COVENTRY BIENNIAL LTD

Registered charity 1206129 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To promote, maintain, improve and advance the education of the public in the visual arts, in particular but not exclusively by the organisation of a programme of exhibitions and events biennially to take place in particular, but not limited to, Coventry and Warwickshire.

Objects

TO PROMOTE, MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE PUBLIC IN THE VISUAL ARTS, IN PARTICULAR BUT NOT EXCLUSIVELY BY THE ORGANISATION OF A PROGRAMME OF EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS BIENNIALLY TO TAKE PLACE IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, COVENTRY AND WARWICKSHIRE.

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

Registered contact address: Coventry, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income

£214k

Latest spending

£135k

Registered

2023

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £10,513 against a policy target of three to six months' expenditure, which is below the stated policy minimum. The charity reported a net income surplus of £110,728 for the year, driven largely by restricted grant funding, while unrestricted funds covered its operational expenditure.

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

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: three and six month’s expenditure (reserves figure: £11k)

“It is the policy of the charity that unrestricted funds which have not been designated for a specific use should be maintained at a level equivalent to between three and six month’s expenditure.” — page 4

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
Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
Complaints policy and procedures
Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
Financial reserves policy and procedures
Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
Internal risk management policy and procedures
Investing charity funds policy and procedures
Safeguarding policy and procedures
Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
Social media policy and procedures
Trustee conflicts of interest policy and procedures
Trustee expenses policy and procedures

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 31/07/2025

Government income: £163,000 — grants £163,000 (6); 76% of the £213,755 total gross income on the same return

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

Annual return filing dates (Charity Commission record)

Its only annual return with a recorded received date was received after the due date: year ending 31/07/2025 (received 24/07/2026, 54 days after the 31/05/2026 due date).

Due and received dates as recorded in the Commission’s annual-return data; the data does not say whether an extension was agreed. Source: this charity’s annual returns on the Charity Commission register.

Trustees · trustee networks

Paula Orrellchair · trustee of 1 other charity
Aman Surey
Bethany Elizabeth Hughes
Cara Leonie Pickering
Duncan James Whitley
Kashmire Darren Singh Hawker
Mandip Singh Seehra
Prof Helen Mary Wheatley
Shwetal Ashvin Patel

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

Operates in: Throughout England

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/07/2025	£214k	£135k

Common questions

Is COVENTRY BIENNIAL LTD financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that unrestricted reserves stood at £10,513 against a policy target of three to six months' expenditure, which is below the stated policy minimum. The charity reported a net income surplus of £110,728 for the year, driven largely by restricted grant funding, while unrestricted funds covered its operational expenditure. Its FY2025 accounts were independently examined.

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
PAUL HAMLYN FOUNDATION	1	£230k
THE WILL CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£46k
SKIPTON BUILDING SOCIETY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION	1	£41k
NATIONAL ART COLLECTIONS FUND	1	£25k
THE ALAN EDWARD HIGGS CHARITY	1	£20k
THE COLYER-FERGUSSON CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£19k
THE HENRY MOORE FOUNDATION	1	£10k
THE AMPERSAND FOUNDATION	1	£10k

Charities like this

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

BEAVERS ARTS LIMITED income £683k
CLIFTONVILLE CULTURAL SPACE income £393k
DONCASTER PERFORMANCE VENUE LIMITED income £3.6m
COVENTRY ARTSPACE LIMITED income £29k
COVENTRY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THE BLIND income £381k
SYDENHAM ARTS LTD income £34k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
COVENTRY BIENNIAL LTD	£214k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
BEAVERS ARTS LIMITED FY2025	£683k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
CLIFTONVILLE CULTURAL SPACE FY2025	£393k	—	unclear	—	no doubt
DONCASTER PERFORMANCE VENUE LIMITED FY2025	£3.6m	—	below	—	no doubt
COVENTRY ARTSPACE LIMITED FY2025	£29k	—	above	—	no doubt
COVENTRY RESOURCE CENTRE FOR THE BLIND FY2025	£381k	—	above	—	no doubt

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