Carnival Village Trust

Analysis

Carnival Village Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in August 2008, 18 years ago. Its declared purposes cover arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 06368610). It says it makes grants to organisations and provides buildings/facilities/open space.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Carnival Village Trust reported income of £3.4m and spending of £3.4m, spending 102% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £1.7m to £3.4m (+93%), an average of +18% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 48%. Over the whole period it spent 105% 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, Carnival Village Trust 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 The New Wolsey Theatre Company Limited (£3.4m), Exeter Northcott Theatre Company (£3.4m) and The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (£3.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 64% and trading 30%. Charitable activities took 46% of spending and raising funds 53%. Grants to other organisations totalled £40k. Reserves of £1.9m would cover about 6 months of spending at that rate. It employed 45 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.