Backstage Trust

Analysis

Backstage Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in February 2012, 14 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, which this site groups under grant-making and general purposes. Legally it is a charitable trust. It says it makes grants to organisations.

In the financial year ending April 2025, Backstage Trust reported income of £1.5m and spending of £4.8m, spending 311% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from April 2021 to April 2025, income fell from £4.5m to £1.5m (-66%), an average of -24% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to April 2024, when income rose by 213%. Over the whole period it spent 60% of the income it received.

Among 5,976 England and Wales charities whose main cause is grant-making and general purposes and that reported income, Backstage Trust 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 East and West Looe Harbour and Bridge Charities (£1.5m), Age UK Maidstone, Sevenoaks and Tonbridge (£1.5m) and The Drue Heinz Charitable Trust (£1.5m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 84% and investments 16%. Charitable activities took 100% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £4.5m. Reserves of £25.2m would cover about 63 months of spending at that rate.