Skip to content

The Iron Foundation

Charity rating & review

74/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
74 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

Donate

Is The Iron Foundation a good charity?

The Iron Foundation scores 74/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 75% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

DN15 8TD Reg 1125158 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

The Iron Foundation is a registered charity (no. 1125158) working in children & youth in DN15 8TD. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 75% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 22 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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: The Iron Foundation scores 74 out of 100 (2 stars). 75% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

The Iron Foundation has a Clarity Score of 74 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1125158. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £654k, with 75% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 22 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

74/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

75%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

60/100

Finance beacon

Income

£654k

Latest year 2021

Reserves

22 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 0% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium

How The Iron Foundation compares

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)74 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 36% of 2,157 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities74 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 36% of 3,988 charities in this cause.

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2021
Filing date
2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
Profile reviewed
2026-06-25

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

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.

60/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for The Iron Foundation
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.

33% 5/15 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.

40% 4/10 pts

Financial Health

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

100/100

Financial Health metrics for The Iron Foundation
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% 22 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% 12% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for The Iron Foundation
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 75% · 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.

0/100

Community Support metrics for The Iron Foundation
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 / 21 staff · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

74/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

60/100
Accountability & Transparency
100/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

60/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts
Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies4/10 pts

Financial Health

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

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)22 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets12% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio75% · 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.

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio5 volunteers / 21 staff · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

The Iron Foundation revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £654k
Total expenditure £365k
Charitable activities £2k 0%
Fundraising £264k 72%
Governance & admin £2k 0%
0%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £365k spent

  • Charitable activities0%
  • Fundraising72%
  • Governance0%
  • Other spending27%

Trust indicators

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

  • Accounts filed on time

    Filing status: late

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    5 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    21 employees · 5 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff)

Fundraising Regulator

Not listed as member

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

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 1125158

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • ABID ALI KHAN
  • Angeline Saunderson
  • LOUISE Butler
  • Angus Martin since 2016
  • Martin Patrick McCarthy since 2017
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 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £654k Spending 2021: £365k Cause spend 2021: £2k Income 2022: £570k Spending 2022: £462k Cause spend 2022: £137k Income 2023: £494k Spending 2023: £429k Cause spend 2023: £322k Income 2024: £407k Spending 2024: £472k Cause spend 2024: £354k Income 2025: £479k Spending 2025: £562k Cause spend 2025: £421k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
74/100 (2★)
Income
£654k
Cause spend
75% of expenditure
Reg number
1125158
Scope
Local (—)
Reserves
22 months
Trustees
5
Accounts year
2021
Filing
late

Similar children & youth charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

Share & export

Share: XLinkedInFacebookBluesky

Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for The Iron Foundation.

For this charity

Add your rating to your site

Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.

Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Iron Foundation's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is The Iron Foundation's charity rating? +

The Iron Foundation scores 74 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 The Iron Foundation a good charity to donate to? +

The Iron Foundation scores 74 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 75% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. 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 The Iron Foundation a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — The Iron Foundation is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1125158. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is The Iron Foundation's Charity Commission registration number? +

The Iron Foundation's registration number is 1125158. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1125158

How much income does The Iron Foundation receive? +

The Iron Foundation reported £654k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of The Iron Foundation's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 75% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 0% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 0%.

Are The Iron Foundation's accounts up to date? +

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

Where is The Iron Foundation based? +

The Iron Foundation is listed at DN15 8TD, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score The Iron Foundation? +

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 The Iron Foundation? +

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 The Iron Foundation with other charities? +

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