SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM

Registered charity 313609 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register

To preserve Nos 12, 13 & 14 Lincoln's Inn Fields and Sir John Soane's collections for present and future generations. To allow free public access to the Museum and collections. To provide education following Soane's intention to develop 'an Academy for the Study of Architecture'. To publicize the Museum's collections as widely as possible through events, exhibitions, catalogues and publications.

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

Latest income

£4.2m

Latest spending

£4.0m

Registered

1963

Accounts read

FY2025

Financial health, per its FY2025 accounts

The accounts state that the Museum's unrestricted free reserves stood at £1,184,827, which is in excess of the Trustees' stated prudent target of £718,000. The Museum reports that its finances are in good order, supported by a Grant-in-Aid from DCMS and record commercial income, although it notes that long-term financial sustainability remains challenging due to constraints on its physical footprint.

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

What the accounts disclose

Highest-paid employee band: £90,000-£95,000 — above the median for charities its size (£70k)

“The full time equivalent (FTE) banded remuneration of the highest-paid director in the Museum at the financial year end was £90,000-£95,000” — page 32

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Reserves policy: six months of the routine annual cost of running the Museum, excluding trading costs, after deduction of the DCMS Grant-in–Aid (estimated at least £718,000) (held: £1.2m)

“the Museum’s unrestricted free reserves (General Fund) should be held at a prudential level that approximately represents six months of the routine annual cost of running the Museum, excluding trading costs, after deduction of the DCMS Grant-in–Aid. At their last review in 2025, based on the 2024-25 Consolidated Financial Statement, this figure was estimated to be at least £718,000.”

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: DCMS is a related party. During the year, Sir John Soane's Museum has had material transactions with DCMS. These transactions are shown in Note 2.

“Sir John Soane's Museum is an NDPB whose sponsor department is DCMS. DCMS is regarded as a related party. During the year, Sir John Soane's Museum has had material transactions with DCMS. These transactions are shown in Note 2.” — page 65

“The Group purchased services from the related parties of SME Directors for expenditure totalling £34,000 (2023-24: £35,000).” — page 65

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Soane Museum Enterprises Limited is a related party. The Group purchased services from the related parties of SME Directors for expenditure totalling £34,000.

“Sir John Soane's Museum is an NDPB whose sponsor department is DCMS. DCMS is regarded as a related party. During the year, Sir John Soane's Museum has had material transactions with DCMS. These transactions are shown in Note 2.” — page 65

“The Group purchased services from the related parties of SME Directors for expenditure totalling £34,000 (2023-24: £35,000).” — page 65

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Trustees and their related parties donated £95,141 to the Museum.

“Sir John Soane's Museum is an NDPB whose sponsor department is DCMS. DCMS is regarded as a related party. During the year, Sir John Soane's Museum has had material transactions with DCMS. These transactions are shown in Note 2.” — page 65

“The Group purchased services from the related parties of SME Directors for expenditure totalling £34,000 (2023-24: £35,000).” — page 65

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Related-party transaction: Donations of £90,000 were received from 2 charitable trusts that each share a trustee with the Museum.

“Sir John Soane's Museum is an NDPB whose sponsor department is DCMS. DCMS is regarded as a related party. During the year, Sir John Soane's Museum has had material transactions with DCMS. These transactions are shown in Note 2.” — page 65

“The Group purchased services from the related parties of SME Directors for expenditure totalling £34,000 (2023-24: £35,000).” — page 65

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Trading subsidiary: Soane Museum Enterprises Limited

“The Museum's trading Subsidiary, Soane Museum Enterprises Limited (SME Ltd), became operational on 27 January 2014, carrying out the commercial operations of the Group, principally being retail, licensing and room hire.” — page 8

Per its FY2025 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Comptroller and Auditor General. Discloses 5 of 6 completeness components.

Year-over-year changes

Top pay band moved from £85,000 - £90,000 (FY2024) to £90,000-£95,000 (FY2025).

Comparing this charity’s FY2024 and FY2025 accounts as analysed by this site.

Corporate structure

Trading subsidiary: SOANE MUSEUM ENTERPRISES LIMITED Companies House 08171280

SOANE MUSEUM ENTERPRISES LIMITED — per its own Companies House accounts

Turnover: £876k
Profit before tax: £222k
Donated/gift-aided to the charity: £222k
Creditors include £357,001 owed to parent charity Sir John Soane's Museum.

“The profit of £221,931 has been accrued as gift aid to Sir John Soane's Museum under the Deed of Covenant in place for the Group.”

Public fundraising profile: JustGiving — Sir John Soane's Museum (matched by registered charity number).

Leadership, per the charity’s website

Deborah Loeb Brice — Director (source)
Helen Dorey — Deputy Director (source)
Rebecca Hossain — Director of Commercial and Operations (source)
Alice Painting — Director of Development (source)
Louise Peckett — Finance Director (source)

Listed on the charity’s own website when we last crawled it; roles may have changed. Pay-band disclosures above are anonymous statutory disclosures and are not attributed to any named individual.

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

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

Total income

£4.2m

Total spending

£4.0m

Cost of raising funds

£1.1m

Reserves (reported)

£4.3m

Employees

74

Reported reserves equal ~13.2 months of spending — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 4.8 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Donations and legacies (62% 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: 26.7% of total income — in the top quarter for charities its size (median 5.2%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

Alderman Timothy Russell Hailes · trustee of 3 other charities
Alison Ross Green
Amicia Kathryn de Moubray
Amin Taha
Andrew Hamish Forsyth · trustee of 3 other charities
Anne Desmet RA · trustee of 1 other charity
Dr Frank Edwin Salmon
John Frederick Clappier
Letizia Treves
Lord James Sassoon · trustee of 1 other charity
Lucie Annabel Kitchener · trustee of 2 other charities
Professor Jonathan Felix Ashmore FRS
Professor Kerensa Jennings
Zoe Nicole Whitley Richmond

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

Operates in: Throughout England And Wales

Income and spending

Financial year end	Income	Spending
31/03/2025	£4.2m	£4.0m
31/03/2024	£4.0m	£3.6m
31/03/2023	£3.9m	£3.5m
31/03/2022	£3.2m	£2.8m
31/03/2021	£2.7m	£2.7m

Common questions

Is SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM financially healthy?

