THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED
The Cartoon Museum is an independent, self-funded UK charity operating a single-site London museum dedicated to British cartoon and comic art, serving families, schools, art enthusiasts, and corporate event hirers through exhibitions, workshops, venue hire, retail, and membership.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED does
The Cartoon Museum Limited (operating as The Cartoon Museum, legally Cartoon Art Trust Limited) is an independent registered charity (Charity Number 327978) and company limited by guarantee (Number 2290220) running a single-site museum at 63 Wells Street, London W1A 3AE. Founded circa 2003, it operates with a staff of around 22 and holds a permanent collection of more than 6,000 pieces of British cartoon and comic art spanning the 18th century to the present, displayed through rotating temporary exhibitions that change approximately every six months.
The museum is entirely self-funded and receives no regular public or government funding. Its revenue model is diversified across admissions, an online and on-site retail shop (cartoonmuseum.shop), venue hire of its two galleries and the Clore Learning Studio, Friends and Patron memberships (Patrons paying £500/year over three years), school and holiday workshops (£15 per child), an annual comic strip competition (Alison Brown Young Comics Maestro Award), and bespoke commercial collaborations such as the Pepita Coffee tin design competition. Educational outreach is a strategic pillar, encompassing workshops for schools, colleges, and youth groups plus the award-winning Young Cartoonist-in-Residence programme for autistic artists, funded by John Lyon's Charity and previously the Foyle Foundation.
Distribution is hybrid: a single physical storefront in Fitzrovia serves as the primary visitor channel, while a global online shop, Mailchimp email newsletter, WordPress blog, and Twitter/X account extend reach digitally. The 2026 headline exhibition 'Does my head look BIG in this? The Art of Portrait Caricature' (23 May – 1 November 2026) is principally funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, illustrating the museum's reliance on project-based grant funding for major programming despite its self-funded operating model.
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED
- Legal name
- Cartoon Art Trust Limited
- Website
- https://cartoonmuseum.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Cartoon Museum is an independent, self-funded UK charity operating a single-site London museum dedicated to British cartoon and comic art, serving families, schools, art enthusiasts, and corporate event hirers through exhibitions, workshops, venue hire, retail, and membership.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Arts and Cultural Museum
- NAICS
- Museums (712110), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Art Dealers (459920)
- SIC
- Retail-Hobby, Toy & Game Shops (5945)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Art Museums (THAJADAA)
Keywords
Where THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Admissions and tickets: Revenue from visitors purchasing tickets to exhibitions and the museum.
- Museum Shop: Sale of merchandise, prints, books, and products related to cartoons, comics, and exhibition themes, both in-person and online.
- Venue Hire: Rental of museum galleries and Clore Learning Studio for private events, corporate functions, workshops, and parties.
- Membership and Friends scheme: Annual donations and membership fees providing free admission, discounts, and exclusive benefits. Patrons contribute £500 per year over 3 years.
- Donations and fundraising: Direct donations from visitors and supporters, including specific campaigns like the '20 for 20 Fit for the Future' anniversary campaign targeting £20,000.
- Learning programmes and workshops: Revenue from school workshops, holiday workshops, and educational programmes for children aged 8-14.
- Competitions entry fees: Entry fees for competitions such as the Pepita Coffee partnership competition (£20 + £1.14 processing fee), with proceeds supporting museum operations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Whole Museum venue hire |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Clore Learning Studio venue hire |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Public workshops/events in Clore Learning Studio |
| Subscription | Annual | Patron membership |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | School holiday workshops |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Competition entry fee |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels7 records
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Cartoon Museum operates a physical museum at 63 Wells St, London, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting British cartoon and comic art from the 18th century to the present day. Its collection comprises over 6,000 pieces displayed through permanent and rotating temporary exhibitions. The museum supplements its core visitor experience with venue hire, an online and physical retail shop, membership schemes, educational workshops for schools and families, and a Young Cartoonist-in-Residence programme for neurodiverse artists.
