Bristol Museums Development Trust

Analysis

Bristol Museums Development Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Bristol. It was registered in September 2010, 16 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 06685688). It says it makes grants to organisations and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending September 2025, Bristol Museums Development Trust reported income of £276k and spending of £304k, spending 110% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from September 2021 to September 2025, income grew from £128k to £276k (+115%), an average of +21% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to September 2022, when income rose by 290%. Over the whole period it spent 72% 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, Bristol Museums Development Trust sits at the 88th percentile: it is larger than about 88% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 85th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Afonydd Cymru Cyfyngedig (£275k), Birds Eye View (£276k) and Westgate Community Trust (Canterbury) Ltd (£275k).