Bardsey Island has been managed by a charitable trust since 1979. The Trust is financed through membership subscriptions, grants and donations.

Lord Newborough sold the island in 1972 to the Hon. Michael Pearson (Lord Cowdrey), who merged the farms to form a single tenancy.

The Bardsey Island Trust was able to buy Bardsey from him in 1979, following an appeal led by dedicated Bardsey enthusiasts from all over the UK and supported by many Welsh academics and public figures as well as the church in Wales.
The Trust is a registered charity.

The aims of the Trust are:

• to protect the wildlife and delicate ecosystem of the island
• to encourage people to visit the island as a place of natural beauty and pilgrimage
• to undertake scientific study and educational programmes
• to protect the buildings and archaeological sites
• to promote the artistic and cultural life of the island
• to engage in farming to benefit the island’s diverse habitats

The Trust Council is composed of Chair and around twenty trustees. Council meets six times a year. Sub-committees - the Finance Committee, the Scientific Committee, the Spirituality Committee, Buildings Committee and Education and Interpretation Committee - report and advise Council.

The work of the Council is implemented through the Trust Director’s office, estate workers and other temporary staff.
Trust patrons are Bryn Terfel and Peter Greenaway.