Children & youth · Reg 287088
THE SOFA PROJECT
Charity rating & review
70/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Needs improvement
Is THE SOFA PROJECT a good charity?
THE SOFA PROJECT scores 70/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 98% 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.
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Mission
THE SOFA PROJECT is a registered charity (no. 287088) working in children & youth in Birmingham · BS2 0BL. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 98% of spending to charitable activities, and files its annual accounts on time. 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 SOFA PROJECT scores 70 out of 100 (2 stars). 98% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
THE SOFA PROJECT has a Clarity Score of 70 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 287088. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £699k, with 98% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. 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
70/100
2★ · Needs improvement
Cause spend
98%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£699k
Latest year 2021
Reserves
—
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£51.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 2% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How THE SOFA PROJECT compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 29% of 2,157 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 27% 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
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
| 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% | 9 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.
33/100
| 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% | Not stated · 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. | 0% | 102% · 0/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio ≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts. | 100% | 98% · 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% | 2p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 0% | 6 volunteers / 20 staff · 0/10 pts |
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.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
100/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
33/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
0/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £699k | — |
| Total expenditure | £638k | — |
| Charitable activities | £629k | 98% |
| Fundraising | £10k | 2% |
| Governance & admin | £750 | 0% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2021) · £638k spent
- Charitable activities98% · £629k
- Fundraising2% · £10k
- Governance0% · £750
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)
9 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
20 employees · 6 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 287088
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- Mr C Neild since 2016
- Keith Hicks since 2019
- Peter Templeton since 2020
- Moira Booth since 2021
- Colin Smart since 2021
- Shelley Sturdy since 2023
- Olufunmilola Buraimoh-Ademuyewo since 2023
- Chris Williamson since 2024
- Lucy Woods since 2024
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.
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
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts
Key facts
- Overall score
- 70/100 (2★)
- Income
- £699k
- Cause spend
- 98% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 287088
- Scope
- Local (birmingham)
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 9
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing
- up to date
Compare & explore
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Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE SOFA PROJECT's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE SOFA PROJECT's charity rating? +
THE SOFA PROJECT 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 THE SOFA PROJECT a good charity to donate to? +
THE SOFA PROJECT scores 70 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 98% 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 THE SOFA PROJECT a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE SOFA PROJECT is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 287088. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE SOFA PROJECT's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE SOFA PROJECT's registration number is 287088. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/287088
How much income does THE SOFA PROJECT receive? +
THE SOFA PROJECT reported £699k total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: stable.
What percentage of THE SOFA PROJECT's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 98% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 2% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 2%.
Are THE SOFA PROJECT'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 THE SOFA PROJECT based? +
THE SOFA PROJECT is listed at Birmingham · BS2 0BL, focused on children & youth.
How does CharityCompare score THE SOFA PROJECT? +
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 SOFA PROJECT? +
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 SOFA PROJECT with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE SOFA PROJECT side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.