Per its FY2025 accounts: The accounts state that the Museum's unrestricted free reserves stood at £1,184,827, which is in excess of the Trustees' stated prudent target of £718,000. The Museum reports that its finances are in good order, supported by a Grant-in-Aid from DCMS and record commercial income, although it notes that long-term financial sustainability remains challenging due to constraints on its physical footprint. Its FY2025 accounts were audited by Comptroller and Auditor General.

What does the highest-paid employee of SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM earn?

Per its FY2025 accounts, the highest-paid employee was in the £90,000-£95,000 band.

Who funds SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM?

Funders whose own accounts filings name SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM as a grant recipient include THE STEVENSON FAMILY'S CHARITABLE TRUST, THE BAND TRUST, SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST, THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION, H M SASSOON CHARITABLE TRUST.

Known funders

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

Funder	Year	Amount	Purpose (as stated by the funder)
THE STEVENSON FAMILY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£1.0m	Culture and Arts
THE BAND TRUST	FY2022	£500k	Specific grantee
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST	FY2023	£350k
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST	FY2022	£300k
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION	FY2024	£255k	Towards a new post of Head of IT Operations, alongside the completion of an IT infrastructure upgrade and a Visitor Journey Analytics audit.
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST	FY2024	£250k	Charitable Activities
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST	FY2021	£150k	Grant from the HLF/DCMS Catalyst Endowment Fund
H M SASSOON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£138k
THE ELIZABETH CAYZER CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£122k	conservation of works of art
THE CHRISTOPHER AND HENRY OLDFIELD TRUST	FY2024	£75k
THE VASEPPI TRUST	FY2025	£52k
THE AMPERSAND FOUNDATION	FY2024	£20k	Not explicitly named in list, but present in table
ALAN BAXTER FOUNDATION	FY2025	£20k
THE ELIZABETH CAYZER CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£20k	Donations and grants
THE AMPERSAND FOUNDATION	FY2023	£15k
THE OFENHEIM CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£12k
THE COMPANY OF ARTS SCHOLARS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2023	£8k	Not specified in list
THE OFENHEIM CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2022	£7k
THE IDLEWILD TRUST	FY2024	£7k
THE COMPANY OF ARTS SCHOLARS CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£6k	Education
THE OFENHEIM CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2025	£5k
THE BEHRENS FOUNDATION	FY2022	£5k
H M SASSOON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2026	£4k
THE DJANOGLY FOUNDATION	FY2024	£3k
THE STEVENSON FAMILY'S CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£1k	Culture and arts
H M SASSOON CHARITABLE TRUST	FY2024	£0
THE LECHE TRUST	FY2025	£0	Historic Objects and Collections

Government & lottery funding

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

Funder	Date	Amount	Purpose
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	13/06/2012	£2.0m	"Foundation Stone: Building a Catalyst Endowment at Sir John Soane's Museum"
City Bridge Foundation	09/09/2010	£100k	Grant to Sir John Soane's Museum
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	23/06/2010	£9k	"Soane's Architectural Marathon of London"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/12/2008	£1.0m	"Soane Masterplan Core Project: Opening up the Soane"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	14/08/2007	£29k	"The Soane Masterplan Preparation Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	01/11/2004	£50k	"Architectural Drawings Learning Resource Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	19/09/2003	£30k	"William West and The Toy Theatre Tour"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	29/11/2001	£580k	"The Three Courtyards Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	31/01/2001	£2.5m	"Peckham Rye Park Restoration"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	24/09/1996	£13k	"Three Courtyards Project"
The National Lottery Heritage Fund	23/07/1996	£554k	"Sir John Soane's Museum, London"

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
ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION LIMITED	1	£1.3m
THE JOHN R. MURRAY CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£822k
THE JULIA RAUSING TRUST	1	£761k
THE MASTER CHARITABLE TRUST	1	£733k
LLOYD'S REGISTER FOUNDATION	1	£312k
THE HEADLEY TRUST	1	£50k
JOHN ELLERMAN FOUNDATION	1	£25k
THE HOBSON CHARITY LIMITED	1	£12k

Charities like this

Semantically similar by activities and financial character, from our analysed corpus. Compare with SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST.

SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST income £226k
ROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM income £825k
THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION income £2.2m
THE BRITISH MUSEUM FRIENDS income £6.9m
SHERBORNE HOUSE TRUST 2018 income £5.6m
THE SOCIETY OF ARCHITECTURAL HISTORIANS OF GREAT BRITAIN income £129k

Side by side with its peers

Charity	Income	Top pay band	Staff >£60k	Reserves vs policy	Fundraising cost	Going concern
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM	£4.2m	£90,000-£95,000	—	unclear	—	no doubt
SIR JOHN SOANE'S MUSEUM TRUST FY2024	£226k	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
ROYAL ARTILLERY MUSEUM FY2024	£825k	—	0	above	—	no doubt
THE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION FY2025	£2.2m	—	—	above	—	no doubt
THE BRITISH MUSEUM FRIENDS FY2025	£6.9m	—	0	unclear	—	no doubt
SHERBORNE HOUSE TRUST 2018 FY2025	£5.6m	£70,001 - £80,000	1	unclear	—	no doubt

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