Charities United Kingdom Arts & Culture Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation
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Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation

Charity No 211775 · Charity Commission Sign up to see website
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76
Integrity Assessment
Strong transparency
76/100 · methodology

About Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation

Presentation of opera and ballet performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and tours in the United Kingdom and overseas

Founded
Size
major

Focus areas & reach

· What they work on and where
Arts & Culture
SDG alignment The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the global agenda for ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity by 2030. We tag each charity to the goals its work advances.
SDG 11 SDG 11 · Sustainable Cities and Communities Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.

How it stacks up against peers

· vs. 8 similar arts & culture in United Kingdom
Program spending This charity: 87%
Peer average: 93%
Integrity Assessment This charity: 76
Peer average: 89

Red flags

· All clear
Charity Commission removal
OFAC / EU / UN sanctions
Open investigations
Governance scandals
Related-party deals
Excessive exec comp

Where every £1 goes

£0.87
Program expenses£0.87 (£149.6 million)
87% to programs beats the Charity Navigator "highly efficient" threshold (75%).

Common questions

· Auto-generated from filings + methodology

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation is a registered arts & culture nonprofit, United Kingdom. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It was founded in 1962 and has been operating for 64 years. It has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 76/100 (Strong transparency), indicating well-documented governance, financials, and contact details. This is below the average of 89/100 for arts & culture charities in United Kingdom. The organization reports £182M in annual revenue. 18 officers and directors are publicly disclosed. No red flags have been detected. The charity has 49 community reviews with an average rating of 2.8/5. On Trustpilot, it has a rating of 2.3/5 based on 49 reviews.

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 76/100. This score combines five components: Registration (20 pts), Financial Transparency (30 pts), Governance (20 pts), Contact Availability (10 pts), and Data Recency (20 pts), with negative adjustments for any red flags. A score of 76 ('Strong transparency') reflects well-documented governance, recent financials, named leadership, and working contact details. The charity allocates 87% of expenses to programs, which contributes positively to its score. For comparison, the average integrity assessment for arts & culture charities in United Kingdom is 89/100.

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation is registered in United Kingdom. The organization was established in 1962 and has been active for 64 years.

Based on official tax filings, Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation has £182M in annual revenue. It allocates 87% of expenses to programs and services. This is below the average of 93% for arts & culture charities in United Kingdom. Its revenue is significantly above the peer average of £669K. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation is classified as a Arts & Culture organization, registered in United Kingdom. By size, it is categorized as a major organization. It has £182M in annual revenue. The organization has 18 disclosed officers and directors.

No red flags have been detected for Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation. GiveRadar automatically screens charities for concerning patterns including high executive compensation, low program spending, and missing financial filings. Based on available official data, no issues have been identified.

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 76/100 (Strong transparency) and no red flags have been detected, which suggests it is a well-documented organization. It is regulated by the Charity Commission. 87% of expenses go to programs. The peer average is 93%. Note: the organization has a low Trustpilot rating of 2.3/5, which may reflect donor dissatisfaction. Visit the Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation profile on GiveRadar for full details before deciding. GiveRadar provides data for research purposes and does not endorse any organization. Always do your own due diligence.

Presentation of opera and ballet performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and tours in the United Kingdom and overseas Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation is classified as a arts & culture organization registered in United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 1962.

Among arts & culture charities registered in United Kingdom: Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation's GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 76/100 is below the peer average of 89/100. It allocates 87% of expenses to programs, below the peer average of 93%. Its annual revenue of £182M is well above the peer average of £669K.

Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation is a registered charity in the United Kingdom. If you are a UK taxpayer, your donation may qualify for Gift Aid, which allows the charity to claim an extra 25p for every 1 pound you donate at no cost to you. Higher-rate and additional-rate taxpayers can also claim additional relief on their Self Assessment tax return.

Verified against 7 official sources, last refreshed .

Annual revenue
£100M-£1B
87% to programs
Source: Charity Commission (UK) (FY2024) why this matters
Unlock exact figures

Filing history

5 years on file from Charity Commission (UK) (FY2024): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: FY2024, FY2023, FY2022, FY2021, FY2020.
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Taxes

Tax-deductibility for donors

UK donations qualify for Gift Aid. ROYAL OPERA HOUSE COVENT GARDEN FOUNDATION is registered with the Charity Commission. Eligible UK taxpayers can boost their gift by 25% at no extra cost.

