ZOO CO CREATIVE LTD

Registered charity 1186349 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as ZOO CO

Zoo Co are an award-winning Croydon based arts organisation who create high quality, accessible theatre and creative engagement for young people. Accessibility is at the core of Zoo Co's work and they are driven to breaking down barriers to theatre that people may face, be they financial or physical. Zoo Co believe theatre is better when everyone has a seat at the table.

Objects

TO ADVANCE PUBLIC EDUCATION IN AND APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY, BY: (1) PRESENTATION OF PERFORMANCES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW WORK;(2) DEVELOPING ACCESSIBILITY IN THE ARTS THROUGH INNOVATIVE, TAILORED ENGAGEMENT PROGRAMMES FOR MARGINALISED GROUPS OR INDIVIDUALS IN PARTICULAR YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 7-21 AND D/DEAF AND DISABLED AUDIENCES/PARTICIPANTS;(3) THE PROVISION OF A THEATRE AND OTHER PERFORMANCE SPACES.

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

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

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that Zoo Co operates with a small payroll of five salaried employees and relies heavily on freelancers, noting that sharing resources is key to surviving a tough financial climate. The charity reports achieving substantial sustainability goals, such as switching banking providers to avoid fossil fuel investments, and successfully securing Arts Council England National Lottery funding for a future tour. However, the document does not disclose specific unrestricted reserve figures or a reserves policy target.

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

What the accounts disclose

Discloses 3 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
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures

Funders the charity credits

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

• Arts Council — “We became an Arts Council NPO in Spring 2023.” (source page)

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2024)

Reported reserves equal ~3.9 months of spending — below the median for charities its size (median 7.1 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Charitable activities (83% 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 (3.0%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Nicholas James David Sweetingchair
• Che Ramsden
• David Bellwood
• Folarin Ayomide Akinmade
• Grace Dickson
• Jennifer Clare Pearce
• Robert Lawrence Stephenson

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

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Common questions

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.

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED.

• THE PLAYGROUND THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED income £212k
• MENAGERIE THEATRE COMPANY income £124k
• TWYCROSS ZOO-EAST MIDLAND ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY LIMITED income £15.4m
• ARDENT THEATRE COMPANY income £142k
• The Montgomery Theatre and Arts Centre Limited income £1.9m
• People's Theatre Collective Ltd income £184k

Side by side with its peers

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