Finance Score: 4

Governance Score: 8

Support Score: 13

Good reserves management: +3
Multiple Deficits: -2
Fundraising costs low: +3

12+ Trustees: -1
Good trustee age range: +3
Dynamic board: +3
Gender balanced board: +3

Grant maker support: +13

Overall GiG Score: 25

THE ARVON FOUNDATION

We run a year-round programme of creative writing courses at three rural writing houses and also online, offering expert tuition from established writers in all forms of published writing to people from all backgrounds and experience. We run mentoring and other creative writing projects and a grant scheme to enable open access to our courses, and provide dedicated facilities for writers' retreats.

Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

Reserves management has been consistently within official guidelines
Fundraising costs are low relative to funds raised
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 and gender and dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

One or more trustees receive payments or benefits from the charity for providing services to the charity
There are 14 trustees whereas the Charities Commission recommends a maximum of 12

Financial issues to consider:

On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending

Established: 51 years

www.arvon.org

national@arvon.org

020 4529 4970

Charity Commission for England and Wales

Tweets

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
31/12/22		£2,044	£2,258	£-214	£150	£3,996	£876	4.7	45	1
31/12/21		£1,895	£1,867	£28	£178	£4,538	£944	6.1	42	1
31/12/20		£1,731	£1,578	£153	£176	£4,509	£695	5.3	42	1
31/12/19		£1,883	£2,045	£-162	£189	£4,360	£605	3.6	43	1
31/12/18		£2,057	£2,045	£12	£181	£4,517	£646	3.8	40	3
31/12/17		£1,903	£2,030	£-127	£179	£4,510	£658	3.9	39	0
31/12/16		£2,229	£2,195	£34	£208	£4,634	£632	3.5	37	0
31/12/15		£1,838	£2,024	£-186	£164	£4,565	£588	3.5	34	0
31/12/14		£2,124	£1,811	£313	£252	£4,634	£587	3.9	22	0
31/12/13		£2,915	£1,613	£1,302	£286	£4,314	£476	3.5	20	0
31/12/12		£1,829	£1,403	£426	£211	£2,966	£478	4.1	21	0
31/12/11		£1,631	£1,876	£-245	£234	£2,533	£352	2.3	20	0
31/12/10		£1,388	£1,442	£-54	£207	£2,788	£550	4.6	17	0
31/12/09?		£1,546	£1,532	£14	£183	£2,832	£537	4.2	13	0
31/03/08	*	£1,265	£1,344	£-79	£200	£2,662	£297	2.6	13	0
31/03/07	*	£1,166	£1,176	£-10	£157	£2,777	£310	3.2	15	0
31/03/06		£1,127	£1,095	£32	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/05	*	£1,217	£1,126	£91	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0
31/03/04		£903	£943	£-40	£0	£0	£0	n/a	0	0

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Financial Ratios

Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 7.4%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 6.6%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 7%
Highest pay band: £70,000-£80,000
Liabilities/Assets: 11%
Liabilities/Income: 25%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 22%
Reserves/Spending: 4.7 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 3 months
Quick Ratio: 1.7

Asset Split ?

Listed activities

Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
Education/Training

How it operates

Makes Grants to Individuals
Provides advocacy/advice/information
Provides buildings/facilities/open space
Provides services

Where it operates

Calderdale, Devon, Islington, Shropshire,

Who it helps

Children/Young People
Other Defined Groups
The General Public/Mankind

Who works here?

45 employees
1 volunteer

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

DCMS	£1,366,411
The Foyle Foundation	£150,000
Wolfson Foundation	£130,000
Esmee Fairbairn	£22,000

