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MIDLANDS ARTS CENTRE

Registered charity 528979 · accounts filings on the Charity Commission register · Wikidata: Q6722166 · Wikipedia · also known as CANNON HILL TRUST, CANNON HILL TRUST LIMITED, MAC, MAC BIRMINGHAM

Midlands Arts Centre, MAC, exists to make innovative, creative arts activities an important part of people's lives. MAC is the most visited arts centre in the Midlands, with almost 1,000,000 visitors a year who come to MAC to enjoy theatre performances, music, comedy, plays for children, literature and poetry events, courses, family shows, films, dance performances and free exhibitions.

Objects

THE PROMOTION OF, EDUCATION IN, AND APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS

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: Birmingham, West Midlands, England (from the postcode on the register)

Latest income
£5.8m
Latest spending
£6.3m
Registered
1962
Accounts read
FY2026

Financial health, per its FY2026 accounts

The accounts state that the charity incurred a deficit for the year of £540,111, driven by a poor trading year and increased staffing costs. Despite this, the trustees confirm the charity remains a going concern with unrestricted reserves of £635,684, which they deem adequate for financial stability.

Automated summary of the FY2026 accounts; the evidenced findings below carry the verbatim passages.

What the accounts disclose

Reserves policy: at least two months of budgeted expenditure (held: £636k)
“MAC’s policy is to hold an amount equivalent to at least two months of budgeted expenditure in unrestricted reserves.” — page 29
Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Related-party transaction: Trustee Owen Dutton is a Legal Director of Eversheds Sutherland, which provides corporate sponsorship.
“Owen Dutton, Trustee is a Legal Director of Eversheds Sutherland, a firm the Charity has a corporate sponsorship arrangement with, amounting to £7,500 pa.” — page 65
Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.
Trading subsidiary: Midlands Arts Centre Trading Limited
“The charitable company owns 100% of the share capital of Midland Arts Centre Trading Limited which provides catering services, event sales, venue hires and retail activities.” — page 54
Per its FY2026 accounts as filed with the Charity Commission.

Accounts audited by Forvis Mazars LLP. Discloses 4 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.

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 31/03/2026

  • Volunteers: 2
  • Government income: £873,383 — contracts £108,516 (1), grants £764,867 (1); 15% of the £5,771,687 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£90,001–£100,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

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

  • Volunteers: 17
  • Government income: £880,864 — contracts £128,116 (1), grants £752,748 (1); 15% of the £5,811,868 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£90,001–£100,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

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

  • Volunteers: 5
  • Government income: £955,748 — contracts £203,000 (1), grants £752,748 (1); 17% of the £5,694,712 total gross income on the same return
  • Employees paid over £60,000: 1 (£80,001–£90,000: 1)
  • Has a trading subsidiary

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

In the news

Recent coverage mentioning this charity by name (automated match; headlines belong to their publishers).

Property (HM Land Registry)

1 registered title in England and Wales held by the charity’s company or corporate body (0 freehold); recorded price paid £973k. All charity-held property. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright, OGL v3.0.

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

Structured financials (annual return, FY ending 31/03/2026)

Total income
£5.8m
Total spending
£6.3m
Cost of raising funds
£2.1m
Reserves (reported)
£336k
Employees
199

Reported reserves equal ~0.6 months of spending — in the bottom quarter for charities its size (median 4.7 months; benchmarks).

Per its annual return, largest income source: Other trading activities (38% 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: 35.6% of total income — above the 90th percentile for charities its size (median 5.3%) (benchmarks).

Trustees · trustee networks

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

Operates in: Birmingham City

Income and spending

Financial year endIncomeSpending
31/03/2026£5.8m£6.3m
31/03/2025£5.8m£6.3m
31/03/2024£5.7m£5.6m
31/03/2023£5.7m£5.9m
31/03/2022£4.6m£4.5m

Common questions

Is MIDLANDS ARTS CENTRE financially healthy?

Per its FY2026 accounts: The accounts state that the charity incurred a deficit for the year of £540,111, driven by a poor trading year and increased staffing costs. Despite this, the trustees confirm the charity remains a going concern with unrestricted reserves of £635,684, which they deem adequate for financial stability. Its FY2026 accounts were audited by Forvis Mazars LLP.

Who funds MIDLANDS ARTS CENTRE?

Funders whose own accounts filings name MIDLANDS ARTS CENTRE as a grant recipient include THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATION, THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSIC, THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUND, THE SAINTBURY TRUST, THE EDWARD AND DOROTHY CADBURY TRUST.

Known funders

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

FunderYearAmountPurpose (as stated by the funder)
THE FIDELITY UK FOUNDATIONFY2021£332kBuilding capacity to expand and enhance community outreach and cultural programming to engage more diverse audiences
THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR YOUTH MUSICFY2023£225k
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUNDFY2024£17kTheatre Improvement Scheme with the Wolfson Foundation
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2022£10kThe Advancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
THE SAINTBURY TRUSTFY2024£5kAdvancement of Arts, Culture, Heritage or Science
THE EDWARD AND DOROTHY CADBURY TRUSTFY2023£5kCommunity Projects and Engagement
THE THEATRES TRUST CHARITABLE FUNDFY2025£5k
DR RADCLIFFE'S TRUSTFY2024£3kSlowness: Community Craftivism
THE EDWARD AND DOROTHY CADBURY TRUSTFY2022£1kCommunity, Inclusion and Engagement

Government & lottery funding

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

FunderDateAmountPurpose
Postcode Lottery18/02/2025£900kRegular Grant 2025
Postcode Lottery01/12/2023£800kRegular Grant 2024
Postcode Lottery29/03/2023£700kRegular Grant 2023
Postcode Lottery16/03/2022£600kRegular Grant 2022
UK government09/08/2019£97kHidden Voices

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.

FunderSimilar charities fundedAmount to them
THE ELMLEY FOUNDATION1£31k
THE DE LASZLO FOUNDATION1£20k
THE PILGRIM TRUST1£10k
THE ASTOR FOUNDATION1£8k
The Ashley Family Foundation1£2k

Charities like this

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

Side by side with its peers

CharityIncomeTop pay bandStaff >£60kReserves vs policyFundraising costGoing concern
MIDLANDS ARTS CENTRE£5.8m——unclear—no doubt
WYESIDE ARTS CENTRE LIMITED FY2026£739k—0above—no doubt
MATRIX ARTS CENTRE FY2025£260k—0unclear—no doubt
MUSICWORKS MIDLANDS FY2025£31k—0unclear—no doubt
MUSIC AND ARTS PRODUCTION LEEDS FY2025£520k—0above—no doubt
MEADOW ARTS FY2025£341k—0above—no doubt

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