---
title: "African Cultural Exchange Limited rating | CharityCompare"
description: "Is African Cultural Exchange Limited a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 72/100. Accounts 2025: income £789k · 99% on charitable activities. Reg 1137490."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/african-cultural-exchange-limited
retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:12:30.759Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is African Cultural Exchange Limited a good charity?

African Cultural Exchange Limited scores 72/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£789k total income, 99% 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.

Birmingham · UK-wide · B5 5SL |
Reg [1137490](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/african-cultural-exchange-limited) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.acedanceandmusic.com/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1137490)

Donate

## How can you give to AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.acedanceandmusic.com/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1137490)

## What does African Cultural Exchange Limited do?

African Cultural Exchange Limited is a registered charity (no. 1137490) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 99% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 14 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been broadly stable 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.

Summarised from public filings — African Cultural Exchange Limited hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=african-cultural-exchange-limited)

**In short:** AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars). 99% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is African Cultural Exchange Limited?

African Cultural Exchange Limited has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1137490. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £789k, with 99% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 14 months of operating costs. 2 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

72/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

99%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

63/100

Finance beacon

Income

£789k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

14 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

£148.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
1% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: medium

## How does AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED scores higher than.

Income band (£500k–£1m)30thpercentile

**Scores higher than 30% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 72/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).

Arts & culture charities39thpercentile

**Scores higher than 39% of 624 charities in this cause** · 72/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is African Cultural Exchange Limited's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2025

Filing date

24 June 2026

Profile reviewed

17 July 2026

Medium confidence — some data missing or late

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 African Cultural Exchange Limited'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.

63/100
| 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. | 0% | 0/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 5 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.

80/100
| 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% | 14 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. | 50% | 5/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 80% | 11% · 4/5 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% | 99% · 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% | 1p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) |

### Community Support

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

30/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 30% | 8 volunteers / 13 staff · 3/10 pts |

[How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

## What is African Cultural Exchange Limited's Clarity Score?

72/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

63/100

Accountability & Transparency

80/100

Financial Health

100/100

Financial Efficiency

30/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

63/100

Filing history (5 years)0/15 pts

Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

80/100

Reserves (months of cash)14 months · 15/15 pts

Income stability / growth5/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets11% · 4/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio99% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency1p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

### Community Support

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

30/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio8 volunteers / 13 staff · 3/10 pts

## How much does African Cultural Exchange Limited raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £789k | — |
| Total expenditure | £611k | — |
| Charitable activities | £607k | 99% |
| Fundraising | £4k | 1% |
| Governance & admin | £4k | 1% |

99%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £611k spent

- Charitable activities99% · £607k
- Fundraising1% · £4k
- Governance1% · £4k

## What trust indicators does African Cultural Exchange Limited have?

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

13 employees · 8 volunteers (1:1 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 1137490

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/1137490)

### Trustees & officers

- PAUL NNONYELU UDENZE Chair
- NIGEL BRYCE GARDNER since 2017
- Vincent Ugboh since 2017
- Denise Marcella Burgundy since 2023
- Amika Barnett since 2024

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 African Cultural Exchange Limited'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 African Cultural Exchange Limited?

Overall score

72/100 (3★)

Income

£789k

Cause spend

99% of expenditure

Reg number

1137490

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

14 months

Trustees

5

Accounts year

2025

Filing

late

## How does AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=african-cultural-exchange-limited) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where AFRICAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE LIMITED sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

- [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts)
- [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education)
- [community charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/community)
- [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children)
- [Charities in Birmingham](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/birmingham)
- [arts charities in Birmingham](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts/birmingham)

### Similar arts & culture charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [HACKNEY QUEST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hackney-quest) 100/100 · £827k
- [COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/common-wealth-theatre-limited) 100/100 · £760k
- [PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pallant-house-gallery) 99/100 · £3.0m
- [CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/create-arts-limited) 99/100 · £1.6m

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## What red flags does African Cultural Exchange Limited have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about African Cultural Exchange Limited's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is African Cultural Exchange Limited a good charity? + African Cultural Exchange Limited scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 99% 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 African Cultural Exchange Limited a legitimate charity? + Yes — African Cultural Exchange Limited is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1137490). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1137490. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is African Cultural Exchange Limited's charity number? + African Cultural Exchange Limited's charity number is 1137490. 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 African Cultural Exchange Limited's charity rating? + African Cultural Exchange Limited scores 72 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 African Cultural Exchange Limited have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for African Cultural Exchange Limited. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (2 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 African Cultural Exchange Limited? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 99% of African Cultural Exchange Limited'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 African Cultural Exchange Limited's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 1% of total expenditure at African Cultural Exchange Limited. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what African Cultural Exchange Limited'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 African Cultural Exchange Limited receive? + African Cultural Exchange Limited reported £789k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are African Cultural Exchange Limited's accounts up to date? + Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is African Cultural Exchange Limited based? + African Cultural Exchange Limited is listed at Birmingham · UK-wide · B5 5SL and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture.

How does CharityCompare score African Cultural Exchange Limited? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in African Cultural Exchange Limited'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 African Cultural Exchange Limited'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.