The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom

Analysis

The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Plymouth. It was registered in February 2014, 12 years ago. Its declared purposes cover general charitable purposes, education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and environment/conservation/heritage, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. It says it provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2025, The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom reported income of £6.1m and spending of £6.5m, spending 108% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £5.2m to £6.1m (+17%), an average of +3.9% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income rose by 76%. Over the whole period it spent 104% 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 Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom sits at the 99th percentile: it is larger than about 99% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 98th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The City of Sheffield Theatre Trust (£6.0m), Stoke-On-Trent and North Staffordshire Theatre Trust Limited (£6.1m) and Harewood House Trust Limited (£6.0m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 91%, investments 6.9% and trading 1.5%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £5,547. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Reserves of £15.8m would cover about 29 months of spending at that rate. It employed 89 people.