Open College of the Arts

Analysis

Open College of the Arts is a registered charity in England and Wales, based in Barnsley. It was registered in May 1987, 39 years ago. Its declared purposes cover education/training and arts/culture/heritage/science, which this site groups under arts, culture, heritage and science. Legally it is a charitable company (Companies House number 02125674). It says it provides human resources, provides buildings/facilities/open space and provides services.

In the financial year ending July 2025, Open College of the Arts reported income of £3.1m and spending of £3.3m, spending 106% of what it took in. Across the 5 years on record, from July 2021 to July 2025, income grew from £2.6m to £3.1m (+19%), an average of +4.5% a year. The sharpest change came in the year to July 2024, when income rose by 43%. 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, Open College of the Arts 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 97th percentile. Charities of a similar size with the same main cause include Laidlaw Opera Trust (£3.1m), Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra Trust (£3.1m) and Campaign for Science and Engineering (£3.1m).

In its latest detailed accounts, income came from trading 96%. Charitable activities took 99% of spending and raising funds 0.0%. It employed 142 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.