Chichester Festival Theatre

Analysis

Chichester Festival Theatre is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Chichester. It was registered in September 2001, 25 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 04210225). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2026, Chichester Festival Theatre reported income of £20.2m and spending of £21.8m, spending 108% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2022 to March 2026, income grew from £11.2m to £20.2m (+81%), an average of +16% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 54%. Over the whole period it spent 101% 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, Chichester Festival Theatre sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Theatre Royal (Norwich) Trust Limited (£20.2m), Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama (£20.8m) and The Landmark Trust (£20.0m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 62%, trading 16%, donations and legacies 11% and investments 1.3%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £33k. Charitable activities took 83% of spending and raising funds 2.5%. Reserves of £6.4m would cover about 3 months of spending at that rate. It employed 187 people.