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.
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
In 2024, we published more than 250 stories, and our investigations were read more than 500,000 times.
Our podcasts have been nominated for a number of major awards in 2025, including Scottish Press Awards and the Amnesty Media Awards.
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 12 times by politicians at Holyrood in 2024.
The last 60 days
You can see the most viewed stories on our website in the last 60 days, below.
Our membership
As of October 2024 we had more than 2,600 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.
Our free Ferret Underground newsletter goes to nearly 5,000 people each week.
Membership income
This chart shows how our income from memberships has grown in between April 2022 and April 2025.
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 all of our returns on the FCA website.
Our annual report
This is the latest report we send to our members for each AGM.
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 financial year to September 30 2024
£10,000 or more:
The Joffe Trust to support our project investigating finance called The Money Trail.
The Joseph Rowntree Reform Trust to investigate how the global ‘culture war’ is impacting Scotland.
The Logan Foundation to support core costs at The Ferret.
The Sunrise Project to look into fossil fuel finance.
Less than £10,000:
Lush to investigate welfare and other issues linked to gamebirds.
In financial year to September 30 2023
£10,000 or more:
Logan Foundation to support core costs at The Ferret.
The Caledonian Trust to support various investigative projects.
Global Strategic Communications Council for an investigation into hydrogen’s role in the energy transition.
European Journalism Centre for our investigative series into Scotland’s health inequalities.
Lankelly Chase Foundation for our podcast series into the inquiry around the death of Black Scot Sheku Bayoh.
Journalism Fund Europe to report on marine protection issues alongside journalists in other European countries.
Less than £10,000:
Lush for an investigation into the welfare of beavers in Scotland.
Supporters of Andy Wightman defamation crowdfunder to support core costs at The Ferret.
Environmental Funders Network for an investigation into environmental regulation in Scotland.
Stirling University to mentor students on investigative journalism.
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 2024.
A complete list of Impress complaint determinations, including historical complaints against The Ferret, can be found on their website here.
Editorial policies and governance
The details of our governance, FAQs and editorial policies are available in our document library.
If you can’t find information you need please don’t hesitate to get in touch to ask.
