A charity that supports cultural and creative organisations with research and data has voluntarily entered into liquidation following “sustained financial pressures”.

The Audience Agency says the move also follows “extensive efforts to identify a viable way forward”.

But after “exploring various options” trustees have concluded that the charity “can no longer continue operating in its current form”.

The charity said that it “has proved impossible in the current financial climate” to continue providing its services to the cultural sector.

Simon Farr and Tom Bowes of FRP Advisory Trading Limited have been appointed joint liquidators.

The charity added: “Significant public investment has contributed to the development of The Audience Agency’s research, platforms and evidence base. The knowledge, relationships and expertise created through that work represent an important and needed legacy.

“With the support of the Charity’s trustees, colleagues and partners are exploring appropriate ways in which this legacy might benefit the sector in future.

“We ask for patience and understanding during this period of uncertainty and change.”

According to the Register of Charities the Audience Agency employed 56 members of staff as of March 2024, when its latest financial reports were filed. Its accounts for the following financial year are now overdue by more than seven months.

The charity’s spending has outstripped its income for the last two years on record. While in the 12 months to March 2024 it earned £2.65m, it spent £3.13m over this period.

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