Overall GiG Score: 3 ?
Finance Score: -4
Governance Score: 1
Support Score: 6
  • Spending falling: -1
  • Volatile income: -3
  • No PartB
  • Narrow trustee age band: -2
  • Dynamic board: +3
  • Grant maker support: +6

SERIOUS TRUST LIMITED 

Serious Trust celebrates the potential of music to have a postive impact on lives. We instigate music-based learning and participation activities, professional development programmes for musicians and support the creation of new music. Our aims are achieved primarily by supporting (as a grant maker) Serious Events, highly respected producers of live jazz, international and contemporary music.
Analysis by Giving is Great

Positives:

  • There have been no material income shortfalls in recent years
  • A significant proportion of recent income was derived from major grant makers
  • The Board appears to be dynamic in terms of composition

Regulatory & Governance issues to consider:

  • The Board has little diversity in terms of age

Financial issues to consider:

  • A PartB annual return has not been required and so detailed financial information is not available from the online data
  • Spending has fallen significantly over the last 5 years relative to the previous period
  • Income has been volatile recently
Established: 12 years

www.serious.org.uk

02073241880

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£71£49£22n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/22£54£27£27n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/21£125£169£-44n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/20£225£182£42n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/19£159£166£-7n/an/an/an/an/a0
31/03/18£126£134£-7£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/17£117£111£6£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/16£125£131£-6£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/15£141£133£8£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/14£98£85£13£0£0£0n/a00
31/03/13£45£43£2£0£0£0n/a00

Highest pay bracket: less than £60,000
What it does
  • Arts/Culture/Heritage/Science
  • Education/Training
Who it helps
  • The General Public/Mankind
How it operates
  • Makes Grants to Organisations
  • Provides services
Where it operates
  • Throughout England And Wales,

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.

Specific Donations
Amount When
Months
To be used for
Backstage Trust - Project grant
£12,500 10/03/2023
Development and build of a new Customer Relationship Management database
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Serious Trust Ltd
£55,000 26/03/2020
12
Towards COVID-19 extra support grant
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Serious Trust Ltd
£165,000 05/12/2018
36
Towards talent development programmes and progression routes for diverse musicians to grow sustainable careers in jazz and international music in the UK.
Youth Music - Pass It On 2018-19
£30,000 23/11/2018
Pass It On 2018-19
Youth Music - Pass It On: Edition 4 2017
£30,000 16/03/2017
Pass It On: Edition 4 2017
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Serious Trust Ltd
£150,000 22/07/2015
36
Towards the salaries of the head of learning and participation, and learning assistant to ensure a diversity of music and learning experiences for audiences across the UK.
Esmee Fairbairn - Grant to Serious Trust Ltd
£88,052 22/02/2012
Towards the salary of the associate director, development and learning.
Show more rows

Data sourced from Donors via 360 Giving

How is it governed?

Trustees (7)
Current Trustees appointed

Age Range of Trustees: 47-63
  • VERA KWAKOFI Appointed: 2017, Occupation: Bbc Africa Tv Editor
Legal constitution
  • Charitable company registered in England & Wales on 19/01/2012, number: 1145535
  • Registered at Companies House on 15/12/2011, number: 07883912
Gift Aid
  • Registered with HMRC for Gift Aid
Policies in force
  • Bullying and harassment policy and procedures
  • Campaigns and political activity policy and procedures
  • Complaints handling
  • Complaints policy and procedures
  • Conflicting interests
  • Engaging external speakers at charity events policy and procedures
  • 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
  • Volunteer management
Filing Record
11 returns made; all on time
Main office

Serious Ltd
Pill Box
Unit 503
115 Coventry Road
London

Objectives

THE OBJECTS OF THE CHARITY ARE: (1) TO ADVANCE EDUCATION FOR THE PUBLIC BENEFIT WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO PUBLIC APPRECIATION OF MUSIC IN ALL ITS FORMS, PROMOTING A KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF MUSIC AND FOSTERING THE PRACTICE OF MUSIC ARTISTS. (2) TO ADVANCE THE ARTS AND CULTURE FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC, PARTICULARLY (BUT NOT LIMITED TO) BY PROMOTING AND FACILITATING ACCESS TO AND PERFORMANCES OF MUSIC.

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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