The Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust

Analysis

The Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Buckinghamshire. It was registered in August 2013, 13 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 08311398). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust reported income of £935k and spending of £937k, spending 100% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income fell from £1.3m to £935k (-27%), an average of -7.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income dropped by 47%. Over the whole period it spent 102% 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 Buckinghamshire County Museum Trust sits at the 95th percentile: it is larger than about 95% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 93rd percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Royal Agricultural Society of England (£934k), The National Federation of Music Societies (£936k) and St Lawrence University (USA) London Programme (£931k).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 66% and donations and legacies 24%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £4,084. Charitable activities took 98% of spending and raising funds 1.4%. Reserves of £160k would cover about 2 months of spending at that rate. It employed 32 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.