Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust
Analysis
Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Gateshead. It was registered in June 1999, 27 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 03589539). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.
In the financial year ending March 2025, Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust reported income of £6.8m and spending of £6.3m, spending 92% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £4.6m to £6.8m (+47%), an average of +10% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 26%. Over the whole period it spent 94% of the income it received.
Among 17,634 England and Wales charities whose main cause is arts, culture, heritage and science and that reported income, Baltic Flour Mills Visual Arts Trust sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 99% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Soho Theatre Company Limited (£6.8m), Hull University Students' Union Limited (£6.9m) and Lyric Theatre Hammersmith Limited (£6.7m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 63% and trading 29%. Charitable activities took 75% of spending and raising funds 25%. Reserves of £4.3m would cover about 8 months of spending at that rate. It employed 89 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 63%
- Charitable activities 0.4%
- Trading 29%
- Other 7.9%
In the charity's own words
i) The advancement of the contemporary visual arts and the education of the public in the understanding and appreciation of the arts in general;ii) The provision and maintenance of the BALTIC Flour Mills buildings in Gateshead as a base for the production and presentation of contemporary visual arts and as a fully accessible centre in which the public may explore, understand and enjoy them.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Soho Theatre Company Limited | London | £6.8m |
| Hull University Students' Union Limited | Hull | £6.9m |
| Lyric Theatre Hammersmith Limited | London | £6.7m |
| Royal Geographical Society (With the Institute of British Geographers) | London | £6.9m |