Charity Accounts Intelreading the accounts so you don’t have to

BOW ARTS TRUST

Registered charity 1046958 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BOW ARTS EDUCATION, THE NUNNERY GALLERY

Bow Arts provides over 400 artists with affordable, secure and creative workspace across east London. It manages an exciting London-wide education programme, improving the lives and attainment of thousands of young people from disadvantaged backgrounds. Bow Arts also runs a contemporary exhibition space - the Nunnery Gallery - and a varied events and community engagement programme.

Objects

(I) the provision and maintenance of an art gallery or art space for exhibition to the public of modern and fine art, design and applied art and of work done by students and emerging artists;(II) the promotion and encouragement of the education of the public in the arts, through an art gallery or art galleries, art spaces and elsewhere;(III) the education of children, students and teaching staff in the arts in schools and other educational establishments; and(IV) the relief of poverty amongst emerging artists by the provision of studio space in which they may create art and by the provision of residential accommodation for emerging artists and their partners and/or dependents.

Area of benefit: NOT DEFINED

The charity’s charitable objects and area of benefit, quoted from its governing document as held on the Charity Commission register.

Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Accommodation/housing · Arts/culture/heritage/science · Economic/community Development/employment · website · Get email alerts

Latest income
£5.1m
Latest spending
£3.7m
Registered
1995
Accounts read
FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that consolidated unrestricted reserves stood at £5,141,943, which is above the stated policy target of two to four months of gross expenditure. The charity reported a net income surplus of £1,356,129 for the year, supported by strong earned income from workspace rents and charitable activities.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £100,001 - £110,000 — in the top quarter for charities its size (median £70k)
“In the band £100,001 - £110,000 1” — page 38
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: 2-4 months of gross expenditure (held: £5.1m)
“maintain a working reserve of between 2 months and 4 months of gross expenditure as General Funds within Unrestricted Funds”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Payments to trustees: N Smales (£17,400), S Pallister (£6,500), Dr M Owens (£5,889 in prior year).
“During the year, one or more Trustees has been paid remuneration for the provision of services the Parent Charity” — page 38
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by RPG Crouch Chapman LLP. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Policies the charity declares

In its annual return the charity told the Commission that it has the policies listed below. This is self-declared: it is not verified by the Commission or by this site, and it is not evidence of how a policy works in practice.

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Corporate structure

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)

10 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (3 freehold); recorded price paid £3.3m. 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
£5.1m
Total spending
£3.7m
Cost of raising funds
£29k
Reserves (reported)
£5.1m
Employees
29

Reported reserves equal ~16.7 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (72% 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: 0.6% 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: Throughout London

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2025£5.1m£3.7m
31/03/2024£3.6m£2.9m
31/03/2023£3.2m£2.6m
31/03/2022£2.8m£2.1m
31/03/2021£2.1m£1.7m

Common questions

Is BOW ARTS TRUST financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that consolidated unrestricted reserves stood at £5,141,943, which is above the stated policy target of two to four months of gross expenditure. The charity reported a net income surplus of £1,356,129 for the year, supported by strong earned income from workspace rents and charitable activities. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by RPG Crouch Chapman LLP.

What does the highest-paid employee of BOW ARTS TRUST earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £100,001 - £110,000 band.

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund17/08/2020£9k"COVID19: Bow Arts"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund01/08/2018£48k"Raw Materials: Plastics; uncovering and exploring the industrial heritage of the River Lea Valley"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund04/07/2017£34k"Raw Materials: Textiles; exploring the industrial heritage of the River Lea Valley"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund25/04/2016£34k"Raw Materials: Wood - Exploring the heritage of the River Lea Valley"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund25/10/2012£9k"Exploring Bow Porcelain"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund21/01/2008£10k"A Project By This London Charity To Promote Healthy Living For Local School Children And The Community Through Gardening And The Visual Arts"
The National Lottery Community Fund21/01/2008£10kGreat Green Gathering
The National Lottery Community Fund15/09/2006£10kGasping for Green

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 ARDEOLA CHARITABLE TRUST1£125k
ASSOCIATION OF INDEPENDENT MUSEUMS1£109k
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION1£90k
THE MAYOR OF LONDON'S FUND FOR YOUNG MUSICIANS1£71k
THE PAUL MELLON CENTRE FOR STUDIES IN BRITISH ART1£30k
THE STEVENSON FAMILY'S CHARITABLE TRUST1£20k
NATIONAL ART COLLECTIONS FUND1£16k
THE MRS L D ROPE THIRD CHARITABLE SETTLEMENT1£14k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with BOWS AND ARROWS.

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
BOW ARTS TRUST£5.1m£100,001 - £110,000—unclear—no doubt
BOWS AND ARROWS FY2025£2.8m—0unclear0.5%no doubt
BROMLEY ARTS TRUST FY2025£179k—0unclear—no doubt
THE BOWES MUSEUM FY2026£4.2m£60,001 - £70,000—unclear—no doubt
BARNET EDUCATION ARTS TRUST FY2025£2.0m£60,001 - £70,0001above—no doubt
THE HOUNSLOW ARTS TRUST LTD FY2025£824k——below—no doubt

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