---
title: "The Audience Agency rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare"
description: "Is The Audience Agency a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 50/100. Accounts 2024: income £2.7m · 82% on charitable activities. Reg 1149979."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-audience-agency
retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:59:45.661Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is The Audience Agency a good charity?

The Audience Agency scores 50/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£2.7m total income, 82% 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 · M2 3HZ |
Reg [1149979](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-audience-agency) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.theaudienceagency.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1149979)

Donate

## How can you give to THE AUDIENCE AGENCY?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE AUDIENCE AGENCY form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.theaudienceagency.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1149979)

## What does The Audience Agency do?

The Audience Agency is a registered charity (no. 1149979) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 82% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, though accounts are currently overdue or missing. Reported income has been broadly stable over recent years. 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 Audience Agency hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-audience-agency)

**In short:** THE AUDIENCE AGENCY scores 50 out of 100 (2 stars). 82% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is The Audience Agency?

The Audience Agency has a Clarity Score of 50 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1149979. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £2.7m, with 82% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: missing. Reserves: approximately 2 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. 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

50/100

2★ · Poor

Cause spend

82%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

63/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.7m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

2 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Missing

Check register

£5.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
18% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: low

## How does THE AUDIENCE AGENCY compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE AUDIENCE AGENCY scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)3rdpercentile

**Scores higher than 3% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 50/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Arts & culture charities3rdpercentile

**Scores higher than 3% of 624 charities in this cause** · 50/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is The Audience Agency's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2024

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

Low confidence — key filing data unavailable

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 Audience Agency'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.

63/100
| 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. | 0% | 0/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 9 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 100% | 10/10 pts |

### Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

33/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 67% | 2 months · 10/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | 0/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 54% · 0/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 80% | 82% · 8/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 70% | 19p per £1 income · 7/10 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 Audience Agency's Clarity Score?

50/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

63/100

Accountability & Transparency

33/100

Financial Health

75/100

Financial Efficiency

0/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

63/100

Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts

Trustee oversight9 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

33/100

Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 10/15 pts

Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets54% · 0/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

75/100

Program expense ratio82% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency19p per £1 income · 7/10 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 Audience Agency raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £2.7m | — |
| Total expenditure | £3.1m | — |
| Charitable activities | £2.9m | 93% |
| Fundraising | £208k | 7% |

93%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £3.1m spent

- Charitable activities93% · £2.9m
- Fundraising7% · £208k

## What trust indicators does The Audience Agency have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

- — Accounts filed on time

Filing status: missing

- ✓ Trustee board size (3–12)

9 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 1149979

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/1149979)

### Trustees & officers

- Adedamola Adewunmi since 2019
- Richard Bruce Paterson since 2019
- Dr Orian Brook since 2023
- Katherine Parry since 2024
- Ben Keen since 2024
- Erin Casali since 2024
- Professor Louise Mansfield since 2025
- Robert West since 2025
- Dr Pardaad Chamsaz 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 Audience Agency'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 Audience Agency?

Overall score

50/100 (2★)

Income

£2.7m

Cause spend

82% of expenditure

Reg number

1149979

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

2 months

Trustees

9

Accounts year

2024

Filing

missing

## How does THE AUDIENCE AGENCY compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare THE AUDIENCE AGENCY with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-audience-agency) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where THE AUDIENCE AGENCY sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

- [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts)
- [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education)
- [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

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## What red flags does The Audience Agency have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Audience Agency's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Audience Agency a good charity? + The Audience Agency scores 50 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 82% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are missing. 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 Audience Agency a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Audience Agency is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1149979). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1149979. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Audience Agency's charity number? + The Audience Agency's charity number is 1149979. 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 Audience Agency's charity rating? + The Audience Agency scores 50 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Audience Agency have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Audience Agency. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). 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 Audience Agency? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 82% of The Audience Agency'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 Audience Agency's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 18% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 18% of total expenditure at The Audience Agency. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Audience Agency'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 Audience Agency receive? + The Audience Agency reported £2.7m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are The Audience Agency's accounts up to date? + Filing status: missing (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is The Audience Agency based? + The Audience Agency is listed at Manchester · UK-wide · M2 3HZ and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture.

How does CharityCompare score The Audience Agency? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Audience Agency'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 Audience Agency's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.