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FOUNDATION MATTERS

Charity rating & review

100/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
100 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Is FOUNDATION MATTERS a good charity?

FOUNDATION MATTERS scores 100/100 (Exceptional) on our Clarity Score, with 83% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Derby · UK-wide · DE73 7GB Reg 1107662 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

FOUNDATION MATTERS is a registered charity (no. 1107662) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 83% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 5 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Income has been growing over recent years. CharityCompare's Clarity Score rates the organisation only from public Charity Commission accounts — accountability, financial health, efficiency and community support — not the quality or impact of its programmes.

In short: FOUNDATION MATTERS scores 100 out of 100 (4 stars). 83% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

FOUNDATION MATTERS has a Clarity Score of 100 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1107662. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £568k, with 83% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 5 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

100/100

4★ · Great

Cause spend

83%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£568k

Latest year 2020

Reserves

5 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How FOUNDATION MATTERS compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£500k–£1m)100 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 100% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities100 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 100% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2020
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for FOUNDATION MATTERS
Metric Score Value
Filing history (5 years)

100% on-time over five years = 15 pts · one late filing = 5 pts · two or more = 0 pts.

100% 15/15 pts
Trustee oversight

Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

100/100

Financial Health metrics for FOUNDATION MATTERS
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

100% 5 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth

Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts.

100% 10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts.

100% 6% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for FOUNDATION MATTERS
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 83% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income).

100% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Community Support metrics for FOUNDATION MATTERS
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

100% 23 volunteers / 1 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

100/100 total · Exceptional · 4 of 4 stars

Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
100/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)5 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets6% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.

100/100

Program expense ratio83% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio23 volunteers / 1 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

FOUNDATION MATTERS revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £568k
Total expenditure £232k
Charitable activities £232k 100%
Governance & admin £60k 26%
100%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £232k spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance26%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    5 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    1 employees · 23 volunteers (23:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1107662

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • FRANK BREARLEY since 2005
  • GILLIAN DIANNE LANCASTER since 2005
  • PETER KRISTEN RIISNAES since 2005
  • Ian Brownlow since 2015
  • David Lancaster since 2015
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.

Full methodology →

Accountability & Transparency

Scored from filings

40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).

Financial Health

Scored from filings

30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).

Financial Efficiency

Scored from filings

20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.

Community Support

Scored from filings

10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.

Overall score

Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).

Five-year trends

£0k £200k £400k £600k £800k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £568k Spending 2020: £232k Cause spend 2020: £232k Income 2021: £305k Spending 2021: £192k Cause spend 2021: £144k Income 2022: £311k Spending 2022: £247k Cause spend 2022: £185k Income 2023: £576k Spending 2023: £266k Cause spend 2023: £266k Income 2024: £355k Spending 2024: £491k Cause spend 2024: £368k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
100/100 (4★)
Income
£568k
Cause spend
83% of expenditure
Reg number
1107662
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
5 months
Trustees
5
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about FOUNDATION MATTERS's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is FOUNDATION MATTERS's charity rating? +

FOUNDATION MATTERS scores 100 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

Is FOUNDATION MATTERS a good charity to donate to? +

FOUNDATION MATTERS scores 100 out of 100 (4 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 83% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are up to date. That reflects how transparent and financially healthy it looks on paper — it does not measure the real-world impact of its work, so treat it as one factor alongside the cause you care about. CharityCompare never tells you where to donate.

Is FOUNDATION MATTERS a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — FOUNDATION MATTERS is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1107662. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is FOUNDATION MATTERS's Charity Commission registration number? +

FOUNDATION MATTERS's registration number is 1107662. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1107662

How much income does FOUNDATION MATTERS receive? +

FOUNDATION MATTERS reported £568k total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of FOUNDATION MATTERS's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 83% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 1%.

Are FOUNDATION MATTERS's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is FOUNDATION MATTERS based? +

FOUNDATION MATTERS is listed at Derby · UK-wide · DE73 7GB and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score FOUNDATION MATTERS? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.

Does CharityCompare recommend donating to FOUNDATION MATTERS? +

No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.

How can I compare FOUNDATION MATTERS with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put FOUNDATION MATTERS side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.