The Music Venue Trust

Analysis

The Music Venue Trust is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Wimborne. It was registered in January 2015, 11 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 incorporated organisation (CIO). It says it provides buildings/facilities/open space.

In the financial year ending December 2025, The Music Venue Trust reported income of £4.4m and spending of £1.4m, leaving 68% of income unspent that year. Across the 5 years on record, from December 2021 to December 2025, income grew from £2.7m to £4.4m (+61%), an average of +13% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to December 2025, when income rose by 350%. Over the whole period it spent 77% 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 Music Venue Trust sits at the 98th percentile: it is larger than about 98% 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 Lichfield Garrick Theatre (£4.4m), National Coal Mining Museum for England Trust Ltd (£4.4m) and Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (£4.4m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 100%. Charitable activities took 98% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. Grants to other organisations totalled £144k. Reserves of £3.3m would cover about 28 months of spending at that rate. It employed 18 people.