Finance Score: -6
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 13
  • Low unrestricted reserves: -2
  • Reasonable growth: +1
  • Deficit latest year: -2
  • Fundraising costs high: -3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +13
Overall GiG Score: 16 ?

THE SPARK ARTS FOR CHILDREN 

The Spark gives children opportunities to immerse themselves in the arts by experiencing a wide range of high quality work that inspires, empowers and educates. Through an annual festival, cultural education & community programmes and production of our own work we offer children the space to discover their own skills, passions and potential, as audiences, participants & creators of their own art.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There has been reasonable growth in spending over the last 3 years relative to the previous period
  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers including the Government and there are significant future grants due to be received
  • The Board appears to be well diversified in terms of age and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Financial issues to consider:

  • Unrestricted reserves appear to be dangerously low at the latest year end
  • Income was lower than spending in the latest year
  • Fundraising costs are high relative to funds raised
Established: 19 years

www.thesparkarts.co.uk

admin@thesparkarts.co.uk

01162616893

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies House
UN SDGs
?

Financial Data ?

Income & Spending ?
Sources of Income ?
Y/E Income
£k
Spending
£k
Surplus/
Deficit
Fundraising
Cost £k
Total
Funds £k
Unrestricted
Funds £k
Mths
Rsrvs
Staff Volun-
teers
31/03/23£553£614£-61£144£153£1242.41326
31/03/22£705£621£84£19£214£1843.61325
31/03/21£407£389£17n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/20?£325£340£-15n/an/an/an/an/a35
31/08/19*£398£407£-9n/an/an/an/an/a20
31/08/18£503£486£17£285£137£922.360
31/08/17£458£463£-5£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/16£438£388£50£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/15£454£417£37£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/14£252£237£15£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/13£226£212£14£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/12£156£165£-9£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/11£174£192£-18£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/10£227£198£29£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/09£166£172£-6£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/08£200£197£3£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/07*£140£136£4£0£0£0n/a00
31/08/06?*£137£131£5£0£0£0n/a00
31/10/05£78£72£7£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 26.1%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 23.4%
Highest pay band: Less than £60,000
Liabilities/Assets: 31%
Liabilities/Income: 12%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 81%
Reserves/Spending: 2.4 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 3 months
Quick Ratio: 3.1
Asset Split ?
Listed activities
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
  • Education/Training
How it operates
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Leicester City, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Rutland,
Who it helps
  • Children/Young People
  • The General Public/Mankind
Who works here?
  • 13 employees
  • 26 volunteers

Who's supporting them? ?

Donations from Grant Makers ?

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

Major supporters in last 5 years
Youth Music£275,340
Paul Hamlyn Foundation£200,000
DCMS£176,047
BBC Children in Need£30,000
The Foyle Foundation£29,000
National Lottery Community Fund£10,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Spark Learning: Building Brave Spaces
£200,000 02/10/2023
The Spark Arts for Children are an arts organisation helping children immerse themselves in the arts in a variety of places and spaces. They offer children opportunities to discover their skills, ....more
Youth Music - Leicester/shire Early Years Music Champions
£150,000 12/10/2022
Leicester/shire Early Years Music Champions
National Lottery Community Fund - Belgrave Community Festival Takeover
£10,000 15/07/2022
The funding will be used to bring families in the local community together in order to support two local community venues the library and the community centre whilst also re-engaging people with ....more
The Foyle Foundation - Learning (MGS)
£12,000 16/09/2021
towards new opportunities for Disabled young people to create their own participation/performance in their school and at Leicester’s Curve Theatre during the Spark Arts 2022 Festival
Youth Music - Braunstone Beats: developing world class music opportunities both in & outside school in area of social and economic deprivation
£29,950 12/03/2021
Braunstone Beats: developing world class music opportunities both in & outside school in area of social and economic deprivation
BBC Children in Need - Grant to The Spark Arts for Children
£30,000 20/12/2020
This project will deliver a playgroup to children under 5 experiencing local deprivation in Leicester. The activities will result in improved social skills, improved communication skills and improved ....more
Youth Music - Tiny Sparks Early Years Network & Music Champions
£95,390 24/04/2020
Tiny Sparks Early Years Network & Music Champions
DCMS - NPO 218-2022
£176,047 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
The Foyle Foundation - Arts
£17,000 02/07/2019
towards Vital Spark: an artist development programme and national touring for one year
National Lottery Community Fund - Spark Festival Family Celebrations
£10,000 26/04/2019
12
The funding will be used to hold a family festival for local people. The project aims to bring together local people from across the city.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - SparkPlus: children and teachers as active audiences and involved learners.
£59,000 13/03/2019
24
Spark Arts for Children runs performing and visual arts education projects to support children to discover, enjoy and celebrate the arts. Through this grant, Spark Arts will explore and test a ....more
Youth Music - Tiny Sparks 19: music to support language development with pre-school children in deprived areas across Leicester
£29,800 23/11/2018
Tiny Sparks 19: music to support language development with pre-school children in deprived areas across Leicester
Youth Music - Tiny Sparks 18: early years music residency in deprived areas of Leicester
£29,786 17/11/2017
Tiny Sparks 18: early years music residency in deprived areas of Leicester
Youth Music - Tiny Sparks 2017' - working with pre-school children in two deprived areas of Leicester
£18,348 02/12/2016
Tiny Sparks 2017' - working with pre-school children in two deprived areas of Leicester
National Lottery Community Fund - Tiny Sparks - improving preschool language development
£10,000 06/05/2015
12
The group will use the funding to deliver a pilot project that will focus upon developing language skills for pre-school children who are educationally disadvantaged. This will equip the children ....more
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (6)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 5/6 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 43-64
  • MICHAEL CANDLER (Chair) Appointed: 2014, Occupation: Cultural Planning Consultant
  • RUTH LEE Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Executive Director
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 24/11/2004, number: 1106952
  • Registered at Companies House on 08/10/2004, number: 05254229
Gift Aid
  • 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
19 returns made; AR19: 9 days late, AR07: 84 days late, AR06: 5 days late,
Main office

LCB DEPOT
31 RUTLAND STREET
LEICESTER
LE1 1RE

Objectives

TO ADVANCE EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN LEICESTER, LEICESTERSHIRE, THE EAST MIDLANDS AND BEYOND THROUGH A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING THE ORGANISATION AND PROMOTION OF AN ANNUAL ARTS FESTIVAL, CONSISTING OF WORKSHOPS AND PRODUCTIONS OF DANCE, THEATRE AND OTHER PERFORMING ARTS; PRESENTED IN THEATRES, COMMUNITY VENUES AND SCHOOLS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

LEICESTER, LEICESTERSHIRE, THE EAST MIDLANDS AND BEYOND.

Data Sources

Charity Commission for England and Wales
360 Giving
CharityBase
Authorised officials of this charity can add information to this page (including a Donate Now button) for no cost

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