Transparency Data
As The Ferret is a cooperative, our members are also part owners of the project.
To help everyone understand how the business is performing, and how it works, we do our best to be as transparent as possible. Unless otherwise stated the figures given below cover the period since our 2021 AGM. This is September 1st 2021 – March 2 2023.
You can find out more about our Directors, governance and background here. If you like what you see here, please consider joining us.
Our stories
Between September 1 2021 and March 2 2023, our stories were viewed more than 1.2million times and generated more than 100,500 interactions on social media.
Our podcasts were downloaded more than 20,000 times.
To date we've published more than 5000 datasets and source documents linked to our reporting. You can search them here.
Our stories make a difference. They were cited 9 times by politicians at Holyrood, and 8 times by MPs in Westminster.
The last 60 days
Although we often partner with other media organisations to boost the impact of our stories, you can see the most viewed stories on our website in the last 60 days, below. You can find more detailed information on our recent website traffic on our metrics page.
Our membership
At March 2 2023 we had 2462 members.
Sponsored members get free access for a year. Our members provide vital support for the co-operative and give grant funders the confidence to invest in our work.
An additional 2879 people receive our free Ferret Underground newsletter.
Membership income
This chart shows how our income from memberships has grown in between September 1 2021 and March 2 2023.
It does not include one-off donations and non-recurring income.
Our accounts
These are our latest accounts. Any financial surplus shown in our accounts is re-invested into our journalism.
You can find our earlier returns on the FCA website.
Our FCA return
We are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This is a copy of our latest annual return.
You can find our earlier returns on the FCA website.
Grant funders
The Ferret is grateful to the organisations listed below for providing funding or in-kind support to The Ferret, since we launched in 2015.
In our current financial year:
£10,000 or more:
- Logan Foundation
- The Caledonian Trust
- Global Strategic Communications Council
- European Journalism Centre
- Lankelly Chase Foundation
Less than £10,000
- Lush
- Supporters of Andy Wightman defamation crowdfunder.
- Environmental Funders Network
In financial year to September 30 2022:
£10,000 or more
- Luminate Group
- Lankelly Chase Foundation
- European Climate Fund
- European Journalism Centre
- Logan Foundation
- Sunrise Project
Less than £10,000
- Caledonia Centre for Social Development
- EU Journalism Fund
In previous years:
£10,000 or more
- The Seedbed Trust
- Google DNI Fund
- First Port
- Luminate Group
- European Journalism Covid-19 Support Fund
Less than £10,000
- Uplift
- Cooperatives UK
- One Kind
- 38 Degrees
- Centre for Investigative Journalism
- Lenfest Institute, Community Listening and Engagement Fund
- Lush
- People's Postcode Lottery
- Google Covid-19 Emergency Fund
- Public Interest News Foundation
Complaints
Our regulator Impress did not investigate any formal complaints against The Ferret in the year to September 1 2022.
A complete list of Impress complaint determinations, including historical complaints against The Ferret, can be found on their website here: https://www.impress.press/complaints/complaint-decisions.html
More detail
If you want more information, you could try checking out our document library, where you can find details of our governance, FAQ's and editorial policies.
If you can't find information you need please don't hesitate to get in touch to ask.
