2021-22 Annual Report

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In 2021-22

We raised £27.9 million, spent £25.2 million on our work and
91p out of every £1 was spent on our charitable activities around the world.

Practical Action’s vision is for a world that works better for everyone. Agriculture and cities that work for people and planet. Clean energy that transforms lives and enables more productive farming. Opportunities to create jobs and improve health and income. Climate resilience as a way of life, especially for those most affected.

The communities we work alongside, and our global team, have responded brilliantly to some considerable challenges in 2021-22. As a result, our impact was felt at all levels – from households to communities to national governments and systems. We continued to make progress towards our vision.

While the scale of the global issues that face us can seem to be so overwhelming at times, it is often just simple interventions that can make a huge difference for individuals. When these are replicated and scaled up, so is the impact.

Download the 2021-22 Report

Sarah Roberts, Chief Executive Officer

As I reflect on challenges that the world faces, I am reminded again and again about why Practical Action’s work is needed more than ever. We continue to effectively link practical work grounded in the needs of communities with influential partnerships that can scale-up approaches that make a difference.

The capacity to overcome challenge is in Practical Action’s DNA: we were set up to solve problems. And, over the course of the past year, our network of communities, partners and staff stepped up to considerable challenges.

Overall 16 million people have been reached by our work to change the systems that keep people poor and vulnerable.

That big change must start small to work for those who need it most was central to the philosophy of our founder E.F. ‘Fritz’ Schumacher. As I look ahead, we will be redoubling our efforts to build the commitment and investment to scale up sustainable solutions and deliver the big change that the world so badly needs.

Our Work Reached:

Annual Report 2022 featuring two green speech bubbles on a white background.

440k

people through our knowledge sharing platforms

A vibrant green icon depicting three people, featured in the Annual Report 2022.

4m

people through their families, community or local partners

Annual Report 2022 featuring two construction workers in green hard hats.

11.6m

people through NGOs, governments and businesses who adopted our approaches

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16m+

people in total

Some highlights from 2021-22

How we were funded in 2021-22

£27.9M

Total income

£9.8M

Donations

From individuals, trusts
and companies

£12.3M

Grants & awards

From governments, trusts, companies
and other institutions

£2.7M

Consultancy & Publishing

Income from our consultancy and publishing work

£3.0M

Legacies

From people remembering us in their Will

Previous Reports

Historic editions of Practical Action’s Annual Report and Accounts are available to download as PDF files.