Always confirm tax treatment with the charity directly or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership

AL
Alan Stanton
Trustee

Officers & trustees (18)

Source: Public filings

AL
Alan S••••••
Trustee
AL
Alistair S••••••
Trustee
BA
Baroness D•••••• B•••
Trustee
CA
Caroline L••••• B••••••
Trustee
DA
Dame C•••••• M•••••
Trustee
DA
Daniel I•••
Trustee
FA
Farah G•••••
Trustee
JA
Janis E•••••••• S•••••••
Trustee
JO
Joanna S•••••••
Trustee
LI
Lisa J••• B•••••
Trustee
LO
Lord J••• B•••••
Trustee
PH
Philipp F•••••
Trustee
SI
Sir A••• Y••••••
Trustee
SI
Sir L•••• D•••••• C••
Trustee
SI
Sir N••••••• H•••••
Trustee
ST
Stephen L••••
Trustee
TI
Timothy B•••• B••••••
Trustee
ZE
Zeinab B•••••••••••
Trustee
Full names, contact details & compensation

Free with an account.

Unlock

Latest news

From global news sources

10 articles found

From global news sources

Sentiment

Neutral

Activity timeline

Filings and press mentions, merged

King Charles thrilled by grand unveiling of Royal Opera House curtains - London Evening Standard
May 2026
www.standard.co.uk
Charles raises curtain on new era at the Royal Opera House - lbc.co.uk
May 2026
www.lbc.co.uk
Praying for better: Richard Jones’ clunky Samson et Dalila returns to Covent Garden - Bachtrack
May 2026
bachtrack.com
No harbour shelters peace: Peter Grimes drops anchor again at The Royal Opera - Bachtrack
May 2026
bachtrack.com
Verdi’s Don Carlos – 1867 five-Act, in-French score*. Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; directed by Luc Bondy, conducted
Apr 2026
www.colinscolumn.com
Kosky’s oddly staged Siegfried disappoints though Pappano and his orchestra are on top form - Seen and Heard Internation
Apr 2026
seenandheard-international.com
Event listing: Mayerling – The Royal Ballet | Royal Opera House, Covent Garden | May 16 mat, eve, 18 - Bachtrack
Mar 2026
bachtrack.com
The Turn of the Screw at RBO Linbury: Darkness and denial - Bachtrack
Mar 2026
bachtrack.com
Sir Mark Elder leads a riveting Rigoletto revival at the Royal Opera House - Bachtrack
Mar 2026
bachtrack.com
Siegfried at the RBO: Kosky and Pappano surprise and delight - Bachtrack
Mar 2026
bachtrack.com
Form filed
£181.9M revenue
FY2024
CCEW
Form filed
£170.7M revenue
FY2023
CCEW
Form filed
£132.7M revenue
FY2022
CCEW
Form filed
£84.3M revenue
FY2021
CCEW
Form filed
£118.0M revenue
FY2020
CCEW

Donor reviews (49)

2.8 / 5 average · includes imported Trustpilot

2.8
49 reviews
5
17
4
2
3
5
2
3
1
22
Tickets is not clear !

Tickets is not clear !It does not show what time the door is open and what time event is starting .If you are not on right time you will wait 45min in restoran .

Aurea Bellatrix Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Rip off

You have to pay to be able to book on a particular day - then their website is down and you can't book. They clearly think that anyone who goes to the opera house must be so wealthy they either don't work or pay staff to buy their tickets. Complete rip off.

Richard Clarke Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ Great

Great, lovely venue.

Maximilien Letek Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
COVID Refund Debacle

I fully understand shows being cancelled due to COVID regulations but waiting over 6 weeks for a refund is not acceptable.

Daniel Murray Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★ ROH. Booking system not helpful and confined to online.

I attempted to buy tickets for Royal Opera House. Apparently you can only book on line, so it appears you cannot actually buy a ticket any other way. We the customer must now to the economic desires of ROH. It seems what the customer wants does not matter. Nowhere could I find the prices of any tickets specifically, only a blurb. About from 7 to 135 pounds. That does not help me at all. Seems you are only allowed to know these things after you have paid. I want to know before entering the booking queue. All in all a most disappointing experience with a seemingly greedy organisation that sees customers as a nusiance. Perhaps they get too many subsidies to care about the audience.

