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INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.

Charity rating & review

82/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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82 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Is INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. a good charity?

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. scores 82/100 (Good) on our Clarity Score, with 99% 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.

London · W1W 5PF Reg 1117088 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. is a registered charity (no. 1117088) working in children & youth in London · W1W 5PF. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 99% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining 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: INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. scores 82 out of 100 (3 stars). 99% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. has a Clarity Score of 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1117088. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £1.4m, with 99% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

82/100

3★ · Good

Cause spend

99%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.4m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

1 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£165.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 13% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. compares

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)82 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 61% of 3,014 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities82 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 60% 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 INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.
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% 10 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.

73/100

Financial Health metrics for INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.
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.

47% 1 months · 7/15 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% 20% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 99% · 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% 1p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% 5 volunteers / 14 staff · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

82/100 total · Good · 3 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
73/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
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 oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

73/100

Reserves (months of cash)1 months · 7/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets20% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio99% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency1p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio5 volunteers / 14 staff · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.4m
Total expenditure £1.7m
Charitable activities £1.7m 99%
Fundraising £17k 1%
Governance & admin £202k 12%
99%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £1.7m spent

  • Charitable activities99%
  • Fundraising1%
  • Governance12%

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)

    10 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    14 employees · 5 volunteers (0:1 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 1117088

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Burhan Sonmez since 2018
  • Eric Lax since 2019
  • Salil Tripathi since 2021
  • Jose Gabriel Seisdedos since 2021
  • Beatrice Lamwaka since 2022
  • Tanya Tuma since 2022
  • Ege Dundar since 2023
  • Dr Kimberley Ann Echlin since 2024
  • Arne Svingen since 2024
  • Mads Julius Elf since 2025
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 £500k £1000k £1500k £2000k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £1,444k Spending 2020: £1,691k Cause spend 2020: £1,674k Income 2021: £1,784k Spending 2021: £1,803k Cause spend 2021: £1,783k Income 2022: £1,539k Spending 2022: £1,475k Cause spend 2022: £1,470k Income 2023: £1,352k Spending 2023: £1,445k Cause spend 2023: £1,442k Income 2024: £1,736k Spending 2024: £1,653k Cause spend 2024: £1,633k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
82/100 (3★)
Income
£1.4m
Cause spend
99% of expenditure
Reg number
1117088
Scope
Local (london)
Reserves
1 months
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.'s rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.'s charity rating? +

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. scores 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Good). 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 INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. a good charity to donate to? +

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. scores 82 out of 100 (3 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 99% 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 INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1117088. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.'s Charity Commission registration number? +

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.'s registration number is 1117088. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1117088

How much income does INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. receive? +

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. reported £1.4m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.'s spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 99% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 1% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 13%.

Are INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.'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 INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. based? +

INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. is listed at London · W1W 5PF, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.? +

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 INTERNATIONAL P.E.N.? +

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 INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put INTERNATIONAL P.E.N. side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.