---
title: "Bath Royal Literary and Scientific… rating | CharityCompare"
description: "Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution scores 84/100 (Good). Latest accounts 2025: income £457k · 65% on charitable activities. Reg 304477."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/bath-royal-literary-and-scientific-institution
retrieved: 2026-08-18T05:42:57.139Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution a good charity?

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution scores 84/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£457k total income, 65% 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.

Bath · BA1 2HN |
Reg [304477](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/bath-royal-literary-and-scientific-institution) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.brlsi.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/304477)

Donate

## How can you give to BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.brlsi.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=304477)

## What does Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution do?

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is a registered charity (no. 304477) working in environment in Bath · BA1 2HN. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 65% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 8 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈7% 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 — Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=bath-royal-literary-and-scientific-institution)

**In short:** BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars). 65% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution?

Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution has a Clarity Score of 84 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 304477. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Environment. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £457k, with 65% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 8 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

84/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

65%

latest year · charitable activities

Accountability

75/100

Finance beacon

Income

£457k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

8 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£8.4 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) ·
12% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION scores higher than.

Income band (£100k–£500k)83rdpercentile

**Scores higher than 83% of 972 charities in its income band** · 84/100 vs 70 peer average (marker).

Environment charities71stpercentile

**Scores higher than 71% of 460 charities in this cause** · 84/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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.

75/100
| 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). | 33% | 1 trustee · 5/15 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.

100/100
| 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% | 8 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. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 5% · 5/5 pts |

### Financial Efficiency

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

70/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 40% | 65% · 4/10 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% | 8p per £1 income · 10/10 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% | 100 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts |

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

## What is Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's Clarity Score?

84/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

75/100

Accountability & Transparency

100/100

Financial Health

70/100

Financial Efficiency

100/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

75/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight1 trustee · 5/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

100/100

Reserves (months of cash)8 months · 15/15 pts

Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets5% · 5/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

70/100

Program expense ratio65% · 4/10 pts (3-year average)

Fundraising efficiency8p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

### Community Support

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

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio100 volunteers / 7 staff · 10/10 pts

## How much does Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £457k | — |
| Total expenditure | £579k | — |
| Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — |

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £579k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split.

## What trust indicators does Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution 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)

1 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

7 employees · 100 volunteers (14:1 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 304477

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/304477)

### Trustees & officers

- Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution Trustees since 1993

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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution?

Overall score

84/100 (4★)

Income

£457k

Cause spend

65% of expenditure

Reg number

304477

Scope

Local (bath)

Reserves

8 months

Trustees

1

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=bath-royal-literary-and-scientific-institution) [More environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where BATH ROYAL LITERARY AND SCIENTIFIC INSTITUTION sits

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

- [environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment)
- [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts)
- [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education)
- [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children)
- [Charities in Bath](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/bath)

### Similar environment charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [ESSEX AND SUFFOLK RIVERS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/essex-and-suffolk-rivers-trust) 100/100 · £963k
- [GREAT WESTERN SOCIETY LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/great-western-society-limited) 99/100 · £3.9m
- [THE MID-NORFOLK RAILWAY PRESERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-mid-norfolk-railway-preservation-trust) 99/100 · £2.5m
- [THE SHARPHAM TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-sharpham-trust) 99/100 · £2.2m

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## What red flags does Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution a good charity? + Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 65% 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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution a legitimate charity? + Yes — Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 304477). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/304477. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's charity number? + Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's charity number is 304477. 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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's charity rating? + Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution scores 84 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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. 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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 65% of Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's total spending went to charitable activities. 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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 35% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 12% of total expenditure at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution receive? + Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution reported £457k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution based? + Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution is listed at Bath · BA1 2HN, focused on environment.

How does CharityCompare score Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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 Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution'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.