Centre for Alternative Technology Charity Limited

CAT seeks to inspire, inform and enable people to adopt sustainable technologies and practices. The Charity achieves its objectives by: promoting scenarios for a Zero Carbon Britian; providing education through school visits, short courses and postgraduate teaching; publishing a members' magazine; providing a free information service; operating a visitor centre; hosting external events.

In the charity's own words, from the register.

In Wales

• Powys

Area of benefit in its governing document: Not Defined

The places the charity told the Commission it works in.

In the year ending 31 March 2025, it had income of £4,310,221 and spent £4,085,759.

Figures as the charity reported them to the Charity Commission. Staff and volunteer numbers are only asked of charities with income over £10,000. A year with no row was not reported.

Separate measures from the charity's own returns and accounts, each with its year. Read them together: no single measure says how well a charity is run.

Income over time

Up 50%, from £2,873,700 in the year to 31 March 2021 to £4,310,221 in the year to 31 March 2025.

Spending against income

It spent 95% of its income in the year to 31 March 2025. It spent more than its income in 4 of the 5 years shown.

Money from government

9% of its income in the year to 31 March 2025 came from government grants and contracts (£379,259).

Largest funder

Ynni Cymru gave £207,152 in the year to 31 March 2025, 5% of that year's income.Read by AI from the charity's accounts.

From the annual returns the charity filed with the Charity Commission. The largest funder comes from its accounts, read by AI.

Government grants in the year ending 31 March 2025: £365,697 from 3 grants. Government contracts: £13,562 from 2 contracts.

From the charity's annual return to the Charity Commission, which asks every charity with income over £10,000 how much came from government grants and contracts. It does not say which part of government. These totals are separate from the named funders read from its accounts and the grants published on 360Giving, and are not added to them.

In its accounts for the year ending 31 March 2025, the charity named 8 funders who gave £443,485 between them. £160,785 of that came from public bodies.

These figures were read from the accounts the charity filed with the Charity Commission by Claude, an AI model, in OpenEconomy's accounts reader. AI can misread a table, so check the accounts on the register before relying on a figure.

Only funding the accounts name with an amount is included. Most charities also have income from donations, fees and trading that is not listed by funder, so this is part of its income.

Funders that publish to 360Giving list 8 grants to this charity since 2004, worth at least £2,251,546.

Only funders that publish their grants to 360Giving are included, and many do not. These are amounts funders awarded, which can differ from what the charity received in a given year, so they are shown apart from the accounts figures above.

Council business that names this charity, from the records councils publish, gathered by OpenCouncil. Newest first.

• 19 March 2026, Powys

  Named in an agenda item or minute of Bwrdd Tyfu Canolbarth Cymru / Growing Mid Wales Board

  Mid Wales Regional Skills Partnership

  Read the meeting record

• 7 January 2025, Ceredigion

  Named in an agenda item or minute of Cabinet

  Chair's Announcements

  Read the meeting record

• 29 July 2022, Powys

  Named in an agenda item or minute of Questions at Any Time to Cabinet Portfolio Holders

  Question from: County Councillor Ian Harrison Subject: Powys Library Van redeployment - "Earth Lab in a Van"

  Read the meeting record

We count a mention only when the record gives the charity's full registered name or its charity number. A mention shows the charity was named in that record. Follow the link to read what the record says.

Senedd and Welsh Government records that name this charity, gathered by OpenSenedd. Newest first.

• 4 June 2025

  Named by Carwyn Jones-Evans in the Senedd

  …to the university and other partners there around the potential future for that project—and Aberaeron harbour, and Cynefin up in the Centre for Alternative Technology as well. With CAT, I'm pleased to say we are making progress there, but, as with every organisation, as I say, we've had that 18 mont…

  Read the record

• 4 June 2025

  Named by Carwyn Jones-Evans in the Senedd

  …strategy. They’re not going to be overly or wholly reliant on the public sector for their match funding. So, organisations like the Centre for Alternative Technology, they've done a lot of good work recently, fundraising down in London. They're fundraising like mad, but that's a good thing, because…

  Read the record

• 14 November 2023

  Named by Lesley Griffiths in the Senedd

  …ernment around longer term plans. We're very pleased to see the event being held here next week. I think many of us have visited the Centre for Alternative Technology. I know the Welsh Government is in discussion with representatives from the centre to try and work with them to explore available sup…