Specific Donations

Amount	When Months	To be used for
Wolfson Foundation - Grant to The Arvon Foundation
£130,000	08/06/2023	Redevelopment of residential writers' centre, Lumb Bank, West Yorkshire (to be associated particularly with the new Writing Barn)
The Foyle Foundation - Arts
£150,000	28/04/2023	towards major capital project: the redevelopment of Arvon's Northern Writing House, Lumb Bank
Community Foundation for Calderdale - Arvon Creative Writing Residential Week for Refugees and Asylum-Seekers in Partnership with St Augustine's, Halifax
£5,000	25/04/2023	Grant to Arvon
DCMS - Capital Investment Programme
£725,000	04/03/2022	The Capital Investment Programme is an open access programme to support cultural organisations to adjust buildings and equipment so that they can operate safely post-pandemic and improve access, ....more The Capital Investment Programme is an open access programme to support cultural organisations to adjust buildings and equipment so that they can operate safely post-pandemic and improve access, seize on technological opportunities, and reduce environmental impact.
The Charity of Sir Richard Whittington - Covid-19 Rapid Response Fund Grant
£6,000	09/02/2021 12	To support a pilot of two, week-long online creative writing courses led by professional writers for disadvantaged school children in London.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Arvon Foundation Ltd
£22,000	12/05/2020 6	towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
DCMS - Arvon NPO Grant
£395,411	01/04/2020	We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Lets Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of ....more We are the national development agency for creativity and culture. We have set out our strategic vision in Lets Create that by 2030 we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish and where everyone of us has access to a remarkable range of high quality cultural experiences. We invest public money from Government and The National Lottery to help support the sector and to deliver this vision.
DCMS - Arvon Foundation
£246,000	01/04/2020	To support Arts and Culture throughout England
Mercer's Charitable Foundation - Grant to Arvon Foundation
£20,000	12/10/2018 24	Creative Writing and Wellbeing: Arvon Schools Programme 2019/20
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Arvon Foundation Ltd
£150,000	01/03/2017 36	Towards core and project costs associated with creative writing work with young people and people at risk of becoming marginalised.
Tudor Trust - Grant to Arvon Foundation
£20,000	30/11/2015 12	over one year as continuation funding towards the salaries of the Learning and Participation team at an organisation which runs residential creative writing courses for schools, groups and ....more over one year as continuation funding towards the salaries of the Learning and Participation team at an organisation which runs residential creative writing courses for schools, groups and individuals from across the UK
Comic Relief - Writing the Game
£65,648	15/07/2015 36	Research by the Institute of Education (2013) found a strong link between low literacy and a person’s behaviour, life choices and aspirations.. Writing the Game targets young people aged 11-16 that ....more Research by the Institute of Education (2013) found a strong link between low literacy and a person’s behaviour, life choices and aspirations.. Writing the Game targets young people aged 11-16 that struggle with literacy and learning and are disengaged. Working with a secondary school in Leyton in Waltham Forest, an area known for high crime and gangs, funding supports 3, 5-day residential writing programmes over 3 years, led by established writers; and Supporter to Reporter, a 10 week writing journalism course (2 hours per week) with the Leyton Orient (FC)Community Sports Programme helping to improve literacy and re-engage young people with learning so they can make better life choices.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Arvon Foundation Ltd
£120,000	29/01/2014	Towards the salary of the head of learning and participation and costs associated with creative writing work with young, deprived and hard-to-reach communities.
Tudor Trust - Grant to Arvon Foundation
£40,000	19/12/2013 24	over two years towards the salary of the Head of Learning and Participation for an organisation which runs residential creative writing courses for schools, groups and individuals from across the UK

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Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (14)

Current Trustees appointed

Gender Split

Based on 12/14 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 28-72

BISHA KANVAL ALI Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Screenwriter & Producer

CATHERINE ELIZABETH MCCALLAM MA Appointed: 2022

DR MARIA EVANS Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Coach, Trainer, Researcher

JONATHAN SIMON PAUL TECKMAN Appointed: 2018, Occupation: Lecturer

JACK REDFERN Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Partnerships Manager, Education Culture & Place

JOSHUA ADAM EREMO COCKCROFT Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Producer

KIM EVANS Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Arts Consultant, Other trusteeships: ALTERNATIVE THEATRE COMPANY LIMITED, FORWARD ARTS FOUNDATION, The Hardman Trust,

LEE ROBERT BILSON Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Heritage Consultant

NEIL RUSSELL HARRIS Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Head Of Finance Blackheath Conservatoire

NICHOLAS ARTHUR BWIRE MAKOHA Appointed: 2016, Occupation: Poet

NIHARIKA JAIN Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Director Of Communications & Sales

PATRICIA CLARE CUMPER (Chair) Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Writer

RACHEL CLEVERLY Appointed: 2022, Occupation: Education Officer

SARAH GEORGINA HARWOOD Appointed: 2020, Occupation: Fundraiser

Legal constitution

Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 28/03/1973, number: 306694
Registered at Companies House on 13/12/1972, number: 01086582

Gift Aid

Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid

Policies in force

Complaints handling
Conflicting interests
Investment
Paying staff
Risk management
Safeguarding vulnerable beneficiaries

Filing Record

19 returns made; AR08: 1 days late, AR07: 1 days late, AR05: 1 days late,

Recent reorganisation events:

Asset transfer in from THE ENDOWMENT FUND on 16/05/2023

Main office

LUMB BANK
HEPTONSTALL
HEBDEN BRIDGE
WEST YORKSHIRE
HX7 6DF

Objectives

TO PROMOTE AND ASSIST IN THE ADVANCEMENT OF EDUCATION OF STUDENTS OF EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS AND OTHERS IN THE ARTS AND CRAFTS OF POETRY AND LITERATURE, DRAMA, MUSIC, DANCING, MIME, PAINTING, SCULPTURE AND THE GRAPHIC ARTS, AND TO EXTEND AND INCREASE THE APPRECIATION, KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF SUCH PERSONS OF THE ARTS AND CRAFTS IN ALL THEIR FORMS.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NOT DEFINED

Data Sources