SOUNDWAVE

Registered charity 1156396 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

The Charity's objectives are to promote, maintain, improve and advance education for the benefit of the public, by developing public appreciation and understanding of music and all related art forms, including playing instruments, singing, composition, digital arts, dance and performance and by improving access to and the quality of the musical arts, primarily but not exclusively in Cumbria.

Objects

TO PROMOTE, MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND ADVANCE EDUCATION FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC, BY DEVELOPING PUBLIC APPRECIATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF MUSIC AND ALL RELATED ART FORMS, INCLUDING PLAYING INSTRUMENTS, SINGING, COMPOSITION, DIGITAL ARTS, DANCE AND PERFORMANCE AND BY IMPROVING ACCESS TO AND THE QUALITY OF THE MUSICAL ARTS, PRIMARILY BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY IN CUMBRIA

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

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

Registered contact address: Cumberland, North West, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£182k

Latest spending

£171k

Registered

2014

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves were £48,603, which the trustees note is below their ideal policy target of approximately £85,000 (representing 6 months of operating costs). The charity reported a net income surplus of £33,060 for the year, with total incoming resources of £204,363 against total expenditure of £171,303.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: 6 months of operating costs (held: £49k)

“The organisation ideally needs 6 months of operating costs in reserves, which typically amounts to approx. £85,000.” — page 7

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts independently examined (not a full audit). 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.

Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
Complaints handling
Conflicting interests
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures
Volunteer management

From the charity’s annual return (Part A, self-declared)

Answers and figures the charity gave in Part A of its annual return to the Charity Commission. They are self-declared: not verified by the Commission or by this site. Only positive answers and figures are listed; items not listed are simply not shown.

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2025

Volunteers: 3
Grant-making is its main activity

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2024

Volunteers: 4

Self-declared on the annual return for the financial year ending 31/03/2023

Volunteers: 2
Grant-making is its main activity

Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Funders the charity credits

Named as funders/supporters on the charity’s own website (the charity’s claim, distinct from accounts-verified grants).

Copeland Community Fund — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund” (source page)
Bechtel — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel” (source page)
Arts Council England — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England” (source page)
Cumbria Community Foundation — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England Cumbria Community Foundation” (source page)
Sellafield Ltd — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England Cumbria Community Foundation Sellafield L…” (source page)
Francis C Scott Charitable Trust — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England Cumbria Community Foundation Sellafield L…” (source page)
Youth Music — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England Cumbria Community Foundation Sellafield L…” (source page)
One AIM — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England Cumbria Community Foundation Sellafield L…” (source page)
The National Lottery Community Fund — “Working closely with our funders and partners Copeland Community Fund Bechtel Arts Council England Cumbria Community Foundation Sellafield L…” (source page)

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

Trustees · trustee networks

Adam Philip-Phillips
Dakota Bagley
Daniel Peter Whitehouse
Ian Alcock
Rebecca Wyle
Sandra Dempsey
Sarah Dockeray

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

Operates in: Cumbria

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£182k	£171k
31/03/2024	£122k	£157k
31/03/2023	£144k	£118k
31/03/2022	£144k	£118k
31/03/2021	£127k	£92k

Common questions

Is SOUNDWAVE financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves were £48,603, which the trustees note is below their ideal policy target of approximately £85,000 (representing 6 months of operating costs). The charity reported a net income surplus of £33,060 for the year, with total incoming resources of £204,363 against total expenditure of £171,303. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

Who funds SOUNDWAVE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name SOUNDWAVE as a grant recipient include THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC, FRANCIS C SCOTT CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount
THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC	FY2025	£100k
FRANCIS C SCOTT CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£17k
FRANCIS C SCOTT CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	amount not stated

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Community Fund	15/08/2026	£20k	Creative Collective
Northern Rock Foundation	08/12/2008	£120k	Grant awarded to SoundWave (Cumbria)

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.

Funder	Similar charities funded	Amount to them
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS FOUNDATION	2	£5k
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION	1	£150k
THE LINBURY TRUST	1	£100k
JOHN MARTIN'S CHARITY	1	£94k
STRATFORD-UPON-AVON TOWN TRUST	1	£49k
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION	1	£42k
THE SCOPS ARTS TRUST	1	£26k
Army Benevolent Fund	1	£25k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE ORGANISATION FOR NEW MUSIC AND SOUND.

THE ORGANISATION FOR NEW MUSIC AND SOUND income £844k
SOUNDS OF INTENT income £31k
NEW SINFONIA income £203k
SOUND OF WALES income £33k
WAVE TRUST income £640k
CELEBRATE VOICE income £146k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
SOUNDWAVE	£182k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
THE ORGANISATION FOR NEW MUSIC AND SOUND FY2026	£844k	—	—	above	—	no doubt
SOUNDS OF INTENT FY2025	£31k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
NEW SINFONIA FY2025	£203k	—	0	below	—	no doubt
SOUND OF WALES FY2025	£33k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
WAVE TRUST FY2025	£640k	—	—	above	—	no doubt

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