Tate: where does the money come from?
Tate had income of £195m in the year to March 2026, and 30% of it was government grant-in-aid. It welcomed 6,195,000 visitors.
What does Tate do?
Tate runs four art galleries: Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives in Cornwall. It holds the national collection of British art from the 16th century and of international modern and contemporary art, and grew from the gallery Henry Tate funded, opened in 1897. It is funded by government grant-in-aid plus its own income from paid exhibitions, membership, donations and Tate Enterprises, its trading arm.
In brief: national art galleries · British, modern and contemporary art · free entry, paid exhibitions · London, Liverpool, St Ives
Source: Tate's own website, retrieved 27 September 2026.
Where does Tate's money come from?
Government grant-in-aid brought in £58m, 30% of the total. The rest, £136m, came from what Tate earns and raises itself: admissions, shops and catering, donations and other income.
- Government grant-in-aid £58m 30%
- Admissions and exhibitions £10m 5%
- Shops, catering and commercial £33m 17%
- Donations and legacies £78m 40%
- Other income £15m 8%
What did Tate spend, and what is it worth?
| Measure | Mar 2026 | Previous year |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £195m | £167m |
| Total spending | £153m | |
| Net income before gains | £42m | |
| Staff costs | £63m | |
| Staff | 1,244 | |
| Net assets | £2,035m | |
| Cash | £19m | |
| Visitors | 6,195,000 | |
| Income per visitor | £31.45 | |
| Grant-in-aid per visitor | £9.43 |
Net income is before investment gains and property revaluations. For a charity it is the surplus kept for the collection and buildings, not a profit paid out.
- Legal form
- Exempt charity (Schedule 3, Charities Act 2011) and executive non-departmental public body sponsored by DCMS (the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery)
- Sites
- Tate Britain, Millbank, London, Tate Modern, Bankside, London, Tate Liverpool, Royal Albert Dock (closed for redevelopment; programme at RIBA North), Tate St Ives, Cornwall (incl. Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden)
- Trading company
- Tate Enterprises Limited (03173975)
- Latest accounts
- Year to 31 March 2026
Tate: common questions
How much money does Tate get from the government?
£58m of grant-in-aid in the year to March 2026, 30% of its total income of £195m.
How much does Tate spend?
£153m in the year to March 2026, of which staff costs were £63m.
How many people visit Tate?
6,195,000 in the year to March 2026 (Number of actual visits to Tate galleries, 2025-26 (performance indicator stated in thousands; 5,998k in 2024-25): Tate Modern 4,538,061, Tate Britain 1,340,008, Tate St Ives 222,466, Tate Liverpool programme at RIBA North 93,573; Tate Liverpool at Albert Dock closed all year), according to its annual report.
Why isn't Tate on the Companies House register?
Tate is exempt charity (Schedule 3, Charities Act 2011) and executive non-departmental public body sponsored by DCMS (the Board of Trustees of the Tate Gallery), so it publishes its accounts in an annual report rather than filing them at Companies House. Its trading company, Tate Enterprises Limited, does file there.
Spark Intel, “Tate: where does the money come from?”, updated 28 September 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/tate/. Figures from Tate's annual report and accounts for the year to 31 March 2026.
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