Finance Score: 3

Governance Score: 8

Support Score: 8

Strong growth: +2
Multiple Deficits: -2
Fundraising costs low: +3
No PartB

12+ Trustees: -1
Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Grant maker support: +8

Overall GiG Score: 19

SCOTTISH ASSOCIATION FOR MARINE SCIENCE

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

The charity has received backing from multiple prominent grant makers recently
There has been strong growth in spending over the last 5 years, despite a decline more recently
Fundraising costs are unusually low relative to funds raised
The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

There are 15 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12

Financial issues to consider:

On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending

Financial Data

Income & Spending ?

Period ending	31/03/18	31/03/19	31/03/20	31/03/21	31/03/22	31/03/23
Charitable activities	£10,046,000		£9,307,000	£8,273,000		£9,522,000
Donations & Legacies
Other Income	£1,211,000
Investment Income						£468,000
Total income	£13,280,000	£10,451	£10,997,000	£10,350,000	£9,384,000	£10,315,000
Charitable activities spending	£12,435,000		£11,470,000	£10,303,000		£10,935,000
Fundraising costs	0%		0%	0%	0%	0%
Other spending
Total spending	£12,447,000	£11,355	£11,481,000	£10,310,000	£10,212,000	£10,950,000
Surplus/deficit	£833,000	-£904	-£484,000	£40,000	-£828,000	-£635,000

Download accounts

Established: 94 years
(109 years as a company)

www.sams.ac.uk

Listed activities

It carries out activities or services itself

GiG Classification

Museums, parks, historical sites

Purposes

The advancement of education
The advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
The advancement of environmental protection or improvement

Where it operates

UK and overseas, main operating location: Argyll And Bute

Who it helps

No specific group, or for the benefit of the community

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following significant donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy	£2,042,160
Co-Op Foundation	£203,765
Scottish Government	£100,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Co-Op Foundation - Scottish Association for Marine Science CIF project
£203,765	15/06/2023	SAMS is looking at how various forms of marine waste, including shellfish and mollusc shells and seaweed can be repurposed to create new fertilisers
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - AGRI-SATT - Agricultural Growth using Remote-sensing, IoT, Satellite and Autonomous Telecommand Technology
£616,439	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=48248
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - SUPPORTING EUROPEAN COASTAL REGIONS IN THEIR TRANSITION TO A SUSTAINABLE BLUE BIOECONOMY
£5,586	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10042446
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Seabed Mining And Resilience To EXperimental impact
£61,044	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/T002867/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Securing reactive nitrogen for high value food and feed production in integrated bioremediation and energy generation systems
£150,508	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=MR/S032991/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Inuit Qaujisarnirmut Pilirijjutit on Arctic Shipping Risks in Inuit Nunangat
£82,872	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/X002632/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Chronobiology of changing Arctic Sea Ecosystems (CHASE)
£17,107	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/R012733/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Malaysian HABreports: Harmful algal bloom and biotoxin early warning to meet the ODA challenge of providing resilient aquaculture resources in Asia
£25,258	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB/T011661/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Optimising strain selection and developing a biorefinery for industrially relevant micro-algae
£25,873	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB/T50872X/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - GCRF GlobalSeaweed* - Safeguarding the future of seaweed aquaculture in developing countries
£409	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=BB/P027806/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - MPA Europe
£1,769	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10069750
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - The Gulf Stream control of the North Atlantic carbon sink
£12,294	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/W009536/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Application of novel 3D imaging techniques to quantify biomass and secondary production associated with North Sea artificial structures.
£297,141	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/T010665/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - The past, present and future of snow algae in Antarctica: a threatened terrestrial ecosystem
£200,275	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/V000764/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - UK-OSNAP-Decade: 10 years of observing and understanding the overturning circulation in the subpolar North Atlantic (2014-2024)
£352,402	01/04/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/T008938/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - EIT Food Activities
£6,976	01/01/2022	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=10033057
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Seabed Mining And Resilience To EXperimental impact
£43,769	01/06/2021	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/T002867/1
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy - Application of novel 3D imaging techniques to quantify biomass and secondary production associated with North Sea artificial structures.
£142,438	01/05/2021	Full Grant details (including summaries) can be found on the Gateway to Research website: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=NE/T010665/1
Scottish Government - Scottish Association For Marine Science
£100,000	16/04/2020	Detailed description not provided.

Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Directors (15)

Current Directors appointed

Gender Split

Age Range of Directors: 45-71

ASHTON, Keir Edward
Appointed: 2024
Occupation: Solicitor

BAXTER, John Mowbray, Professor
Appointed: 2018
Occupation: Company Director

BROWNLEE, Colin, Professor
Appointed: 2018
Occupation: Research Scientist

CHRISTIE, Adam
Appointed: 2023
Occupation: Director

DANCE, Laura
Appointed: 2024
Occupation: Public Servant

HOLLANDERS, Eric Francois Jacques
Appointed: 2022
Occupation: Non-Executive Director

JARDINE, Ian William
Appointed: 2023
Occupation: Director

LEDGARD, Louise Joyce, Dr
Appointed: 2024
Occupation: Non Executive Director

MCNEILL, Deborah Catherine, Dr
Appointed: 2018
Occupation: Director

MOFFAT, Colin Forbes, Professor
Appointed: 2021
Occupation: Professor

MURRAY, Diana Mary
Appointed: 2019
Occupation: Director

WAITES, Richard, Professor
Appointed: 2021
Occupation: Professor

WALLACE, Douglas, Professor
Appointed: 2023
Occupation: Professor

WATTS, Susan Janet
Appointed: 2018
Occupation: Journalism And Communications

WILLIAMS, Alun
Appointed: 2023
Occupation: Director

Legal constitution

Charity registered in Scotland on 29/06/1930, number: SC009206
Registered at Companies House on 18/12/1914, number: SC009292

Filing Record

5 returns made; all on time

Main office

Dunbeg, Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA

Objectives

The objects for which the Association is established are:- (a) To take over the whole of the assets and liabilities of the unincorporated association, founded in 1894, constituted on 26th November, 1897, and consecutively carried on since the latter date, first, under the name of THE MILLPORT MARINE BIOLOGICAL STATION, second, under the name of THE MARINE BIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND, this style or title having been adopted at a meeting of the Association held on 15th January, 1901 and third, under the name Scottish Marine Biological Association, this style or title having been adopted at a meeting of the Association held on 18 December 1914. and toenter into such agreements and to make, do and execute all such acts, deeds or things as maybe necessary for the purpose of taking over all such assets and liabilities or any part thereof.

Data Sources