The Governance RegisterEdition 2026 · Compiled 6th September 2026

The Arts Council of England

Registered charity 1036733 Registered since 1994

Public bodyNDPB-executive · Department for Culture, Media and SportPublic appointments regulated

Operates: Throughout England

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Board DNA

How this board is put together, from Charity Commission trustee records and Companies House - deterministic, no AI.iBoard compositionCounted from the dated Charity Commission trustee register: the current board only, past trustees excluded.

16 trustees on the board

3.1y median 3y
average tenure
9y
longest tenure

Trustees past 6 years

6.7y
average years in governance

First-time vs portfolio trustees

First-time (13)

Portfolio (3)

6
company-linked trustees

Sector coverage iSector coverageThe charitable fields this board's trustees govern in elsewhere, by Charity Commission classification. Excludes this charity.

Arts/culture/heritage/science 16Education/training 3General Charitable Purposes 1Human Rights/religious Or Racial Harmony/equality Or Diversity 1Other Charitable Purposes 1

Commercial experience iCommercial experienceThe industries this board's members are company directors in, by Companies House SIC code. Excludes this organisation's own company.

Arts and leisure 6Education 3Health and social care 1

Succession forecast iSuccession forecastThe number of board seats likely to open in the next twelve months - summed across the board from each dated trustee’s tenure - and the profile worth recruiting next. From the filed record, deterministic.

🔒 Succession forecast is a Pro feature - the board seats likely to open in the next year and the ideal next trustee. Explore Pro →

Health of the organisation facts side by side - the conclusion is yours

Income v spending, filed accountsiIncome v spendingTotal gross income and expenditure from filed annual returns, Charity Commission, last 5 years.
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025
incomespending£843.1m latest income · income exceeded spending in 2024 and 2025
ReservesiReserves12 x free reserves / annual expenditure, from the Part B annual return. The sector median is computed across all Part B filers in the same income band.

0.0 months of spending held in free reserves · median for charities its size: 3.5 months · was 2.1 in 2021

704 from 618 in 2021
EmployeesiEmployeesHeadcount as filed in Part B annual returns, per financial year. Shown exactly as filed; year-on-year figures may be filed on different bases, so a comparison is only shown when the filings are plausibly comparable.

Related organisations iRelated organisationsTwo groups, both deterministic from public records. Related organisations share two or more trustees with this board - a real structural link, such as a subsidiary or sister charity. Connected through a shared trustee share exactly one person - a genuine connection, but not the same group. A board with no shared trustee at all may still appear here when it is active in the same charitable field.

Connected through a shared trustee

Also active in the same field

Deterministic, from public records.

Contact

Websitewww.artscouncil.org.uk
Emailenquiries@artscouncil.org.uk
Phone0161 934 4317
AddressARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND, 2ND FLOOR, THE HIVE, 47 LEVER STREET, MANCHESTER, M1 1FN

Finances

£843,062,677 latest income

YearIncomeSpending
2021£1,488,506,017£1,419,616,010
2022£941,845,043£952,649,738
2023£795,709,913£989,630,527
2024£803,065,402£756,289,350
2025£843,062,677£731,085,056

What it does

What

Arts/culture/heritage/science

Who

Other Charities Or Voluntary BodiesThe General Public/mankind

How

Makes Grants To IndividualsMakes Grants To OrganisationsProvides Advocacy/advice/informationActs As An Umbrella Or Resource Body

Charitable objects

(1) TO DEVELOP AND IMPROVE THE KNOWLEDGE UNDERSTANDING AND PRACTICE OF THE ARTS. (2) TO INCREASE ACCESSIBILITY OF THE ARTS TO THE PUBLIC IN ENGLAND; AND (3) TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC AND TO FURTHER ANY OTHER CHARITABLE PURPOSE WHICH RELATES TO THE ESTABLISHMENT, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES (WHICH ARE EITHER PUBLIC OR FROM WHICH THE PUBLIC MAY BENEFIT) AND TO THE PROTECTION OF CULTURAL PROPERTY; AND(4) TO ADVISE AND CO-OPERATE, WHERE IT IS APPROPRIATE TO DO SO, WITH DEPARTMENTS OF OUR GOVERNMENT, OUR SCOTTISH AMINISTRATION, THE NORTHERN IRELAND EXECUTIVE AND THE WELSH MINISTERS, LOCAL AUTHORITIES, THE ARTS COUNCILS AND EQUIVALENT ORGANISATIONS IN THE MUSEUMS AND LIBRARIES SECTOR IN SCOTLAND, WALES AND NORTHERN IRELAND (OR THEIR SUCCESSORS) AND OTHER BODIES ON ANY MATTERS RELATED TO THE OBJECTS IN (1), (2) AND (3) ABOVE.

Governing document: ROYAL CHARTER GRANTED 30/03/1994AS AMENDED ON 13/03/1996AS AMENDED ON 22/04/1998AS AMENDED BY SUPPLEMENTAL CHARTER DATED 31/05/2002AS AMENDED ON 12/02/2008AS AMENDED ON 12/10/2011

Trustees (16)

16trustees
64median age
2aged 70+

Connected charities (3)

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