An adult female mallard keeps her ducklings close on a tranquil lake at dawn © Andrew Parkinson/2020VISION
How we are funded
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust is only able to deliver on its mission to protect the county's wildlife through the generosity of our supporters - our 2,000 members, 300 volunteers, grant giving trusts, local authorities, companies and charitable trusts.
If the natural environment is important to you and your family, you can make a crucial contribution by becoming a member of the Trust or making a donation.
For every £1 you donate, 91p goes directly into conservation work right here in Montgomeryshire- this means that money is invested in things like managing nature reserves, defending wildlife against poorly-planned development and inspiring people about wildlife.
Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust receives two main types of income: restricted (for specific projects) and unrestricted (for the ongoing delivery of our charitable objectives). It is important to distinguish between these two types of income. The vast majority of grant schemes restrict their funding and, if we are successful in securing funding, we are completely restricted to spending it on the items as dictated by the funding contract. If we chose to spend the money on something else, we would be in breach of our contract and would have to return the money.
The Trust draws on a variety of funding sources to cover the costs of conservation projects, education and awareness work, and to manage our network of nature reserves.
Unrestricted income
This type of income is extremely important because the Trust can use it wherever the need is greatest to help protect local wildlife. Sources of unrestricted income include:
Membership subscriptions
Gifts in wills
Donations in memory
General donations
Trading income
Support from players of People's Postcode Lottery
Supporters using easyfundraising (online shopping donations)
Restricted income
The Trust receives its restricted income from grant funders, public bodies and partner organisations; this is related to the delivery of specific projects. Sources of restricted funding include:
National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF)
The National Lottery Community Fund
Natural Resources Wales
Welsh Government
Local Authorities
Restricted income is becoming increasingly difficult to secure, in part due to cuts in public sector funding but also because of increased competition.
Where we spend our money
The vast majority of our expenditure (91%) is on delivery of conservation for the benefit of wildlife, across our Living Landscapes and Living Seas. This includes our work inspiring people through education and engagement, which is critical to ensure the next generation values nature so that wildlife is conserved into the future. Find out more about our work here.
We work hard to keep our fundraising costs to a minimum. To run an organisation like this costs money, so some also goes into running costs. This includes expenditure on rent and property costs, providing IT to support our operations and vehicles to deliver our conservation activities.