Understanding St Pauls Carnival funding

Carnival operates with strict financial governance controls, and we are currently going through an in-depth audit process as part of future planning. 

You can see how much the last full Carnival in 2023 cost in our impact report (see page 7); in 2024/25 we also organised and funded smaller-scale community events. We are also doing that again this year by funding the traditional Elders’ Brunch which will feature a showcase for local children who have participated in the annual education programme to show their costumes and perform. 

We have also continued our popular community Mas camps and banner-making workshops. Any other Carnival Day public celebrations fall outside our funding remit, as we are not licensed to host any on-street activities this year. Following community requests we are also planning some sporting events, details of these will be released soon. 

Direct financial public support:

In terms of public donations, these are held as restricted funds. This means they are given for specific charitable purposes and, by law, can only be used to deliver St Pauls Carnival’s own programmed community activity, such as initiatives like the Elders’ Brunch.

Historically, Carnival does not attract significant direct public financial support. Funds raised for the last full Carnival in 2023 were £2,331. In the 12 months to May 2026 the total received in public donations is under £500. We are currently considering ways in which we can strengthen our direct public donations, however, as the St Pauls Carnival main event is free to attend, this is a challenge.

We understand there are questions about where funding goes in years when a full Carnival is not able to take place. It’s important to be clear that all funds raised and received by St Pauls Carnival are carefully managed and dedicated to delivering community-focused activity, such as the Elders’ Brunch, youth showcases, education programmes, and other local events, alongside maintaining the organisation’s year-round work and future planning for Carnival’s return.

Overall funding position:

St Pauls Carnival operates as an independent community interest company separate to any other body. It is a National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) funded by Arts Council England (ACE). The organisation receives approximately £657,000 across a three-year funding period, which breaks down to about £219,000 per year.

The full annual event costs upwards of £550,000 to stage. The gap in funding needs to be raised through corporate sponsorship and public donations. Once our current financial review is complete and 2027 costs have been forecast and reviewed through the governance board sign-off process, taking into account inflationary impact (we will be inviting suppliers to provide their quotes for 2027 in the coming months), we will be releasing details publicly. This is expected to be in September.