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THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST

Charity rating & review

72/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
72 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST a good charity?

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST scores 72/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 100% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Birmingham · UK-wide · BH21 1JH Reg 1159846 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST is a registered charity (no. 1159846) working in human rights across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Income has been growing 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.

In short: THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST scores 72 out of 100 (2 stars). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1159846. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Human rights. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £1.7m, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. 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, last updated .

Overall score

72/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

100%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.7m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

2 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4606.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 63% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£1m–£5m)72 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 36% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Human rights charities72 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 31% of 197 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2020
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST
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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 15 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.

40/100

Financial Health metrics for THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

47% 2 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 22% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (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

Community Support metrics for THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

72/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
40/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight15 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

40/100

Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets22% · 5/5 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

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.7m
Total expenditure £1.4m
Charitable activities £1.4m 100%
Governance & admin £617k 43%
100%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £1.4m spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance43%

Trust indicators

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    15 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 →

Official register

Reg 1159846

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • CHRIS PROSSER since 2014
  • JASON RICHARD DORMON since 2014
  • Simon James Vosper Hilton since 2016
  • Sarah Jane Thirtle since 2016
  • Jeremy Pritchard since 2018
  • Phyllis Belezos since 2019
  • Emma Smyth since 2023
  • Jane Beese since 2023
  • Arusa Qureshi since 2023
  • Rhoda Elizabeth Evans de Dakar since 2023
  • Adrian Norman since 2024
  • Helen McGee since 2024
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £800k £1600k £2400k £3200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £1,735k Spending 2020: £1,419k Cause spend 2020: £1,419k Income 2021: £2,735k Spending 2021: £1,596k Cause spend 2021: £1,596k Income 2022: £2,369k Spending 2022: £3,029k Cause spend 2022: £3,029k Income 2023: £2,413k Spending 2023: £2,485k Cause spend 2023: £2,485k Income 2024: £975k Spending 2024: £1,376k Cause spend 2024: £1,374k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
72/100 (2★)
Income
£1.7m
Cause spend
100% of expenditure
Reg number
1159846
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
2 months
Trustees
15
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST's charity rating? +

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST scores 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST a good charity to donate to? +

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST scores 72 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission 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 MUSIC VENUE TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1159846. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST's registration number is 1159846. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1159846

How much income does THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST receive? +

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST reported £1.7m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 100% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 63%.

Are THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST based? +

THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST is listed at Birmingham · UK-wide · BH21 1JH and operates UK-wide, focused on human rights.

How does CharityCompare score THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put THE MUSIC VENUE TRUST side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.