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THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST

Charity rating & review

43/100 Clarity Score · 1 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
43 /100

Clarity score

Poor

Is THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST a good charity?

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST scores 43/100 (Poor) on our Clarity Score, with 76% 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 · WC2E 9ET Reg 292559 Registered charity Charity Commission register

Mission

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST is a registered charity (no. 292559) working in human rights across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 76% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 27 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: THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST scores 43 out of 100 (1 star). 76% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST has a Clarity Score of 43 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 292559. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Human rights. Latest accounts year 2020: total income £5.1m, with 76% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 27 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

43/100

1★ · Very poor

Cause spend

76%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

83/100

Finance beacon

Income

£5.1m

Latest year 2020

Reserves

27 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£2.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 24% overhead · No website on register · Confidence: high

How THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST compares

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

Income band (£5m–£10m)43 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 2% of 716 charities in its income band.

Human rights charities43 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 2% of 197 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.

83/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
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% 15 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

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

30% 3/10 pts

Financial Health

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

0/100

Financial Health metrics for THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
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% 27 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth

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

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

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

0% 74% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

50/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 76% · 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).

0% 40p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

43/100 total · Poor · 1 of 4 stars

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

83/100
Accountability & Transparency
0/100
Financial Health
50/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

83/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight15 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies3/10 pts

Financial Health

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

0/100

Reserves (months of cash)27 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets74% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

50/100

Program expense ratio76% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency40p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2020 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST revenue and expenses for 2020
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £5.1m
Total expenditure £5.0m
Charitable activities £5.0m 99%
Fundraising £62k 1%
Governance & admin £120 0%
99%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2020) · £5.0m spent

  • Charitable activities99%
  • Fundraising1%
  • Governance0%

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)

    15 trustees on the Charity Commission register

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 292559

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Eleanor Rose Lloyd since 2014
  • Sir Alexander Rupert Gavin since 2018
  • Kathryn Ruth Bennett Chair · since 2020
  • Edward George Crighton Snape since 2020
  • Patrick Gracey since 2021
  • MARK GABRIEL RUBINSTEIN since 2022
  • HENRIETTA FINCH since 2022
  • Alan Arthur Finch CBE since 2022
  • Anna Elizabeth Williams since 2023
  • Thomas William Bird since 2023
  • Griselda Bourne since 2023
  • Andrew Collier since 2023
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 £1300k £2600k £3900k £5200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £5,072k Spending 2020: £5,019k Cause spend 2020: £4,957k Income 2021: £5,026k Spending 2021: £3,950k Cause spend 2021: £3,661k Income 2022: £1,490k Spending 2022: £2,661k Cause spend 2022: £2,319k Income 2023: £690k Spending 2023: £1,345k Cause spend 2023: £950k Income 2024: £1,023k Spending 2024: £1,348k Cause spend 2024: £950k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
43/100 (1★)
Income
£5.1m
Cause spend
76% of expenditure
Reg number
292559
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
27 months
Trustees
15
Accounts year
2020
Filing
up to date

Similar human rights charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST's charity rating? +

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST scores 43 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars — Poor). 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 THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST a good charity to donate to? +

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST scores 43 out of 100 (1 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 76% 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 THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 292559. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST's Charity Commission registration number? +

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST's registration number is 292559. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/292559

How much income does THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST receive? +

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST reported £5.1m total income in its 2020 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 76% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 24% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 24%.

Are THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST'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 THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST based? +

THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST is listed at London · UK-wide · WC2E 9ET and operates UK-wide, focused on human rights.

How does CharityCompare score THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST? +

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 THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST? +

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 THEATRE DEVELOPMENT TRUST with other charities? +

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