--- title: "Austin Friars — charity rating & review | CharityCompare" description: "Is Austin Friars a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 55/100. Accounts 2024: income £5.4m · 95% on charitable activities. Reg 516289." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/austin-friars retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:27:25.685Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Austin Friars a good charity? Austin Friars scores 55/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£5.4m total income, 95% 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. Carlisle · CA3 9PB | Reg [516289](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/austin-friars) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.austinfriars.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/516289) Donate ## How can you give to AUSTIN FRIARS? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official AUSTIN FRIARS form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.austinfriars.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=516289) ## What does Austin Friars do? Austin Friars is a registered charity (no. 516289) working in education in Carlisle · CA3 9PB. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 95% of spending to charitable activities, 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 — Austin Friars hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=austin-friars) **In short:** AUSTIN FRIARS scores 55 out of 100 (2 stars). 95% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Austin Friars? Austin Friars has a Clarity Score of 55 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 516289. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £5.4m, with 95% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. 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 55/100 2★ · Poor Cause spend 95% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 60/100 Finance beacon Income £5.4m Latest year 2024 Reserves — Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £145.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does AUSTIN FRIARS compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers AUSTIN FRIARS scores higher than. Income band (£5m–£10m)6thpercentile **Scores higher than 6% of 619 charities in its income band** · 55/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Education charities10thpercentile **Scores higher than 10% of 579 charities in this cause** · 55/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Austin Friars's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2024 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 Austin Friars'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. 60/100 | 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. | 33% | 5/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 10 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 40% | 4/10 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 = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 0/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 90% | 9/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 20% | 52% · 1/5 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% | 95% · 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. 10/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 10% | 12 volunteers / 92 staff · 1/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Austin Friars's Clarity Score? 55/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 60/100 Accountability & Transparency 33/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 10/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 60/100 Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts Trustee oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies4/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 33/100 Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth9/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets52% · 1/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio95% · 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. 10/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio12 volunteers / 92 staff · 1/10 pts ## How much does Austin Friars raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £5.4m | — | | Total expenditure | £5.4m | — | | Charitable activities | £5.2m | 96% | | Fundraising | £8k | 0% | | Governance & admin | £32k | 1% | 96%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £5.4m spent - Charitable activities96% · £5.2m - Fundraising0% · £8k - Governance1% · £32k - Other spending3% · £165k ## What trust indicators does Austin Friars 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) 10 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 92 employees · 12 volunteers (0:1 volunteer-to-staff) Fundraising Regulator Not listed as member 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 516289 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/516289) ### Trustees & officers - FR Ian Wilson since 2013 - Philip Elder since 2020 - Sean Mitton since 2020 - EWEN SWINTON since 2023 - Mhairi Roberts since 2023 - Samantha Meakin since 2023 - Lauren Graham since 2024 - Stephen Bolger since 2025 - Christopher Bull since 2025 - Michelle Byrne 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 Austin Friars'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 Austin Friars? Overall score 55/100 (2★) Income £5.4m Cause spend 95% of expenditure Reg number 516289 Scope Local (carlisle) Reserves — Trustees 10 Accounts year 2024 Filing late ## How does AUSTIN FRIARS compare, and where else can you look? [Compare AUSTIN FRIARS with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=austin-friars) [More education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where AUSTIN FRIARS sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children) - [Charities in Carlisle](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/carlisle) ### Similar education charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [CHAPTER ONE (U.K.) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/chapter-one-u-k-ltd) 100/100 · £1.8m - [SCHOOL IN A BAG](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/school-in-a-bag) 100/100 · £600k - [THE BEN KINSELLA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-ben-kinsella-trust) 100/100 · £596k - [EALING AND HOUNSLOW COMMUNITY VOLUNTARY SERVICE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/ealing-and-hounslow-community-voluntary-service) 99/100 · £953k ## How can you share Austin Friars's rating? 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BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 55/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/austin-friars) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 55/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Austin Friars have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Austin Friars's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Austin Friars a good charity? + Austin Friars scores 55 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 95% 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 Austin Friars a legitimate charity? + Yes — Austin Friars is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 516289). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/516289. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Austin Friars's charity number? + Austin Friars's charity number is 516289. 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 Austin Friars's charity rating? + Austin Friars scores 55 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Austin Friars have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Austin Friars. 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 Austin Friars? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 95% of Austin Friars'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 Austin Friars's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 1% of total expenditure at Austin Friars. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Austin Friars'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 Austin Friars receive? + Austin Friars reported £5.4m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Austin Friars'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 Austin Friars based? + Austin Friars is listed at Carlisle · CA3 9PB, focused on education. How does CharityCompare score Austin Friars? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Austin Friars'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 Austin Friars'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.