Overall GiG Score: 20 ?
Finance Score: 3
Governance Score: 9
Support Score: 8
  • Liabilities <10%: +3
  • Excess liquidity: -1
  • Multiple Deficits: -2
  • Fundraising costs low: +3
  • Good trustee age range: +3
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Gender balanced board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +8

OPERA NORTH LIMITED 

The principal activities of the charity are to encourage the understanding and appreciation of the lyric art by providing, presenting, organising and conducting opera performances, symphony concerts and educational events primarily in the North of England.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • This charity has a robust balance sheet
  • Fundraising costs are unusually 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

Financial issues to consider:

  • Liquidity appeared to be in excess of CC guidelines at the latest year end especially considering the historic stability of income
  • On several occasions in recent years income has been less than spending
Established: 43 years

operanorth.co.uk

info@operanorth.co.uk

0113 2439999

Charity Commission for England and WalesCompanies HouseFacebookInstagramX
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£18,349£19,830£-1,481£544£29,895£29,33617.82460
31/03/22£16,967£16,480£487£418£31,377£16,28611.923011
31/03/21£17,879£11,438£6,442£349£30,890£16,45717.32310
31/03/20£17,744£18,421£-677£418£24,448£10,8427.123347
31/03/19£32,962£19,905£13,057£541£25,125£11,1746.723451
31/03/18£18,836£18,125£711£517£11,489£10,7987.12190
31/03/17£17,933£18,974£-1,041£565£10,778£10,7786.82070
31/03/16£16,281£17,427£-1,146£480£10,555£10,5557.31910
31/03/15£15,857£16,023£-166£525£10,541£10,5417.91820
31/03/14£14,836£15,229£-393£549£10,064£10,0647.91840
31/03/13£18,044£19,108£-1,064£616£10,457£10,4576.61790
31/03/12£16,163£16,579£-417£558£11,521£11,5218.31750
31/03/11£16,284£16,486£-202£591£11,938£11,9388.71780
31/03/10£23,115£16,448£6,667£626£12,140£12,1408.91750
31/03/09£16,240£15,610£629£750£5,473£5,4734.21740
31/03/08£14,528£15,284£-757£703£4,843£4,8433.81710
31/03/07£13,931£13,950£-19£664£5,600£5,6004.81720
31/03/06£11,436£10,743£693£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/05£13,765£13,824£-59£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/04£12,564£12,363£201£0£0£0n/a00

Financial Ratios
Fundraising Costs/Relevant Income: 3.6%
Fundraising Costs/Total Spending: 2.7%
Senior Staff Costs/Total Spending: 2%
Highest pay band: £100,000-£110,000
Liabilities/Assets: 8%
Liabilities/Income: 14%
Unrestricted Funds/Total Funds: 98%
Reserves/Spending: 17.8 months
Net Current Assets/Spending: 2 months
Quick Ratio: 0.6
Asset Split ?
What it does
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
Who works here?
  • 246 employees
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Throughout England,

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£13,254,603
The Foyle Foundation£150,000
Esmee Fairbairn£20,000
National Lottery Community Fund£10,000
Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
National Lottery Community Fund - Opera North Richmond Hill Community Residency
£10,000 08/07/2022
The funding will be used to deliver a variety of arts based activities for the community such as street art and body percussion. The project aims to connect people from a variety of cultures and ....more
DCMS - In Harmony
£98,335 24/03/2022
In Harmony is a national programme that aims to inspire and transform the lives of children in deprived communities, using the power and disciplines of ensemble music-making.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Opera North Limited
£20,000 05/05/2020
6
towards unrestricted core costs as a COVID-19 Fast Response grant
DCMS - National Portfolio Organisations 2018-2022
£10,577,102 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 - Cultural Capital Kickstart Fund
£499,999 01/04/2020
To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - Opera North CRF 2
£2,000,000 01/04/2020
To support Arts and Culture throughout England
DCMS - In Harmony (DfE)
£79,167 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
£150,000 25/04/2019
towards capital works to improve and expand facilities and increase visibility across the three buildings
Sir George Martin Trust - Grant to Opera North
£5,000 15/03/2019
Capital costs for Music/Arts/Culture
Sir George Martin Trust - Grant to Opera North
£5,000 15/03/2019
Capital costs for Music/Arts/Culture
Garfield Weston Foundation - Major Grants award
£300,000 15/02/2019
Music Works
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Opera North Limited
£120,000 23/10/2018
36
Towards a new scheme to engage disadvantaged communities in Leeds with the arts through a cross-city network of cultural organisations.
Paul Hamlyn Foundation - Additional support to disseminate learning from Paul Hamlyn Clubs.
£5,000 11/05/2018
7
This grant will provide additional support for Opera North as part of the Paul Hamlyn Clubs.
Garfield Weston Foundation - Main Grants award
£25,000 13/07/2017
The Little Greats: Season of one-act operas, 16 September - 18 November 2017
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Opera North Limited
£90,000 18/07/2012
Towards the Insight and Innovations in Opera programme.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Opera North Limited
£90,000 19/05/2009
36
Towards Core costs Towards a programme of new cross-artform work in the Howard Assembly Room.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (11)
Current Trustees appointed
Gender Split
Based on 9/11 persons

Age Range of Trustees: 25-78
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 31/07/1981, number: 511726
  • Registered at Companies House on 13/03/1981, number: 01550778
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Conflicting interests
  • Financial reserves policy and procedures
  • Internal charity financial controls policy and procedures
  • Internal risk management policy and procedures
  • Investing charity funds policy and procedures
  • Investment
  • 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
Filing Record
20 returns made; all on time
Main office

Howard Opera Centre
8 Harrison Street
LEEDS
LEEDS
LS1 6PA

Objectives

TO PROMOTE, FOSTER AND MAINTAIN FOR THE EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT AND BENEFIT OF THE PUBLIC AN APPRECIATION OF THE ARTS IN GENERAL, WITH EMPHASIS ON OPERATIC, ORCHESTRAL, CHORAL AND OTHER MUSICAL WORKS OF EVERY DESCRIPTION.

Defined Area of Benefit:

NORTH OF ENGLAND IN GENERAL BUT ELSEWHERE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND ABROAD AS OPPORTUNITIES ARISE

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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