Formation | December 2007 |
---|---|
Founder | Shaylesh Patel |
Dissolved | 17 October 2016 |
Type | Charitable organisation |
Focus | Environment, Sustainability, Conservation |
Location |
|
Area served | United Kingdom |
Healthy Planet Foundation was an environmental charity in the United Kingdom formed in 2007 by Shaylesh Patel, on the ethos that small changes together will build sustainable, healthy communities leaving a positive legacy for future generations. Healthy Planet championed grassroots and green causes that promoted healthy living.
The charity expanded rapidly after starting to offer owners of unoccupied retail properties a way to reduce their business rates (local property taxes) in return for a donation of half of the saving, but this method of fund raising has proved controversial in some quarters. [1]
Shaylesh Patel first incorporated Healthy Planet Limited (registered number 06294326) on 27 June 2007. This was a private limited liability company not limited by guarantee. On 27 December 2007 Healthy Planet Foundation was incorporated, a company limited by guarantee with an exemption from using the word "Limited" in its name, and it was that company that registered as a charity. Healthy Planet Limited was purchased from Patel by Healthy Planet Foundation for a nominal sum during the year ended 26 June 2013 in order to consolidate all of the charity's assets in one place. [2]
Healthy Planet Foundation's impact was largely minimal until 2010 when it started to offer United Kingdom high-street landlords tax breaks in return for donations. This followed changes in the system of local property taxation in England and Wales in 2008. [1]
Healthy Planet was a company limited by guarantee, registered in England at Companies House (number 06460524, incorporated 27 December 2007) and registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (registered number 1122475) and the Scottish Charity Regulator. [3]
The charity's commercial activities took place through its wholly owned subsidiary Healthy Planet Community CIC, a community interest company, registered number 06463663, which was incorporated 4 January 2008.
All the Initiatives listed below are similar insofar as they are all able to 'appear and disappear' (pop-up) quickly; this is due to the fact that Healthy Planet's business model of taking on buildings, often for short periods of time, requires such specifically designed initiatives in order for them to offer the tax breaks that they rely on for funding. Retrofitting their charity activities to gain tax breaks has generated controversy which they have attempted to address in their 2013 accounts which can be downloaded from their website.
The "Books for Free" initiative sources secondhand books that otherwise might be destined for pulping. [4] Healthy Planet redistributes these books - for free - throughout communities via its short term Books for Free centres nationwide. By doing so, they aim to reduce the quantity of waste to landfill each year. They say, "There's no catch and the only restriction is that a maximum of 3 books can be taken at any one time." The 35th shop opened in Derby in July 2014. [5]
Healthy Planet's "Stuff for Free" initiative is a series of giant community reuse events - helping redistribute good quality stuff to a new home, where it will be valued. The initiative promotes upcycling, recycling and waste minimisation. By re-directing materials which would otherwise go to landfill, Healthy Planet facilitates the re-distribution of all sorts of items from one person to another. It operates on the belief that one person's trash is another's treasure.
Healthy Spaces utilises retail or warehouse space which are empty and provides new and grassroot causes with the space they need to get started. The charity creates a link between commercial landlords and the charity sector by developing partnerships with commercial landlords that have empty units, such as retail units, banks, warehouses and restaurants. It then invites Third sector like-minded organisations to collaborate by occupying one of the spaces, rent free giving them a physical presence in the community to make an environmental difference.
The Conservation Community is designed to raise awareness of grass root conservation projects worldwide. Healthy Planet supports projects in national, regional or community designated protected areas, in public spaces that include realistic, tangible actions and projects that have specific educational or scientific impact.
Healthy Planet has attracted attention for its approach to fund raising. By "occupying" empty shops, which may amount to as little as being granted a short lease and putting up posters in an unstaffed shop, the landlord may save 80% on their business rates (local property taxes). [1] Healthy Planet then ask the landlord to make a "donation" of half of that saving to the charity. In 2009, Blacks Leisure paid Healthy Planet to occupy 77 empty stores in order to reduce its tax liabilities. [6]
Since using this scheme, Healthy Planet's total income has increased dramatically, from £13,000 to £1.1M in the space of twelve months according to figures in the 2010 accounts, causing the British tax authorities to enquire into the tax affairs of the charity. Roger Messenger, president of the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation, not referring specifically to Healthy Planet, commented "There are some organisations which are pushing this into the area of a scam" and that such schemes were "very common" in secondary and tertiary shopping streets where shops were "unlikely to ever be reoccupied". According to British law, charity shops should be "wholly or mainly used for the sale of donated goods" in order to qualify for reduced business rates. [6]
According to (consolidated) accounts filed at the Charity Commission, the financial results of the charity were as follows: [7]
Year Ended | Income | Spending |
---|---|---|
26 Jun 2009 | £13,108 | £8,466 |
26 Jun 2010 | £1,144,534 | £970,217 |
26 Jun 2011 | £1,982,399 | £1,602,211 |
26 Jun 2012 | £2,090,285 | £1,936,435 |
26 Jun 2013 | £1,831,961 | £1,732,630 |
26 Jun 2014 | £2,092,801 | £2,480,182 |
The independent regulator the Charity Commission opened an investigation into Healthy Planet in June 2015 after it reported a loss of £345,000 as a consequence of alleged fraud. [8] Both Healthy Planet Foundation (Company No. 06460524) and Healthy Planet Community CIC (Company No. 06463663) entered administration on 13 November 2015 and were wound up by voluntary creditors liquidation on 17 October 2016. [9]
These appear to be separate organizations:
A foundation is a type of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that usually provides funding and support to other charitable organizations through grants, while also potentially participating directly in charitable activities. Foundations encompass public charitable foundations, like community foundations, and private foundations, which are often endowed by an individual or family. Nevertheless, the term "foundation" might also be adopted by organizations not primarily engaged in public grantmaking.
