Welsh National Opera Limited

Analysis

Welsh National Opera Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Cardiff. It was registered in August 1963, 63 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 00454297). It says it other charitable activities.

In the financial year ending August 2025, Welsh National Opera Limited reported income of £18.0m and spending of £18.3m, spending 102% of its income. Across the 5 years on record, from August 2021 to August 2025, income grew from £13.7m to £18.0m (+31%), an average of +7.0% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to August 2022, when income rose by 32%. Over the whole period it spent 106% 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, Welsh National Opera Limited sits at the 100th percentile: it is one of the largest 1% in its cause. Against every charity in England and Wales with reported income it ranks in the 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Purposeful Ventures (£17.3m), National Art Collections Fund (£18.3m) and The Design Museum (£17.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 17%, donations and legacies 15%, charitable activities 11% and investments 2.2%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £734k. Charitable activities took 84% of spending and raising funds 1.0%. Reserves of £7.0m would cover about 5 months of spending at that rate. It employed 232 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.