COCKPIT ARTS

Registered charity 1029643 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

Cockpit Arts is the only creative incubator for designer-makers in the UK. The organisation supports and promotes designer-makers at all stages of their career development by providing workspace, professional development services and promotion.

Causes: Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£1.3m
Latest spending
£1.4m
Registered
1993
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £84,809 for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in free unrestricted reserves being in deficit by £124,084. This falls significantly below the trustees' stated policy target of holding free reserves equivalent to three months' running costs, which was calculated at £267,072 at year-end. Despite this negative reserve position, the trustees and auditors confirmed there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern.

Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £60,001 - £70,000 — below the median for charities its size (£70k)
“1 employee earned more than £60,000 and 1 employee earned more than £70,000 (excluding employer pension costs) during the year ended 31 March 2025” — page 41
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Employees paid over £60,000: 1
“1 employee earned more than £60,000 and 1 employee earned more than £70,000 (excluding employer pension costs) during the year ended 31 March 2025” — page 41
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves position: below the charity's own stated reserves policy (held: £-124k; policy: three months' running costs)
“Free reserves at 31 March 2025 are in deficit by £124,084 and three months of unrestricted expenditure at 31 March 2025 is £267,072.” — page 21
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Cockpit Arts & Exhibitions Limited
“Cockpit Arts has a wholly owned trading subsidiary, Cockpit Arts & Exhibitions Limited, company number 0341833. It has no assets other than its £2 share capital. The company is dormant and has not traded in 2024 or 2023.” — page 46
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Price Bailey LLP. Discloses 6 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Corporate structure

COCKPIT ARTS & EXHIBITIONS LTD. — per its own Companies House accounts
  • Issued share capital consists of 2 Ordinary Shares of £1 each.

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 (1 freehold). All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Total income
£1.3m
Total spending
£1.4m
Cost of raising funds
£131k
Reserves (reported)
£0
Employees
9

Reported reserves equal ~0.0 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (90% 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: 10.0% of total income — above the median for charities its size (5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Throughout London

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£1.3m£1.4m
31/03/2024£2.3m£1.3m
31/03/2023£2.6m£1.2m
31/03/2022£1.9m£1.6m
30/09/2020£905k£838k

Common questions

Is COCKPIT ARTS financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity reported a net deficit of £84,809 for the year ended 31 March 2025, resulting in free unrestricted reserves being in deficit by £124,084. This falls significantly below the trustees' stated policy target of holding free reserves equivalent to three months' running costs, which was calculated at £267,072 at year-end. Despite this negative reserve position, the trustees and auditors confirmed there are no material uncertainties regarding the charity's ability to continue as a going concern. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Price Bailey LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of COCKPIT ARTS earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £60,001 - £70,000 band, and 1 employees earned over £60,000.

Who funds COCKPIT ARTS?

Funders whose own accounts filings name COCKPIT ARTS as a grant recipient include THE FOYLE FOUNDATION, THE SCHRODER FOUNDATION, The Leathersellers' Foundation, NEWBY TRUST LIMITED, THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATION.

Known funders

Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE FOYLE FOUNDATIONFY2022£75k
THE SCHRODER FOUNDATIONFY2024£30k
The Leathersellers' FoundationFY2023£25kLeather Associated grant
The Leathersellers' FoundationFY2024£25kLeather Makers Support
NEWBY TRUST LIMITEDFY2023£24kEducation
THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATIONFY2023£17kTextile Award 2022/23
THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATIONFY2023£17kTextile Award 2022/23
THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATIONFY2025£15kEducation & Training
THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATIONFY2022£11kHaberdashers’ Textile awards
DRAPERS CHARITABLE FUNDFY2024£9kCareers visits at Deptford site
WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF NEEDLEMAKERS CHARITABLE FUNDFY2022£8kWelfare
THE DYERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£6kThe Dyeing Industry
THE DYERS' COMPANY CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2023£6kThe Dyeing Industry
THE JOHN S COHEN FOUNDATIONFY2025£6kEducation & Academic
THE JOHN S COHEN FOUNDATIONFY2022£5kEducation & Academic
The Worshipful Company of Turners Charitable TrustFY2022£5kCraft Awards and related expenditure
WORSHIPFUL COMPANY OF BASKETMAKERS 2011 CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2022£4kSupport for External basketry courses
THE HABERDASHERS' FOUNDATIONFY2022£4kContribution to Deptford site development
THE COMPANY OF ARTS SCHOLARS CHARITABLE TRUSTFY2025£3k
The Worshipful Company of Turners Charitable TrustFY2023£2kEducation and Standards

Government & lottery funding

Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).

FunderDateAmountPurpose
City Bridge Foundation09/12/2022£93kGrant to Cockpit Arts
City Bridge Foundation16/07/2014£2kGrant to Cockpit Arts

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.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ARTS DEPOT TRUST LIMITED.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
COCKPIT ARTS£1.3m£60,001 - £70,0001below—no doubt
THE ARTS DEPOT TRUST LIMITED FY2025£2.5m£60,001 - £70,0001unclear—no doubt
ARTSADMIN FY2025£1.1m——below—no doubt
ALL ARTS & MEDIA LTD FY2024£99k—0unclear—no doubt
ART SERVICES GRANTS LIMITED FY2025£5.9mOver £60,0001above—no doubt
Making Space For Crafts Ltd FY2025£188k—0above—no doubt

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