Poverty relief · Reg 1095322
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)
Charity rating & review
77/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Good
Quick answer
Is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) a good charity?
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) scores 77/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£31m total income, 97% of spending on charitable activities). This reflects financial transparency and stewardship on paper — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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How can you give to ABSOLUTE RETURN FOR KIDS (ARK)?
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What does Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) do?
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) is a registered charity (no. 1095322) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 97% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈23% a year). 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.
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In short: ABSOLUTE RETURN FOR KIDS (ARK) scores 77 out of 100 (4 stars). 97% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.
What is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)?
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) has a Clarity Score of 77 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1095322. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £31m, with 97% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 2 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
77/100
4★ · Good
Cause spend
97%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
93/100
Finance beacon
Income
£31m
Latest year 2024
Reserves
2 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£32.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How does ABSOLUTE RETURN FOR KIDS (ARK) compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ABSOLUTE RETURN FOR KIDS (ARK) scores higher than.
Scores higher than 47% of 943 charities in its income band · 77/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 41% of 1,502 charities in this cause · 77/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s data?
- Source
- Charity Commission (England & Wales)
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing date
- Profile reviewed
High confidence — complete filing data
Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Clarity Score measures how clearly the charity accounts for money in those filings — not programme impact.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Sources: Charity Commission for England and Wales, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .
What is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s Beacon report?
Detailed accountability and finance metrics from UK regulator filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
93/100
| 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, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 4 trustees · 15/15 pts |
| Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 70% | 7/10 pts |
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
67/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 67% | 2 months · 10/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 87% · 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 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 97% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 3p 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 Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | Not reported · 0/10 pts |
What is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s Clarity Score?
77/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 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.
93/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
67/100
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
How much does Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £31m | — |
| Total expenditure | £32m | — |
| Charitable activities | £32m | 97% |
| Fundraising | £851k | 3% |
| Governance & admin | £372k | 1% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2024) · £32m spent
- Charitable activities97% · £32m
- Fundraising3% · £851k
- Governance1% · £372k
What trust indicators does Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) have?
Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.
-
Accounts filed on time
up to date · last filing
-
Trustee board size (3–12)
4 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 1095322
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- LORD STANLEY FINK
- SIR PAUL RODERICK CLUCAS MARSHALL
- Ian Gerald Patrick Wace Chair
- Anthony Peter Clake since 2018
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below).
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated.
How have Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s finances changed over five years?
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts
What are the key facts about Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)?
- Overall score
- 77/100 (4★)
- Income
- £31m
- Cause spend
- 97% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1095322
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 2 months
- Trustees
- 4
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing
- up to date
How does ABSOLUTE RETURN FOR KIDS (ARK) compare, and where else can you look?
Where ABSOLUTE RETURN FOR KIDS (ARK) sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar poverty relief charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- AMOS TRUST 100/100 · £2.6m
- SUFRA - NW LONDON 100/100 · £1.7m
- WILDERNESS FOUNDATION UK 100/100 · £1.6m
- BIRMINGHAM CITY MISSION 100/100 · £1.4m
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Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) a good charity? +
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) scores 77 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 97% 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 Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1095322). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1095322. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s charity number? +
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s charity number is 1095322. Check that number on the official register (Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI) or this CharityCompare profile before you donate — scammers sometimes reuse real numbers on fake appeals.
What is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s charity rating? +
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) scores 77 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars — Good). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from UK regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). Stars use the same bands as those labels — 90+ is 5★ Exceptional. It is not an impact ranking.
Does Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Absolute Return for Kids (Ark). Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.
How much of my donation reaches Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, 97% of Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s total spending went to charitable activities (3-yr avg across disclosed years). That is the closest official figure to "how much of your donation reaches the cause" — it is an average across all spending in the filing, not a pound-by-pound breakdown of an individual gift.
What are Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s overheads? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 3% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 4% of total expenditure at Absolute Return for Kids (Ark). The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s chief executive is paid — where disclosure rules apply, senior pay appears in the trustees' annual report on the Charity Commission register.
How much income does Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) receive? +
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) reported £31m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.
Are Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s accounts up to date? +
Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) based? +
Absolute Return for Kids (Ark) is listed at London · UK-wide · W12 7TF and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief.
How does CharityCompare score Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s regulator filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 points — filing history, trustees, policies), Financial Health (30 — reserves, income trend, debt), Financial Efficiency (20 — cause spend and fundraising cost, on a graduated scale) and Community Support (10 — volunteer-to-staff ratio). An open statutory inquiry scores 0. The score measures reporting on paper, not programme impact. CharityCompare is free for donors, takes no commission on donations, and scores cannot be bought.
How often is this page updated? +
This profile was last updated on 17 July 2026 from the latest UK regulator data available to CharityCompare, and Absolute Return for Kids (Ark)'s most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.