Royal Exchange Theatre Company Limited

Analysis

Royal Exchange Theatre Company Limited is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Manchester. It was registered in May 1968, 58 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 00927203). It says it provides services.

In the financial year ending March 2025, Royal Exchange Theatre Company Limited reported income of £7.3m and spending of £8.1m, spending 110% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from March 2021 to March 2025, income grew from £2.8m to £7.3m (+165%), an average of +28% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to March 2022, when income rose by 120%. Over the whole period it spent 105% 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 Exchange Theatre Company Limited 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 99th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include The David Lean Foundation (£7.3m), The New Forest Agricultural Show Society (£7.3m) and The Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College (£7.2m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from donations and legacies 39%, charitable activities 35% and trading 10%. Gifts in wills alone brought in £4,500. Charitable activities took 88% of spending and raising funds 12%. Reserves of £2.8m would cover about 4 months of spending at that rate. It employed 175 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.