Read - the Reading Agency

Analysis

Read - the Reading Agency is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in March 2001, 25 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, 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 03904882). It says it provides services, provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Read - the Reading Agency reported income of £2.8m and spending of £3.2m, spending 113% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £6.5m to £2.8m (-57%), an average of -19% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income dropped by 54%. Over the whole period it spent 103% 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, Read - the Reading Agency sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Rift Valley Research Limited (£2.8m), Watts Gallery Trust (£2.8m) and Beckery Island Regeneration Trust (£2.8m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 78% and donations and legacies 21%. Charitable activities took 98% of spending and raising funds 1.2%. Grants to other organisations totalled £101k. Reserves of £554k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 28 people.

Data notes from the register: Spending has exceeded income in each of the last three reported years, so the charity has been drawing on reserves or other funds.