The Portico Library and Newsroom

Analysis

The Portico Library and Newsroom is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Manchester. It was registered in September 2011, 15 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 07499984). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Portico Library and Newsroom reported income of £764k and spending of £810k, spending 106% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £433k to £764k (+76%), an average of +15% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income rose by 39%. Over the whole period it spent 112% 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, The Portico Library and Newsroom sits at the 94th percentile: it is larger than about 94% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 92nd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Milton Keynes Museum Trust Limited (£763k), Council for British Research in the Levant (£766k) and Open Eye Limited (£763k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 74%, charitable activities 15% and investments 10%. Charitable activities took 55% of spending and raising funds 43%. Reserves of £150k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 10 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.