THE BISHOPSGATE FOUNDATION
Registered charity 1090923 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as BISHOPSGATE FOUNDATION AND INSTITUTE, BISHOPSGATE INSTITUTE, BISHOPSGATE LIBRARY
Bishopsgate Institute provides:A programme of short courses for adultsA programme of cultural events including talks, debates, concerts and performancesA specialist library holding collections concerned with the history of London, the East End, the labour and co-operative movements, freethought and humanismA Community Programme providing financial support to local people in need.
Causes: General Charitable Purposes · Education/training · Arts/culture/heritage/science · website · Get email alerts
Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts
The accounts state that the charity incurred a deficit of £1,650,578 for the year ended 31 March 2025, although this was a reduction from the previous year's deficit. The trustees note that the charity expects to continue incurring deficits for at least the next three years but retains liquid assets sufficient to fund these expected deficits for a period of at least 18 months.
Automated summary of the FY2025 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.
What the accounts disclose
Largest income source: Investments (48% of income)
“Investment income of £769,701 (2023-24: £752,598) represents 48% of our total unrestricted income and continues to underpin our ability to fund and develop our charitable activities.” — page 10
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Reserves policy: three months' operating expenditure (held: £2.5m)
“As part of the longer term reserves policy we are seeking to maintain free reserves to a level equivalent to three months’ operating expenditure.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Payment to St Botolph Without Bishopsgate
“Under the terms of its charitable deed, the charity is required to pay two fifteenths of its income (after deduction of costs) from the Underwood Estate to St Botolph Without Bishopsgate. The Rector of St Botolph Without Bishopsgate is a Trustee of the charity. For the year end 31 March 2024 the amount payable is £5,394 (2024: repayment due £1,302). At 31 March 2024 £5,394 (2024: £32,326) was outstanding at the year end.” — page 35
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: BI (Trading) Limited
“On 17 February 2006 the Bishopsgate Foundation created a wholly owned subsidiary company called B.I. (Trading) Limited, which was established to operate the charity’s venue-hire facility from 1 April 2006.”
Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Accounts audited by Sayer Vincent LLP. Discloses 4 of 6 completeness components.
Property (HM Land Registry)
10 registered titles in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (10 freehold); recorded price paid £405k. 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)
Cost of raising funds
£1.4m
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: Investments (48% 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: 89.1% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).
- Anita Datta
- Benjamin Ferguson
- Benjamin McKnight
- Dr Matthew Lodder
- Elizabeth Pollock
- Kawsar Zaman
- Nathan Smith
- Robin Dey
- Sarah Aitchison · trustee of 1 other charity
- Simon Demissie
- The Revd David Thomas Armstrong · trustee of 2 other charities
Trustee list from the Charity Commission register (current, not historical).
Operates in: Throughout London
Income and spending
Common questions
Is THE BISHOPSGATE FOUNDATION financially healthy?
Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a deficit of £1,650,578 for the year ended 31 March 2025, although this was a reduction from the previous year's deficit. The trustees note that the charity expects to continue incurring deficits for at least the next three years but retains liquid assets sufficient to fund these expected deficits for a period of at least 18 months. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Sayer Vincent LLP.
Who funds THE BISHOPSGATE FOUNDATION?
Funders whose own accounts filings name THE BISHOPSGATE FOUNDATION as a grant recipient include THE PILGRIM TRUST, THE PAUL MELLON CENTRE FOR STUDIES IN BRITISH ART, DULWICH ALMSHOUSE CHARITY.
Known funders
Grants to this charity found in funders’ own accounts filings.
Government & lottery funding
Grants to this charity published as open data by government and lottery funders (360Giving).
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.
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Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE CITY LITERARY INSTITUTE.
Side by side with its peers
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