--- title: "Action Medical Research rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Action Medical Research a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 69/100. Accounts 2025: income £7.8m · 47% on charitable activities. Reg 208701." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/action-medical-research retrieved: 2026-08-18T00:47:01.012Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Action Medical Research a good charity? Action Medical Research scores 69/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£7.8m total income, 47% 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. London · UK-wide · W1W 5PF | Reg [208701](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/action-medical-research) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.action.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/208701) Donate ## How can you give to ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.action.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=208701) ## What does Action Medical Research do? Action Medical Research is a registered charity (no. 208701) working in medical research across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 47% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈15% 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. Summarised from public filings — Action Medical Research hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=action-medical-research) **In short:** ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH scores 69 out of 100 (3 stars). 47% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Action Medical Research? Action Medical Research has a Clarity Score of 69 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 208701. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Medical research. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £7.8m, with 47% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 6 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 69/100 3★ · Needs improvement Cause spend 47% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £7.8m Latest year 2025 Reserves 6 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £1.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 53% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH scores higher than. Income band (£5m–£10m)23rdpercentile **Scores higher than 23% of 619 charities in its income band** · 69/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Medical research charities23rdpercentile **Scores higher than 23% of 22 charities in this cause** · 69/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Action Medical Research's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), [Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator](https://www.oscr.org.uk/) and [Charity Commission for Northern Ireland](https://www.charitycommissionni.org.uk/). [Open Government Licence v3.0](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/). ## What is Action Medical Research'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. 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, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 8 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. 63/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 6 months · 15/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 40% | 4/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 56% · 0/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 0/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 0% | 47% · 0/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 0% | 57p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 450 volunteers / 42 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Action Medical Research's Clarity Score? 69/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 63/100 Financial Health 0/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 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 oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 63/100 Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth4/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets56% · 0/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 0/100 Program expense ratio47% · 0/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency57p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio450 volunteers / 42 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Action Medical Research raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £7.8m | — | | Total expenditure | £9.3m | — | | Charitable activities | £4.3m | 46% | | Fundraising | £5.0m | 54% | | Governance & admin | £24k | 0% | 46%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £9.3m spent - Charitable activities46% · £4.3m - Fundraising54% · £5.0m - Governance0% · £24k ## What trust indicators does Action Medical Research have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - ✓ Accounts filed on time up to date · last filing 24 June 2026 - ✓ Trustee board size (3–12) 8 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 42 employees · 450 volunteers (11:1 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 208701 Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission. [View on Charity Commission →](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/208701) ### Trustees & officers - Luke George Batchelor Bordewich Chair · since 2015 - Professor David Edwards since 2016 - Richard Duncan Wild since 2017 - Richard Jonathan Stoneham-Buck since 2019 - Karen Ann Last since 2019 - Professor Stephanie Schorge since 2022 - CLARE JOANNA ELIZABETH FERGUSON since 2023 - Bhavin Patel since 2025 100 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. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) 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 Action Medical Research'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 Action Medical Research? Overall score 69/100 (3★) Income £7.8m Cause spend 47% of expenditure Reg number 208701 Scope UK-wide Reserves 6 months Trustees 8 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH compare, and where else can you look? [Compare ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=action-medical-research) [More medical research charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/medical-research) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where ACTION MEDICAL RESEARCH sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [medical research charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/medical-research) - [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability) - [health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [medical research charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/medical-research/london) ### Similar medical research charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [SIGHT RESEARCH UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/sight-research-uk) 94/100 · £871k - [HEALTH DATA RESEARCH UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/health-data-research-uk) 87/100 · £15m - [HEART RESEARCH UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/heart-research-uk) 87/100 · £3.4m - [HOMEOPATHY RESEARCH INSTITUTE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/homeopathy-research-institute) 87/100 · £1.6m ## How can you share Action Medical Research's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Action%20Medical%20Research%20%E2%80%94%2069%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Faction-medical-research)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Faction-medical-research)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Faction-medical-research)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Action%20Medical%20Research%20%E2%80%94%2069%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Faction-medical-research) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Action Medical Research. For this charity ## How do you add Action Medical Research's 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](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 69/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/action-medical-research) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 69/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Action Medical Research have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Action Medical Research's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Action Medical Research a good charity? + Action Medical Research scores 69 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 47% 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 Action Medical Research a legitimate charity? + Yes — Action Medical Research is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 208701). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/208701. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Action Medical Research's charity number? + Action Medical Research's charity number is 208701. 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 Action Medical Research's charity rating? + Action Medical Research scores 69 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 Action Medical Research have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Action Medical Research. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How much of my donation reaches Action Medical Research? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 47% of Action Medical Research'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 Action Medical Research's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 53% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 53% of total expenditure at Action Medical Research. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Action Medical Research'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 Action Medical Research receive? + Action Medical Research reported £7.8m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Action Medical Research'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 Action Medical Research based? + Action Medical Research is listed at London · UK-wide · W1W 5PF and operates UK-wide, focused on medical research. How does CharityCompare score Action Medical Research? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Action Medical Research'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 Action Medical Research's most recent accounts cover 2025. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.