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Barbican Centre Trust

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As a publicly owned and run organisation, the Barbican is not-for-profit. 

To keep our programme accessible to everyone, and to invest in the artists we work with, we need to raise more than 65% of our income through ticket sales, commercial activities and fundraising every year. 

The Barbican Centre works closely with the Barbican Centre Trust, a registered charity and our key charitable fundraiser. Led by the Chair, our Trustees lead the way in strengthening connections with individuals, corporates and foundations that can help us achieve the Barbican’s ambitious vision.  

Governance

The Barbican Centre Trust Limited is a separate legal entity from the Barbican Centre. It is a charity registered in England and Wales (Charity No. 294282; Company No. 01962950). Its charitable objectives are to support, promote and encourage people in London, the United Kingdom and globally to discover and appreciate the arts through:
 

  • artistic, cultural and educational activities generally
  • artistic, cultural and educational programmes and activities run by the Barbican Centre
  • the maintenance and development of the Barbican Centre as a centre of the arts, culture and education


In support of those objectives, the Trustees of the Barbican Centre Trust are dedicated to raising funds to support the Barbican’s world-class arts and participation programmes.

The Trust is committed to fundraising best practice and to compliance with all charity  and company law requirements. It is registered with The Fundraising Regulator and is a member of the Institute of Fundraising.

Gift acceptance

The Barbican’s arts and participation programmes rely on voluntary contributions, which help us to deliver our purpose. At the same time, it is a central principle that our work should be funded sustainably and ethically. The Trust looks to uphold this principle by ensuring that its donors and partners reflect, share and understand the Barbican Centre’s ethical position and by not accepting funds from sources that could compromise the delivery of the Barbican Centre’s purpose and programme, or undermine public trust. Therefore, the gift acceptance policies of the Barbican and the Trust are aligned.  

The Barbican’s  Development department conducts due diligence on the sources of significant grants, donations and sponsorships in line with the Barbican’s Code of Ethics and Fundraising Policy, including funding the Barbican may receive from the Trust. Final decisions may be escalated to the Board of Trustees of the Trust and/or the Barbican Board. The Trust’s Board of Trustees is required to act in the best interests of the Trust, and comply with its charity law obligations, and the Barbican Board is required to properly discharge its public functions for the City Corporation in running the Barbican Centre, when deciding to accept or refuse voluntary contributions. Each Board may refuse a gift if they conclude that there are significant factors associated with the gift which outweigh its benefits and which might compromise the delivery of the Trust’s objectives or the Centre’s purpose.

Trustee biographies

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