, Bangor, Birmingham, Vice Presidents Jennie Chambers Exeter and Nottingham. Jane Asher Auditors Autistica’s mission is threefold: to improve outcomes for autistic Our fundraising remained strong, including major grants from Sir Christopher Ball Wilkins Kennedy Audit Services people of all ages through innovative research; to grow autism the Shirley Foundation, Peter Sowerby Foundation and The Paul Lady Christine Bett Greytown House research in the UK through collaborations, campaigning and Foundation, a host of new corporate partnerships including Hugh Merrill MVO capacity-building; and to be the bridge between researchers, Fujitsu and Jupiter Asset Management, and a successful 221-227 High Street policymakers and autistic people. We constantly seek ways of recruitment drive for new regular donors. Chair: Gill Ackers Orpington ensuring that the voice of the autism community, in all its facets, Honorary Treasurer: James Lowe (retired November 2018) Kent BR6 0NZ is clearly heard and that it informs all our discussions around the We keep our Board composition under regular review. In 2018, Matthew Harris (joined November 2018) board table. we welcomed our first autistic Board Apprentices who gain board-level experience enabling them to become Trustees in Bankers In 2018-19, we hugely grew Discover, the UK’s national autism the future at Autistica or elsewhere. We welcomed Matthew Trustees research network run by Autistica, which brings together Harris, Heather Kleeman, Matt Davis and Professor Jonathan Metro Bank families, autistic adults, researchers, clinicians and charities to Green as new Trustees. We said fond farewells to Professor Eric Dr Sarah Caddick PhD One Southampton Row accelerate autism science nationally. Over 13,000 people have Taylor (Trustee), James Lowe (Treasurer) and Edward Chandler John Carey London WC1B 5HA now joined Discover and more than 20 universities are members. (Chair) after six years on the Board. Their contribution has been Edward Chandler (retired February 2019) We held our first Discover research conference sharing the latest immense and we wish them all the very best for the future. Matt Davis (joined May 2018) Registered office research with over 200 autistic people, parents and researchers. Discover’s Autism Insight Group grew to 250 autistic people and In 2019-20, Autistica will continue to fund ground-breaking new Michael Earl parents who help develop new research ideas, provide real-life science, expand our reach and influence through Discover and St Saviour’s House Professor Jonathan Green (joined November 2018) insights and experiences and test new products like our anxiety international partnerships, and improve lives through our highly Heather Kleeman (joined May 2018) 39–41 Union St app. Our new Involvement Strategy laid out how we aim to effective policy campaigns. Our priorities include building on our success securing autism as an NHS national clinical priority; Jeff Saul London SE1 1SD accelerate genuine involvement of autistic people and families in building collaborations so we drive forward research we would T 0203 857 4340 our work and in research in general. Vinny Smith not be able to deliver alone; and ensuring the UK’s role in autism Professor Eric Taylor (retired November 2018) E [email protected] Our research portfolio grew substantially including a major research is recognised internationally and the best global talent www.autistica.org.uk study into health checks for autistic people, new research into and funding is focused on the autism community’s priorities. We parent-led PECS at home, a study into anti-epilepsy medication look forward to working with all of our partners within autism Company registration no. and the launch of our globally unique DARE study into autistic and beyond to ensure every autistic person has the chance of a 05184164 employment. We announced our first two Future Leaders long, happy, healthy life. in autism science and the first four winners of our autistic- Charity registration no. led grants scheme backed by autism philanthropist Charles 1107350 Sharland, as well as making further investments in our unique cohorts at Newcastle University. We published the first ever scoping review of UK autism research demonstrating how much our community-led approach has begun to change autism science. Thanks to the kind support of the Pears Foundation, we published our first ever Impact Plan to increase the impact of all our work and accelerate our progress. Our influencing work to push autism up the political agenda led to the NHS making autism a clinical priority for the first time. Working alone and in partnership, we used the latest research to make the case for this prioritisation and are now working closely Gill Ackers, Jon Spiers, with civil servants to embed evidence from autism science at the Chair Chief Executive heart of policymaking and clinical practice. 4 5 Trustees’ Strategic Report 2018-19 Grant