Royal Philharmonic Society
Analysis
Royal Philharmonic Society is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in London. It was registered in May 1964, 62 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 00186522). It says it makes grants to individuals, makes grants to organisations and other charitable activities.
In the financial year ending August 2025, Royal Philharmonic Society reported income of £539k and spending of £514k, spending 95% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from August 2021 to August 2025, income fell from £775k to £539k (-30%), an average of -8.7% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to August 2023, when income rose by 115%. Over the whole period it spent 93% 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, Royal Philharmonic Society sits at the 92nd percentile: it is larger than about 92% of them. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 90th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The Ystradgynlais Miners Welfare and Community Hall Trust Limited (£539k), The Doddington Hall Conservation Charity (£539k) and Junction Arts Ltd (£539k).
In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 50%, charitable activities 35% and investments 15%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £90k. Charitable activities took 92% of spending and raising funds 7.4%. Reserves of £161k would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 4 people.
Income and spending
Where the income comes from
- Donations 33%
- Legacies 17%
- Charitable activities 35%
- Investments 15%
- Other 0.3%
In the charity's own words
The RPS seeks to create a future for music through the encouragement of creativity, the recognition of excellence and the promotion of understanding. Artistic activities focus on composers and young musicians and through a series of awards and discussion it seeks to raise the public consciousness of the finest music making today and create a forum for debate about the direction of classical music.
Similar-sized charities, same cause
| Charity | Location | Income |
|---|---|---|
| The Ystradgynlais Miners Welfare and Community Hall Trust Limited | Swansea | £539k |
| The Doddington Hall Conservation Charity | Lincoln | £539k |
| Junction Arts Ltd | Derbyshire | £539k |
| Kettering Old Grammar School Foundation | Northamptonshire | £540k |