The BBC World Service Trust is the independently-funded development charity of the BBC.
It was established in 1999 to draw together three separate strands of work at the BBC:
- The World Service Training Trust, which provided training for journalists living and working in developing countries, and in countries emerging from communism
- World Service Education, which produced educational programmes on a wide range of subjects, from the environment to health to human rights
- The Marshall Plan of the Mind, which was set up to focus on media reform and development in Russia and other transitional economies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia
"Making a difference on a daily basis"
Peter Horrocks, Chair of Trustees
The BBC World Service Trust is now Europe's largest organisation using media to support development objectives, and is one of the largest in the world by income and geographical reach.
Independently-funded
The BBC World Service Trust is an independent charity funded by external grants and voluntary contributions. We only receive a small amount of core support for our activities from the BBC (both in kind and cash).
At its inception in 1999, the BBC World Service Trust had an annual turnover of about £3 million. By 2009/10, this figure had risen to £28.2 million.
Working with the BBC
The BBC World Service Trust draws on the extensive experience and expertise of the BBC, adhering to the Corporation's values, making use of its technical resources and maintaining the highest professional standards of BBC broadcasting and programme-making in all its output.
We often work in partnership with the BBC World Service, and have access to its weekly audience of 180 million listeners in 32 different languages.
Radio is often the most effective medium for speaking directly to the world's poorest communities in languages they understand. Partnership with the World Service gives us an unparalleled channel for providing trusted information to millions of people.
"We are lucky to have talented and creative staff around the world who, often unrecognised and in sometimes dangerous environments, are making a difference on a daily basis."
Peter Horrocks, Chair of Trustees
