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THE CRITERION THEATRE TRUST

Registered charity 1014891 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

We ensure the building is maintained and in operation, and we present and promote theatre productions. In addition to this, we support drama groups and schools by offering them access to the theatre.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£4.4m
Latest spending
£3.7m
Registered
1992
Accounts read
FY2024

Financial health, per its FY2024 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £232,212 for the year, driven by lower-than-predicted audience attendances and extraordinary costs for 150th-anniversary celebrations. Despite this deficit, the trustees confirm the charity has adequate resources to continue as a going concern, with unrestricted reserves of £2,208,559 held against a policy target of six months' expenditure.

Automated summary of the FY2024 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: six months of unrestricted expenditure (held: £2.2m)
“It is the policy of the company that its free reserves should be maintained at a level equivalent to a minimum of six month’s expenditure” — page 5
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Criterion Theatre Piccadilly Limited
“Criterion Theatre Piccadilly Limited has been dormant throughout the current and previous year.” — page 26
Per its FY2024 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Gerald Edelman LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.

Corporate structure

CRITERION THEATRE PICCADILLY LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts
  • The company has a creditor balance of £21,464 due to its parent company, The Criterion Theatre Trust.

Company officers (Companies House)

Current officers of the charity’s own company per the Companies House register, cross-checked against the Charity Commission trustee list by name. A director not on the trustee list is usually a timing or naming difference between the two registers — check both records before drawing conclusions.

Official officers record.

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

Public profiles (found on the charity’s own website): instagram

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/12/2025)

Total income
£4.4m
Total spending
£3.7m
Reserves (reported)
£2.8m
Employees
46

Reported reserves equal ~9.0 months of spending — above the median for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (98% of income) — components as reported reconcile to the return’s total income; not from the accounts narrative.

Per its annual return, cost of raising funds: 0.0% of total income — below the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).

Operates in: City Of Westminster

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/12/2025£4.4m£3.7m
31/12/2024£3.0m£3.2m
31/12/2023£3.3m£2.9m
31/12/2022£3.3m£2.7m
31/12/2021£1.9m£1.8m

Common questions

Is THE CRITERION THEATRE TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2024 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net expenditure of £232,212 for the year, driven by lower-than-predicted audience attendances and extraordinary costs for 150th-anniversary celebrations. Despite this deficit, the trustees confirm the charity has adequate resources to continue as a going concern, with unrestricted reserves of £2,208,559 held against a policy target of six months' expenditure. Its FY2024 accounts were audited by Gerald Edelman LLP.

Funders of similar charities

Funders whose accounts show grants to charities similar to this one (and no recorded grant to this charity) — a starting list for fundraisers.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE REED FOUNDATION1—
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION1£120k
BACKSTAGE TRUST1£100k
THE FOYLE FOUNDATION1£75k
THE WILLIAMS CHARITABLE TRUST1£20k
THE HAWTHORNE CHARITABLE TRUST1£13k
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND1£10k
THE HAROLD HYAM WINGATE FOUNDATION1£9k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THEATRE503 LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
THE CRITERION THEATRE TRUST£4.4m——unclear—no doubt
THEATRE503 LIMITED FY2026£553k—0unclear—noted
BRISTOL OLD VIC AND THEATRE ROYAL TRUST LIMITED FY2025£7.6m£80,001 - £90,000—above—no doubt
MALVERN THEATRES TRUST LIMITED FY2025£7.1m——unclear—no doubt
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND FY2025£1.4m——unclear—no doubt
THE HAVERING THEATRE TRUST LIMITED FY2025£4.7m£60,001 - £70,000—above—no doubt

Each row is that charity’s latest analysed filing; every value is quote-backed on its own page.