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ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS

Charity rating & review

70/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
70 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS a good charity?

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS scores 70/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 77% 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 · UK-wide · W1B 1AD Reg 210566 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS is a registered charity (no. 210566) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 77% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 157 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: ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS scores 70 out of 100 (2 stars). 77% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS has a Clarity Score of 70 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 210566. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £21m, with 77% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 157 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

70/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

77%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£21m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

157 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 23% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS compares

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

Income band (£10m+)70 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 27% of 1,022 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities70 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 27% 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 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS
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% 12 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.

50/100

Financial Health metrics for ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS
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.

0% 157 months · 0/15 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% 2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 77% · 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).

50% 23p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% 120 volunteers / 256 staff · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

70/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
75/100
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 oversight12 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)157 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets2% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Program expense ratio77% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency23p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio120 volunteers / 256 staff · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £21m
Total expenditure £29m
Charitable activities £24m 83%
Fundraising £4.7m 16%
Governance & admin £804k 3%
83%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £29m spent

  • Charitable activities83%
  • Fundraising16%
  • Governance3%

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)

    12 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    256 employees · 120 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 210566

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Jack Brown Pringle Chair · since 2021
  • Nicholas Andrew Benford since 2022
  • Arch Sumita Singha OBE since 2022
  • OluFemi Olugbenga Oresanya since 2023
  • Thomas John Foggin since 2024
  • Philip David Allsopp since 2024
  • Christopher Andrew Williamson since 2025
  • Manuel Nogueira since 2025
  • Dr Ruffina Sharmilla Thilakaratne since 2025
  • Paul Finch since 2026
  • Guido Roberto Perricone since 2026
  • Nicholas Brown since 2026
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 £8300k £16600k £24900k £33200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £21,038k Spending 2020: £28,814k Cause spend 2020: £23,811k Income 2021: £21,019k Spending 2021: £29,394k Cause spend 2021: £24,603k Income 2022: £23,235k Spending 2022: £31,152k Cause spend 2022: £23,094k Income 2023: £26,753k Spending 2023: £28,460k Cause spend 2023: £22,031k Income 2024: £30,725k Spending 2024: £32,934k Cause spend 2024: £26,535k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
70/100 (2★)
Income
£21m
Cause spend
77% of expenditure
Reg number
210566
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
157 months
Trustees
12
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS's charity rating? +

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS scores 70 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). 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 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS a good charity to donate to? +

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS scores 70 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 77% 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 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 210566. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS's Charity Commission registration number? +

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS's registration number is 210566. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/210566

How much income does ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS receive? +

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS reported £21m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.

What percentage of ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 77% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 20% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 23%.

Are ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS'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 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS based? +

ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS is listed at London · UK-wide · W1B 1AD and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS? +

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 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS? +

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 ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put ROYAL INSTITUTE OF BRITISH ARCHITECTS side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.