Product overview
The Cartoon Museum operates as a single physical museum venue offering visitor admission to permanent and rotating exhibitions of British cartoon and comic art from the 18th century to present day. The museum's product portfolio centres on its core offering—the museum experience at 63 Wells St, London—supplemented by venue hire services (Whole Museum and Clore Learning Studio), retail shop operations, educational programmes (school workshops and holiday activities), the Young Cartoonist in Residence programme for neurodivergent young artists, and membership schemes (Friends and Patrons). Additional offerings include competitions such as the Alison Brown Young Comics Maestro Award and the Pepita Coffee design competition. The museum is entirely self-funded, receiving no government or public funding, relying on admissions, shop sales, memberships, donations, and venue hire revenue.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Cartoon Museum - Museum Admission
- Temporary Exhibitions Programme
- Permanent Collection Display
- Whole Museum Venue Hire
- Clore Learning Studio Hire
- Friends Membership
- Patron Membership
- Online and Physical Shop
- School Holiday Workshops
- Workshops for Schools
- Young Cartoonist in Residence Programme
- Alison Brown Young Comics Maestro Award
- Pepita Coffee Design Competition
- Donations and Fundraising
Quantifiable outcome
- Subsidises schools programme for thousands of children annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and minor.
- Pepita CoffeeflagshipUnique collaboration for a limited-edition coffee tin design competition. Pepita Coffee's 'Gallery in Motion' programme has featured 40+ British artists. The winner's design will be featured on collectible tins sold across London and Brighton galleries and retail stores.
- Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook)flagshipPartner in the Pepita Coffee collaboration. Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) provides oversight on the judging panel for the coffee tin design competition and will attend the grand finale signing event on 12 November 2026.
- The Audience AgencyminorData sharing partnership for national and regional research into patterns of arts attendance in England. Helps with reporting to stakeholders and strategic planning.
- The Beano and The PhoenixIndustry partners serving as judges for the Alison Brown Young Comics Maestro Award 2026 competition, evaluating comic strip entries from young artists aged 18 or under.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- The Photographers' Gallery: London visual-arts institution with ticketed exhibitions, education programmes, café, and shop — comparable cultural/visual arts scale and visitor-driven business model.
- Sir John Soane's Museum: Independent London specialist house museum with paid admission, education programmes, and limited commercial footprint — analogous small charity museum with niche subject focus.
- The Horniman Museum and Gardens: Independent UK museum combining permanent collection, exhibitions, learning, and venue hire — slightly larger but similar specialist charity operating model and audience profile.
- The Foundling Museum: Small London independent museum and registered charity operating with comparable headcount, ticketed exhibitions, education programmes, and venue hire — similar size and self-funded model.
- Museum of the Home: Independent London museum running a focused permanent collection with exhibitions, learning, and retail — comparable small London specialist charity museum in operating approach.
- The Postal Museum: Independent London charity museum operating a single-site visitor experience with venue hire, learning programmes, retail, and grants/donations revenue mix — closely comparable operating model and scale to The Cartoon Museum.
Broad incumbents
- Design Museum London: Larger London museum covering visual and applied design disciplines — serves an overlapping audience interested in visual culture and graphic arts, but operates at substantially greater scale.
- The British Library: UK national research library holding significant cartoon and comic art collections and staging related exhibitions — adjacent to The Cartoon Museum's subject matter with overlapping audiences but a different operating model.
- Victoria and Albert Museum: Major London national museum covering art and design including illustrated books and caricature — collects some adjacent material to The Cartoon Museum and overlaps in audience interest, though at vastly larger scale.
- Tate: National network of UK galleries covering modern and contemporary art — shares the visual-arts audience and visitor expectations for exhibitions, retail, and learning programmes with The Cartoon Museum.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED social profiles
Digital presenceTHE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED
What does THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED do?
The Cartoon Museum operates a physical museum at 63 Wells St, London, dedicated to preserving and exhibiting British cartoon and comic art from the 18th century to the present day. Its collection comprises over 6,000 pieces displayed through permanent and rotating temporary exhibitions. The museum supplements its core visitor experience with venue hire, an online and physical retail shop, membership schemes, educational workshops for schools and families, and a Young Cartoonist-in-Residence programme for neurodiverse artists.
Is THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED a public or private company?
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED founded?
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED based?
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED make money?
Seven revenue lines are on record. Admissions and tickets are the primary driver. The others are museum Shop, venue Hire, membership and Friends scheme, donations and fundraising, learning programmes and workshops and competitions entry fees.
Who are THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are The Photographers' Gallery, Sir John Soane's Museum, The Horniman Museum and Gardens, The Foundling Museum, Museum of the Home and The Postal Museum. Broad incumbents are Design Museum London, The British Library, Victoria and Albert Museum and Tate.
Does THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED have an API?
No public API is recorded for THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED.
What industry is THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED in?
THE CARTOON MUSEUM LIMITED's product category is Arts and Cultural Museum. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit), with a secondary code of THAJADAA, Art Museums. Its NAICS code is 712110 and its SIC code is 5945.