  Read the record

• 14 November 2023

  Named by Jane Dodds in the Senedd

  …ales, which, sadly, will be the case given the situation with the war. And the second statement is with regard to the closure of the Centre for Alternative Technology day visitor centre, which we know has put 14 lives at risk. Many of us have visited CAT and are really—. I know Cefin Campbell, in fa…

  Read the record

• 8 November 2023

  Named by Cefin Campbell in the Senedd

  …quarry on the western fringes of beautiful Montgomeryshire, lies a small centre of international renown. I refer, of course, to the Centre for Alternative Technology—CAT—which is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary this month. I remember visiting the site decades ago, as a child, seeing with my ow…

  Read the record

• 10 May 2023

  Named by Janet Finch-Saunders in the Senedd

  …ximising the co-benefits of and managing any tensions that arise from a 2050 renewable Wales; the Centre for Sustainable Energy, the Centre for Alternative Technology and Dulas to work on mid-Wales community engagement; and Arup to work on net-zero infrastructure and strategy—research consultants. T…

  Read the record

• 12 October 2022

  Named by Bryan Davies in the Senedd

  One of the plans in the Powys area is the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth. There is a project in terms of the educational element there that is moving ahead. With regard to Ceredigion, there are two projects there: looking at the Aberaeron harbour, creating a new marina there. Anoth…

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• 4 October 2022

  Named by Vaughan Gething in the Senedd

  …there are green energy projects that are being proposed in every single one of the four regions. Mid Wales isn't just a home to the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth; there's more to be done there. And actually, the UK Government have recently confirmed that they're interested in mor…

  Read the record

• 13 January 2022

  Named by Ken Skates in the Senedd

  Excellent, thank you. You'll be aware that the Senedd is currently considering a petition that students at the Centre for Alternative Technology can receive Welsh Government statutory support but they can't receive the STEM bursary. So, it would be helpful for us to understand why this is the case u…

  Read the record

We count a mention only when the record gives the charity's full registered name or its charity number. A mention shows the charity was named in that record. Follow the link to read it in full.

8 trustees run the charity.

• Claire Elizabeth BlackAppointed 14 September 2026
• Elizabeth Clare AdamsAppointed 9 July 2026
• Julia Sian Chesney-RobertsAppointed 29 June 2026
• Professor Damien Christiaan ShortAppointed 25 November 2024
• Rob James MonaghanAppointed 5 July 2026
• Sonya BedfordAppointed 25 June 2020
• Thomas Elliott BarnesAppointed 14 July 2026
• Tim BrewerAppointed 5 June 2026

Trustees are responsible in law for the charity. Names are as they appear on the public register.

Of the last 5 annual returns that were due, 4 arrived by the deadline.

Charities with income over £10,000 send an annual return within 10 months of their year end, and those over £25,000 also send their accounts. Smaller charities only update their income and spending on the register. The dates are when the Commission received each document.

Charity number

265239

Status

Registered

Registered with the Commission

2 March 1973

Governing document

MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION INCORPORATED 5TH JANUARY 1973 AS AMENDED 13 DECEMBER 1979, 21 MAY 1990, 4 DECEMBER 2008 AND BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 13 SEPT 2010.NOW ARTICLES ADOPTED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION DATED 13 SEPT 2010.AS AMENDED BY SPECIAL RESOLUTION REGISTERED AT COMPANIES HOUSE ON 24 FEB 2021 as amended on 10 Jun 2024

Company number

01090006This company on OpenEconomyThis company on Companies House

Website

www.cat.org.ukAs the charity gave it on the register.

Council area of its contact address

Powys

• Register details, income, spending, trustees and filing dates: Charity Commission for England and Wales, register of charities. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 2 November 2026.
• Funding from accounts: the charity's filed accounts, read by OpenEconomy's AI accounts reader on 1 November 2026.
• Grants awarded: 360Giving open grants data, from funders that publish there. Loaded by OpenEconomy on 2 November 2026.
• In council meetings: councils' published meeting records, gathered by OpenCouncil and matched to the charity by OpenEconomy on 4 November 2026.
• In the Senedd and Welsh Government: records gathered by OpenSenedd and matched to the charity by OpenEconomy on 5 November 2026.

• This charity on the Charity Commission register
• Its accounts and annual returns on the register
• 360Giving open grants data
• This charity on OpenEconomy

• OpenCouncil: council records that name this charity
• OpenSenedd: Senedd records that name this charity
• OpenCouncil: Powys Council's meetings and decisions
• OpenEconomy: Powys's economy in figures
• OpenSenedd: the Members of the Senedd for Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd
• OpenSenedd: the Members of the Senedd for Gwynedd Maldwyn