The Spark Arts for Children

What The Spark Arts for Children does

The Spark Arts for Children is a Leicester-based UK charity and Company Limited by Guarantee (Company Number 5254229; Charity Number 1106952) founded in 2003, operating as a children's arts organisation with 17 employees. It delivers a portfolio of programmes across children's and family audiences including The Spark Festival, the Music Champions practitioner development programme, an Early Years Programme, Schools and Learning work, and the Vital Spark initiative, alongside dedicated streams for Children and Families and Artists and Industry.

The organisation runs on an event-driven, community-led model rather than a technology platform. Its delivery infrastructure is anchored in partnerships with Leicestershire Music Hub, Leicester City Council Early Help, Youth Music, BBC Children in Need, and Starcatchers. Its underlying technology stack is composed of standard off-the-shelf tools: WordPress/WooCommerce for web and ticketing, MailChimp for email, Stripe for payments, and Google Analytics for measurement. No proprietary platform, data assets, or AI capabilities are disclosed.

Revenue mechanics are those of a small UK arts charity: restricted and unrestricted grants from named institutional funders, donations, and ticket income from events such as The Spark Festival. The Music Champions programme, delivered over 2023-2025, trained 21 practitioners, illustrating the cohort-scale typical of its delivery. The organisation recently appointed Trina Haldar as Director (May 2026) and launched a new event titled "A Creative Rest" (July 2026), indicating continuity of mission with incremental programme development rather than expansion.

Name

The Spark Arts for Children

Legal name

The Spark Arts for Children

Website

https://thesparkarts.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Spark Arts for Children is a Leicester-based UK charity founded in 2003 that delivers festivals, early-years music programmes, and schools-based arts activities for children, families, and practitioners, operating through grant funding and local authority partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Children's Arts Education and Community Cultural Programming

NAICS

Fine Arts Schools (61161), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Theatre (MPAGABAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Arts Education & Community Arts Programs (BPAGAHAC), Visual Arts Instruction (Drawing, Painting, Sculpture) (EDAMAAAA), Creative Arts, Music & Movement Content (EDAGACAG)

Keywords

• Children's arts education
• Early years music
• Arts festival programming
• Community arts charity
• Creative learning programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Leicester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Event Revenue: Revenue generated through ticket sales for festival events, performances, and creative activities.
2. Funding and Grants: As a registered charity, the organization receives funding from organizations including Youth Music, Children in Need, Leicester City Council Early Help, and Leicestershire Music Hub to support programs like Music Champions.
3. Donations and Support: Charitable donations from individuals and organizations supporting children's arts access.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Spark Arts for Children is a UK charity that curates and delivers children's arts experiences across Leicester, including an annual flagship Spark Festival, the Music Champions early years music project, ongoing schools and early years education programmes, and artist development opportunities. Offerings span theatre shows, music-making sessions, creative activities, and professional development for artists, all underpinned by the Vital Spark diversity and inclusion initiative.

Product overview

The Spark Arts for Children is a UK-based children's arts charity operating a multi-programme portfolio focused on making arts and culture accessible to children. The core offering includes an annual flagship festival (The Spark Festival), a structured early years music programme (Music Champions), and ongoing education initiatives delivered through schools and community settings. The Vital Spark initiative underpins all activities, focusing on diversity and inclusion in children's arts. The organisation operates across Early Years, Children and Families, Schools and Learning, and Artists and Industry programme areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vital Spark: Initiative at the heart of everything the organization does, focused on challenging and changing the lack of diversity in children's arts and culture, and supporting underrepresented artists.
• Music Champions

Products and services

• The Spark Festival Leicester's flagship annual children's arts festival featuring performances, live activities and creative experiences for children and families across the city, transforming venues into imaginative spaces through theatre, music, dance and creative workshops.
• Music Champions Early years music project supporting musicians and early years practitioners to work in schools, children's centres and nurseries, exploring and playing with sound and music with children aged 0-5.
• Early Years Programme Programmes including Toddler Time and 'Stay and Play' sessions at Children's Centres and libraries, designed to help young children develop skills, confidence and creativity through play.
• Schools and Learning Programme Year-round education programmes co-created with schools, including touring events and shows, ArtsAward partnerships, 'Creativity Councils', and teacher training to embed creativity at the heart of lessons.
• Children and Families Programme Creative experiences including theatre shows, music and art activities designed to engage children and families with immersive cultural moments.
• Artists and Industry Programme Professional development and opportunities for artists including fundraising support, commissioning, residencies, and training events for creative professionals working in children's arts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported 21 early years practitioners and professional musicians over two years through Music Champions program
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Leicestershire Music HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Music Champions project operated in partnership with Leicestershire Music Hub, supporting early years music education across Leicester and Leicestershire schools and children's centres.
• Leicester City Council Early HelpcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Partnership with Leicester City Council Early Help team for the Music Champions project, providing early years support through music-making activities in community settings.
• Starcatchers (Scotland's Arts and Early Years)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStarcatchers participated in the Music Champions Early Years Symposium (October 2025), sharing expertise on early years arts practice through presentations and resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Emerging players

• Action for Children's Arts: UK-wide advocacy organisation campaigning for children's access to arts and culture. Thematically aligned with The Spark's Vital Spark mission; comparable as an advocacy and convening peer in the children's arts access space.
• Centre for Early Childhood (orgs diverse): National Children's Bureau and similar early years sector bodies that commission arts and creative learning interventions for under-5s. Comparable as a stakeholder/funding partner in the early years music and creative play space where The Spark operates.

Direct peers

• Polka Theatre: London-based children's theatre producing work for young audiences, with a strong education and outreach programme to schools and families. Comparable in that it combines a flagship venue/festival-style programming with schools touring and early years engagement.
• Unicorn Theatre: One of the UK's leading producing theatres for children and young people, with year-round programming and an extensive learning and participation programme. Comparable in scale of ambition and cross-sector partnerships (schools, families, artists).
• Little Angel Theatre: London-based puppet and visual theatre dedicated exclusively to children, with a year-round programme for schools and families. Comparable as a specialist children's arts producer with strong education partnerships.
• Oily Cart: London-based theatre company producing interactive, multi-sensory work for very young audiences and children with complex needs. Comparable as a specialist children's performing arts producer with deep early years expertise.
• Starcatchers: Scotland's arts and early years organisation, focused on creating high-quality arts experiences for children aged 0-5. Direct peer in mission, audience, and operating model; Starcatchers already participated in The Spark's Music Champions symposium.
• Theatre Centre: UK touring theatre company producing work for children and young people that tours to schools and venues nationally. Comparable in combining artist development, schools touring, and live performance for young audiences.
• Create (Arts Charity): UK-wide charity delivering creative arts workshops for disadvantaged children and adults, with a focus on access and inclusion. Comparable in mission and operating model as a grant-funded arts charity delivering participatory creative programmes to children.

Regional players

• Albany Theatre / Attenborough Arts Centre: Leicester-based arts venues with strong children's and family programming. Comparable as geo-anchored Leicester peers delivering children's arts events and education in the same catchment area.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xbsky.app/thesparkarts.bsky.social
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SparkFestival
• Facebookfacebook.com/SparkArtsFestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-spark-arts
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesparkarts

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Spark Arts for Children