--- title: "The Arts Council of England charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Arts Council of England a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 63/100. Accounts 2025: income £843m · 100% on charitable activities. Reg 1036733." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-arts-council-of-england retrieved: 2026-08-18T04:39:55.036Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Arts Council of England a good charity? The Arts Council of England scores 63/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£843m total income, 100% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown. Manchester · UK-wide · M1 1FN | Reg [1036733](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-arts-council-of-england) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1036733) Donate ## How can you give to THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1036733) ## What does The Arts Council of England do? The Arts Council of England is a registered charity (no. 1036733) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining (≈13% a year). CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes. Summarised from public filings — The Arts Council of England hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-arts-council-of-england) **In short:** THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND scores 63 out of 100 (3 stars). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is The Arts Council of England? The Arts Council of England has a Clarity Score of 63 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1036733. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £843m, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 63/100 3★ · Needs improvement Cause spend 100% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 93/100 Finance beacon Income £843m Latest year 2025 Reserves — Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission Fundraising efficiency not stated · 49% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND scores higher than. Income band (£10m+)11thpercentile **Scores higher than 11% of 943 charities in its income band** · 63/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). Arts & culture charities17thpercentile **Scores higher than 17% of 624 charities in this cause** · 63/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Arts Council of England's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 High confidence — complete filing data Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: [Charity Commission for England and Wales](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is The Arts Council of England's Beacon report? Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report. ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 93/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Filing history (5 years) 100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts. | 100% | 15/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 16 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 70% | 7/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 20/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 0/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 60% | 6/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 111% · 0/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 0/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | Not reported · 0/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Arts Council of England's Clarity Score? 63/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 93/100 Accountability & Transparency 20/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 0/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 93/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight16 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies7/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 20/100 Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth6/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets111% · 0/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 0/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts ## How much does The Arts Council of England raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £843m | — | | Total expenditure | £731m | — | | Charitable activities | £731m | 100% | | Governance & admin | £470m | 64% | 100%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £731m spent - Charitable activities100% · £731m - Governance64% · £470m ## What trust indicators does The Arts Council of England have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - ✓ Accounts filed on time up to date · last filing 24 June 2026 - — Trustee board size (3–12) 16 trustees on the Charity Commission register Fundraising Regulator Status not yet checked Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice. [Check Fundraising Regulator →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 1036733 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1036733) ### Trustees & officers - SIR NICHOLAS ANDREW SEROTA Chair · since 2017 - HELEN JUDITH BIRCHENOUGH since 2018 - David Bryan CBE since 2023 - William Bush since 2022 - Deborah Shaw since 2022 - YolanDa Brown OBE DL since 2022 - Abigail Pogson since 2022 - Annabel Turpin since 2023 - Sally Shaw MBE since 2023 - Jonathan Douglas CBE since 2025 - Pawlet Brookes MBE since 2025 - Jo Verrent MBE since 2025 100 How we score charities +The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) Accountability & Transparency Scored from filings 40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10). Financial Health Scored from filings 30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises). Financial Efficiency Scored from filings 20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below). Community Support Scored from filings 10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio. Overall score Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated. ## How have The Arts Council of England's finances changed over five years? - Income - Spending - Cause spend Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts ## What are the key facts about The Arts Council of England? Overall score 63/100 (3★) Income £843m Cause spend 100% of expenditure Reg number 1036733 Scope UK-wide Reserves — Trustees 16 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-arts-council-of-england) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE ARTS COUNCIL OF ENGLAND sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [Charities in Manchester](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/manchester) - [arts charities in Manchester](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts/manchester) ### Similar arts & culture charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [HACKNEY QUEST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hackney-quest) 100/100 · £827k - [COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/common-wealth-theatre-limited) 100/100 · £760k - [PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pallant-house-gallery) 99/100 · £3.0m - [CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/create-arts-limited) 99/100 · £1.6m ## How can you share The Arts Council of England's rating? 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Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 63/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-arts-council-of-england) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 63/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Arts Council of England's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Arts Council of England a good charity? + The Arts Council of England scores 63 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 100% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate. Is The Arts Council of England a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Arts Council of England is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1036733). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1036733. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Arts Council of England's charity number? + The Arts Council of England's charity number is 1036733. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals. What is The Arts Council of England's charity rating? + The Arts Council of England scores 63 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking. Does The Arts Council of England have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Arts Council of England. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How much of my donation reaches The Arts Council of England? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 100% of The Arts Council of England's total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift. What are The Arts Council of England's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 49% of total expenditure at The Arts Council of England. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Arts Council of England's chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register. How much income does The Arts Council of England receive? + The Arts Council of England reported £843m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining. Are The Arts Council of England's accounts up to date? + Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is The Arts Council of England based? + The Arts Council of England is listed at Manchester · UK-wide · M1 1FN and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture. How does CharityCompare score The Arts Council of England? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Arts Council of England's regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought. How often is this page updated? + This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and The Arts Council of England's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.