THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF THEATRE LIMITED

Registered charity 286169 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · also known as L I F T, LIFT

The principal activity of the company during the year was the promotion of education and the arts.

Objects

TO PROMOTE, MAINTAIN, IMPROVE AND ADVANCE EDUCATION PARTICULARLY BY THE PRODUCTION OF EDUCATION PLAYS AND THE ENCOURAGEMENT OF THE ARTS INCLUDING ARTS OF DRAMA, BALLET, MUSIC, SINGING, LITERATURE, SCULPTURE, PAINTING AND ARTS ACTIVITIES HAVING SPECIAL RELEVANCE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE OF ALL NATIONALITIES.

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

Registered contact address: Wandsworth, London, England (from the postcode on the register)

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that unrestricted reserves ended the year in a surplus of £68,456, having started with a deficit of £6,951. The trustees report that the company relies on continued National Portfolio Organisation funding from Arts Council England and acknowledges risks to income due to competition for funds. Per the trustees' report, the festival has been deferred to 2027 to allow for a transformation of the business model.

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

What the accounts disclose

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
• Complaints policy and procedures
• Conflicting interests
• Financial reserves policy and procedures
• Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
• Internal risk management policy and procedures
• Paying staff
• Risk management
• Safeguarding policy and procedures
• Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries
• Serious incident reporting policy and procedures
• Social media policy and procedures
• Trustee conflicts of interest 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.

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).

• Arts Council England — “Principal Supporters Arts Council England” (source page)
• City of London — “Principal Supporters Arts Council England City of London” (source page)
• British Council — “Supporters British Council” (source page)
• Canada Council for the Arts — “National and International Touring and Co-Producing Partners Brighton Festival, Canada Council for the Arts” (source page)

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2025)

Reported reserves equal ~1.1 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 5.2 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (69% 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: 11.7% of total income — above the median for charities its size (4.9%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

• Martin Harrison
• Robin Saphra · trustee of 2 other charities

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

Operates in: Throughout London

Income and spending

Common questions

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.

Charities like this

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

• THE LOFT THEATRE COMPANY income £179k
• TOLD BY AN IDIOT income £353k
• LEICESTER INTERNATIONAL MUSIC FESTIVAL LTD income £45k
• THE OXFORD LITERARY FESTIVAL income £849k
• LOUTH PLAYGOERS SOCIETY LIMITED income £525k
• THE ASHTON GROUP THEATRE income £336k

Side by side with its peers

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