Bishop's Stortford Museum and Arts CIO

Analysis

Bishop's Stortford Museum and Arts CIO is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Hertfordshire. It was registered in June 2020, 6 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training, arts/culture/heritage/science and recreation, 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, provides advocacy/advice/information and sponsors or undertakes research.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Bishop's Stortford Museum and Arts CIO reported income of £1.3m and spending of £1.3m, spending 102% of its income. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2023, when income dropped by 80%. Over the whole period it spent 50% 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, Bishop's Stortford Museum and Arts CIO 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 Gasworks Dock Partnership (£1.3m), Arts at the Old Fire Station (£1.3m) and World Heart Beat Music Academy Ltd (£1.3m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from charitable activities 59%, donations and legacies 21%, trading 18% and investments 2.0%. Charitable activities took 88% of spending and raising funds 9.2%. Reserves of £3.4m would cover about 30 months of spending at that rate. It employed 15 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.