Companies House is the executive agency of the British Government that maintains the register of companies, employs the company registrars and is responsible for incorporating all forms of companies in the United Kingdom.
A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being.
The David Suzuki Foundation is a science-based non-profit environmental organization headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Montreal and Toronto. It was established as a federally registered Canadian charity on January 1, 1991. By 2007, it had 40,000 donors. Its mission is to protect nature while balancing human needs. It is supported entirely by Foundation grants and donations and by 2012, 90% of its donors were Canadian. By 2007, the Foundation employed about seventy-five staff members.
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and environmental well-being. This may include maximizing social impact alongside profits for co-owners.
A community interest company is a form of social enterprise in the United Kingdom intended "for people wishing to establish businesses which trade with a social purpose..., or to carry on other activities for the benefit of the community".
Laws regulating nonprofit organizations, nonprofit corporations, non-governmental organizations, and voluntary associations vary in different jurisdictions. They all play a critical role in addressing social, economic, and environmental issues. These organizations operate under specific legal frameworks that are regulated by the respective jurisdictions in which they operate.
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) is a registered UK charity that operates in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Canada. It works with companies, private philanthropists, regular donors, fellow foundations, governments, charities and not-for-profit enterprises to enable them to give more. Its stated purpose is to “accelerate progress in society towards a fair and sustainable future for all.”
Philanthrocapitalism or philanthropic capitalism is a way of doing philanthropy, which mirrors the way that business is done in the for-profit world. It may involve venture philanthropy that actively invests in social programs to pursue specific philanthropic goals that would yield return on investment over the long term, or in a more passive form whereby "social investors" benefit from investing in socially-responsible programs.
The Clinton Foundation is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was established by former president of the United States Bill Clinton with the stated mission to "strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence." Its offices are located in New York City and Little Rock, Arkansas.
Lolek CLG, operating under the business name the Iona Institute, is an Irish, socially conservative organisation that advocates the advancement and promotion of the Christian religion and its social and moral values. It has been frequently described as a Catholic pressure group. Founded by columnist David Quinn, it was launched publicly in 2007.
A charitable organization in Canada is regulated under the Canadian Income Tax Act through the Charities Directorate of the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).
A charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) is a corporate form of business designed for charitable organisations in England and Wales. A similar form, with minor differences, exists for Scottish charities.
Recycling Lives Limited, formerly Recycling Co Ltd and Preston Recycling Ltd, is a British recycling and waste management company headquartered in Preston, Lancashire. It has over 200 employees and £25 million turnover. The company founded a social welfare charity, Recycling Lives Charity, and is committed to undertaking only commercial ventures with a demonstrable charity or community benefit.
Health Insurance Fund (HIF) is an Australian, not-for-profit insurer. In 1954 it was brought into existence as the WA Government Employee's Hospital and Medical Benefits Fund Incorporated. But has since undergone a series of name changes to better reflect the scope and services it provides.
Netball Jamaica is the peak governing body for the sport of netball in Jamaica. The organisation's stated objectives for Jamaica netball are to achieve national and international success in competition, encourage greater participation and spectator involvement, and ensure excellence in all spheres of the sport. The senior Jamaican netball team is known as the Sunshine Girls, while the Jamaican Fast 5 netball team is known as Jamaica Fast5 or the FAST5 Girls.
Shailesh Vasant Patel is a British accountant who, in 2007, founded the Healthy Planet Foundation. He regards himself as a social entrepreneur.
The Charities Regulator is the operational name of the Charities Regulatory Authority, the statutory authority responsible for the regulation of charities in Ireland. The organisation is made up of a board, with four sub-committees, and as of 2019, a staff of 38, including a chief executive.
DEPHER Community Plumbing and Heating Support CIC, formerly known as Depher, is a Community Interest Company based in Burnley, Lancashire, England, that gives free plumbing and heating services to vulnerable people. It relies on crowdfunding, donations, and income from private jobs to fund its work.