Customer Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ Manager and stewards supported my…

Manager and stewards supported my mobility needs as I suffer from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Wonderful staff. Very attentive. Enhanced an already wonderful experience tonight. Thank you

Beverley Crook Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ Hendel's Theodora

Last wee I saw a wonderful performance of Hendel's Theodora oratorio. This is ROH at its best - amazing music, wonderfully staged performnce, amazing voices and decorations.I can't say that it was immediately easy to accept a very modern interpretation, with guns and pole dancers on stage. Perhaps not necessarily what Hendel may have envisioned, but performed with gusto and at superb technical level.Bravo!

Frankenstein Jr Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ A great way to spend a Saturday afternoon Todays performance of la traviata was…

Todays performance of la traviata was the best I have ever encountered. The production, drama and set were stunning. This coupled to the operatic eleqence of the singing was submime. This is the best traviata I have ever seen.Well done ROH - Ian

Ian Bagshaw Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
★★★★★ I've always wanted to go to Royal Opera…

I've always wanted to go to Royal Opera House ever since I watched Diana Damrau's Queen of the Night aria performance on Youtube. It was magical and The Magic Flute was one of my favourite operas.Years later, I have seen Il barbiere di Siviglia there. It was a funny opera, unlike the others :)The tickets were cheaper than we expected. It was a birthday gift from my bf and an unforgettable experience. I would love to see another opera here soon. Very good atmosphere!

Janet Ainsworth Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot
Star singers and junk 'creatives'

I wish there was a possibility to write reviews of actual performances on the ROH website but there isn't. Yesterday, I saw there a remarkably horrid staging of Samson et Dalila. I had the misfortune to go to this performance without having read the reviews or seen the horrid pictures first. I only went because of Garanca but I wish I had not. No singing can compensate for what I had to endure. The staging was ghastly and disgusting. Ugly set, ugly costumes, pathetic director (Richard Jones) who is unlikely to ever achieve mediocrity. I felt as if I had been transported to some horrid German site of Regietheater. Why does ROH insists on staging such garbage? What's the point in inviting star singers if you have junk 'creatives' with no talent, taste, or respect for classical masterpieces?

Zazi Donor · Mar 26, 2026 Trustpilot Trustpilot

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Peer charities

Other arts & culture in United Kingdom, by integrity assessment

Charity Score Revenue Program %
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation This page 76 £181.9 million 87%
Inspira (01) 89 £5.7 million 100%
Burnley Leisure and Culture 89 £7.9 million 90%
Walsall Housing Group Limited 89 £155.4 million 87%
The Manchester Young People'S Theatre Limited 89 £1.6 million 91%
Pavilion Dance South West Limited 89 £1.1 million 89%
The Connection at St Martin-In-The-Fields 89 £6.4 million 88%
The Bedford and District Citizens Advice Bureau 89 £656,480 100%
Middle Child Theatre Limited 89 £630,794 100%

Sources and verification

Refreshed

Registration and legal identity
Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities
Financial filings
Charity Commission annual returns - Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities - 18 disclosed in the public registry.
News and media coverage
GDELT Project + Google News
Donor reviews (external)
Trustpilot consumer reviews
Community reviews (verified email)
GiveRadar Community Reviews - 49 verified review(s) on file.
Supplementary verification
Wikidata structured data

Data freshness

Last updated
Mar 22, 2026
Profile completeness
85%

What we don't know

Honest gaps - our score reflects transparency, not impact

Executive compensation
Top-officer pay not disclosed
Mission statement
No self-published statement of purpose
Programs & projects
No named programs listed by the charity
Headquarters address
No street address on file
Operating reach
Countries where programs run not specified
Programmatic detail
Specific cause areas not yet tagged

Methodology

GiveRadar combines public registry filings, ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Charity Navigator, GuideStar, and news archives into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology

Quick facts about Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation

What is Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation?
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation is a arts & culture nonprofit organization, United Kingdom. Presentation of opera and ballet performances at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden and tours in the United Kingdom and overseas
When was Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation founded?
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation was founded in 1962.
Where is Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation located?
Headquartered in United Kingdom.
What is Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is approximately £100M-£1B. 87% of expenses go to program services.
Is Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation trustworthy?
Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 76 out of 100 (Strong transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation's website?
https://www.roh.org.uk
Are donations to Royal Opera House Covent Garden Foundation tax-deductible?
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United Kingdom under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.