Southampton Forward
Analysis
Southampton Forward is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Southampton. It was registered in December 2010, 16 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science, environment/conservation/heritage and economic/community development/employment, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 07344461). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and provides other finance.
In the financial year ending March 2025, Southampton Forward reported income of £1.4m and spending of £1.4m, spending 100% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £446k to £1.4m (+212%), an average of +33% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2024, when income rose by 1612%. Over the whole period it spent 68% 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, Southampton Forward sits at the 96th percentile: it is larger than about 96% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 95th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Zion Arts Centre Limited (£1.4m), International Documentary Festival Sheffield (£1.4m) and Groundwork Wales (£1.4m).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 86%, trading 12% and investments 1.2%. Charitable activities took 98% of spending and raising funds 0.2%. Grants to other organisations totalled £106k. Reserves of £797k would cover about 7 months of spending at that rate. It employed 10 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 86%
- Trading 12%
- Investments 1.2%
- Other 0.0%
In the charity's own words
Southampton Forward is an independent charity working across culture, tourism and festival and events. Our role is to build capacity and enhance networks between the city's cultural organisations, create opportunities for cultural engagement for people throughout Southampton and to enable culture to be a catalyst for Southampton's creative placemaking.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| Zion Arts Centre Limited | Manchester | £1.4m |
| International Documentary Festival Sheffield | Sheffield | £1.4m |
| Groundwork Wales | Blackwood | £1.4m |
| Chichester Cathedral Restoration and Development Trust CIO | Chichester | £1.4m |