Finance Score: -8
Governance Score: 3
Support Score: 12
  • Poor Liquidity: -1
  • Multiple Deficits: -2
  • Fundraising costs high: -5
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Overall weighted support: +12
Overall GiG Score: 7 ?

THE BLUECOAT

The Bluecoat is Liverpool's Centre for the Contemporary Arts.Our purpose is to open up creative possibilities for individuals and communities. We do this through a programme of exhibitions, live art and participation projects; through support to artists; by opening our 18th Century building to makers, traders and visitors; and by creating connections between Liverpool and the rest of the world.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • Spending has increased over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age

Financial issues to consider:

  • Liquidity appears to have been slender at the latest year end
  • On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
  • Fundraising costs are extremely high relative to funds raised

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit £k
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£2,203£2,765£-561£1,302£8,845£3891.7810
31/03/22£2,949£2,624£325£784£9,406£6152.8770
31/03/21£1,801£1,833£-32£523£9,081£4492.9650
31/03/20£1,785£2,151£-367£933£9,112£178157299
31/03/19£1,911£2,179£-268£926£9,479£2511.462113
31/03/18£2,113£2,323£-211£908£9,748£4302.2660
31/03/17£1,947£2,177£-231£839£9,958£4542.5610
31/03/16*£1,725£1,972£-247£744£10,189£3782.3530
31/03/15£1,717£1,964£-248£483£10,435£3932.4410
31/03/14£1,737£1,997£-260£408£10,683£3672.2310
31/03/13£1,640£1,926£-286£850£10,943£4022.5310
31/03/12£2,165£2,165£0£827£11,229£4062.3320
31/03/11£2,013£2,869£-856£640£11,229£330.1370
31/03/10£2,159£2,788£-629£519£12,085£3711.6400
31/03/09£3,031£2,821£209£606£12,714£4141.8370
31/03/08£8,415£3,090£5,325£27£12,505£5552.2220
31/03/07£5,615£1,115£4,500£120£7,180£94810.2130
31/03/06*£1,646£628£1,018n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/05£1,280£844£435n/an/an/an/an/an/a
31/03/04*£690£688£3n/an/an/an/an/an/a

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 91.3%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 47.1%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 3%
Highest pay band: £70,000-£80,000
Liabilities/Assets: 6%
Liabilities/Income: 26%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 4%
Reserves/Spending: 1.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 1 months
Quick Ratio: 0.8
Asset Split ?
Balance Sheet History
Established: 36 years

www.thebluecoat.org.uk

finance@thebluecoat.org.uk

01517025324

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
UN SDGs
?
Listed activities
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
GiG Classification
  • Performing and visual arts
How it operates
  • Acts as an umbrella or resource body
  • Provides advocacy/advice/information
  • Provides buildings/facilities/open space
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Knowsley, Liverpool City, Sefton, St Helens, Wirral,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • Elderly/Old People
  • People Of A Particular Ethnic Or Racial Origin
  • People With Disabilities
  • The General Public/Mankind

Who supports them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

We have details on the following donations. Multi-year donations are allocated to the years for which they are earmarked.

