Policy Summary
As a social enterprise, Greenspace Information for Greater London CIC (GiGL) exists to serve the public good, not to maximise profit for shareholders. But maintaining and sharing high-quality data takes sustained investment, and this Charging Policy explains how we recover the cost of the services we provide and outlines:
- Why we charge for access to services, not for the data,
- Who we charge, and when we waive or subsidise fees,
- How our pricing supports the long-term availability, quality, and integrity of data about London’s natural environment.
We believe data should be accessible, but not at the cost of their sustainability. Calls for GiGL to publish our core datasets and methodologies under an open licence, without recognising the costs of the infrastructure and expertise required to maintain them, put the entire system at risk. Our aim is to remain a trusted steward of data about London’s natural environment, while operating a financially sustainable, socially responsible business model.
This policy should be read in conjunction with our Access to Data Policy, which sets out a definition of terms, and defines who can access GiGL data and under what conditions. Together, these policies ensure we remain open and accountable, while continuing to deliver services that benefit our local, regional and national community and professional networks, and protect nature in London.
Full Policy
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Introduction
GiGL is a verified social enterprise recognised by People and Planet First, a global collective that supports organisations prioritising social and environmental impact over profit. Verified enterprises are acknowledged for “unlocking social and environmental solutions that are not possible within grant-dependent nonprofit structures or within profit-maximising business structures.”
To achieve verification, GiGL meets the five People and Planet First standards:
- Purpose: We exist to solve social and environmental problems.
- Operations: We prioritise purpose, people, and planet over profit.
- Revenue: We operate on a self-sustaining revenue model.
- Use of Surplus: We reinvest the majority of surplus towards our mission.
- Structure: We use legal and financial structures that protect and lock in our purpose.
As a Community Interest Company (CIC), GiGL reinvests surplus and assets for public benefit. In GiGL’s case, this is to support its mission of ‘working with our community and professional networks to ensure London’s natural environment is understood, protected, improved, and enjoyed for the benefit of nature and the people that live in and visit the capital’.
Our Revenue Model
GiGL earns the majority of its income through the delivery of commercial services, not from grants or donations. This model ensures both financial sustainability and operational independence while enabling us to respond directly to the environmental and community needs of London.
Our services are priced to be accessible and offer value for money. Charges reflect:
- The expertise required to deliver our services,
- The social, economic, and environmental benefits of our work,
- Our ongoing investments in data stewardship, innovation and resilience.
While we welcome grant or philanthropic support, particularly for strategic or collaborative initiatives, our core operations are funded by earned income. This enables us to invest in:
- Data stewardship: supporting the ongoing collection, validation, and verification of data, metadata, curation, and compliance with national standards,
- Systems, staff, and facilities,
- Long-term goals, such as financing an independent London-wide survey and monitoring programme that provides an accurate picture of the state of nature in Greater London.
Service Users
GiGL service users typically fall into one of two categories:
- Partners: organisations with ongoing data access needs, supported by a Service Level or Data Sharing Agreement,
- Clients: organisations or individuals requiring services on a one-off or ad hoc basis.
We believe our services provide excellent value. For example:
- A regional Service Level Agreement provides access to over £500,000 of annual investment in data stewardship, as well as an allocation of time for the team’s support in creating and mobilising data, and access to our data, information and answer services.
- For roughly the cost of a client’s day rate, a standard GiGL data search report provides access to information derived from our core datasets that spatially represent local, regional and national policy and legislation. The content backed by over £500,000 of annual investment in data stewardship delivers insights to our clients that they could not replicate themselves for a similar cost.
What We Charge For
We charge for access to GiGL’s services, not for the data. In line with our Access to Data Policy:
- We do not assign financial value to the data we manage,
- We do not pay for or offer discounts in exchange for third-party data,
- Our charges reflect the costs of data stewardship and service provision.
We will work on contracts requiring open data outputs, and the charges will reflect the full cost of bringing the data to the point of use, and loss of future earning potential.
Grant-Funded and Income-Generating Work
We ask organisations planning grant-funded or income-generating work that involves GiGL to contact us as the proposal is being developed. This ensures the way we work is properly reflected, and appropriate funding for our involvement is included. Examples include:
- Funded academic or community research,
- Commercial products (e.g. books, exhibitions),
- Delivery projects that require access to our evidence base and expertise.
Please refer to our Access to Data Policy for licensing terms and restrictions.
Charging Structures
Clients
Charges apply to organisations and individuals requesting services for:
- Commercial activities,
- Grant-funded projects,
- Future income-generating initiatives.
Partners
Partners receive licensed access to value-added services and enhanced datasets through formal agreements:
- A minimum annual fee is based on the organisation’s geographic scope,
- Agreements typically run April to March,
- Contractors acting on a partner’s behalf may be granted access by arrangement (see Access to Data Policy).
Project Support and Development
Where bespoke work involves GiGL system developers or technical staff, project costs (including project management time) are passed on to the relevant client or partner.
What We Don’t Charge For
GiGL provides services without charge and at our discretion to:
- Non-profits with a lower annual turnover than GiGL, where:
- Their work aligns with GiGL’s vision,
- Their activities benefit GiGL or its stakeholders for example by enhancing data coverage or engagement in our community or professional networks,
- Students – undergraduate and Masters,
- Members of the public,
- Data owners where they require access to our secure back-up service.
We absorb the costs of these provisions because they support our goals of good data stewardship, transparency, and wider engagement in Greater London’s natural environment.
Payment Terms
- Invoices are due within 30 days of issue.
- Late payments may result in service suspension and administrative fees.
- In the event of persistent non-payment, data access licences may be revoked.
Contact and Collaboration
We encourage early dialogue with potential clients and partners. Please contact a member of the GiGL team to:
- Discuss potential projects,
- Plan grant applications involving GiGL,
- Clarify our policies and pricing.
Policy Review and Updates
Updates will be approved by GiGL’s Board of Directors and shared with all relevant stakeholders.
This policy will be reviewed annually or sooner if required by legal, operational, or strategic developments.