Major supporters in last 5 years
DCMS£1,338,608
National Lottery Heritage Fund£419,296
Garfield Weston Foundation£199,184
Esmee Fairbairn£156,200
John Ellerman Foundation£99,579
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to The Bluecoat
£210,696 02/11/2023
The Bluecoat: A Cultural Heritage for Liverpool
Community Foundations for Lancashire & Merseyside - Breathe Better Air - Family Weekend
£4,987 01/08/2023
To provide activities for children during the October half term. Artists would work with the children to think about their relationships with air quality and promote positive change.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to The Bluecoat
£9,200 06/02/2023
Towards unrestricted core costs as a Cost of Living Uplift
DCMS - Culture Recovery Fund: Emergency Resource Support
£173,648 14/03/2022
This fund aims to provide emergency funding awards to culturally significant organisations that were financially sustainable before Covid-19 but are now at imminent risk of failure and have exhausted ....more
The Foyle Foundation - Arts
£20,000 08/02/2022
to support the commissioning of new work by artists of colour for an exhibition at the Bluecoat in Autumn 2022
The Rayne Foundation - Grant to The Bluecoat
£10,000 26/11/2021
Towards the additional costs of Where the Arts Belong, a collaboration with the Belong Care Group exploring how the arts can support people with dementia.
DCMS - Culture Recovery Fund: Continuity Support
£155,194 22/10/2021
To support cultural organisations who have received funding from the Culture Recovery Fund: Grants programme, in the first or second rounds, and can clearly demonstrate the financial need for further ....more
Garfield Weston Foundation - WCF award - COVID19 response
£199,184 05/02/2021
Weston Culture Fund
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to The Bluecoat
£147,000 03/12/2020
36
Towards project costs for Beyond the Blue, The Bluecoat’s creative career development pathway for artists with learning disabilities.
John Ellerman Foundation - Recruitment, salary and research for Project Curator; part-time backfill for senior curatorial staff; commissioning, public programme including exhibition and interpretation
£99,579 21/05/2020
26
Recruitment, salary and research for Project Curator; part-time backfill for senior curatorial staff; commissioning, public programme including exhibition and interpretation
DCMS - National portfolio organisation 2018 - 2022
£495,846 01/04/2020
The wider aim of the scheme is: We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given ....more
DCMS - Bluecoat
£249,996 01/04/2020
To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - Cultural Capital Kickstart Fund
£123,732 01/04/2020
To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - Bluecoat
£111,264 01/04/2020
To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - Celebrating Age Loneliness Projects
£28,928 01/04/2020
The wider aim of the scheme is: We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. By 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given ....more
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to The Bluecoat
£208,600 05/03/2020
Bluecoat Echoes and Origins
The Rayne Foundation - Grant to The Bluecoat
£42,000 16/09/2019
24
Towards Where the Arts Belong, a collaboration with the Belong Care Group exploring how the arts can support people with dementia.
BBC Children in Need - Grant to Bluecoat
£99,552 09/02/2017
36
Out of the Blue - after school arts clubs for 5-11 year olds, to encourage interaction with high quality cultural activities. It aims to increase social skills, widen perceptions, increase attainment ....more
National Lottery Heritage Fund - Grant to The Bluecoat
£257,300 24/11/2015
My Bluecoat
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to The Bluecoat
£150,000 22/07/2015
36
Towards INHABIT, a project to increase engagement with improvisatory dance for new participants and audiences.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (9)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 28-74
  • DR MICHAEL BIRCHALL Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Curator
  • GABRIELLA CHAUKE Appointed: 2021, Occupation: Accountant
  • JAMIE EASTMAN Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Arts Mgr/Curator/Head Of Dept, University
  • PETER MALCOLM MEARNS (Chair) Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Retired
  • PHILOMENA HARRISON Appointed: 2019, Occupation: Company Director
  • RALPH BULLIVANT Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Solicitor
  • RACHEL DUNCAN Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Hr Assistant
  • SRI SARKER Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Executive Director
  • SALLY-ANNE WATKISS Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Qualified Accountant
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 24/11/1988, number: 700862
  • Registered at Companies House on 21/04/1988, number: 02246627
Gift Aid
  • NOT registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • 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
  • Trustee expenses policy and procedures
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
20 returns made; AR16: 1 days late, AR06: 27 days late, AR04: 6 days late,
Main office

Bluecoat
School Lane
Liverpool
L13BX

Objectives

TO FOSTER AND PROMOTE THE IMPROVEMENT, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF ARTISTIC KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND IN PARTICULAR IN THE COUNTY OF MERSEYSIDE.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED - IN PRACTICE MERSEYSIDE

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving

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