--- title: "British Humanist Association charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is British Humanist Association a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 90/100. Accounts 2024: income £3.5m · 93% on charitable activities. Reg 285987." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/british-humanist-association retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:02:42.661Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is British Humanist Association a good charity? British Humanist Association scores 90/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£3.5m total income, 93% 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 · EC1N 2SW | Reg [285987](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/british-humanist-association) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.humanism.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/285987) Donate ## How can you give to BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.humanism.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=285987) ## What does British Humanist Association do? British Humanist Association is a registered charity (no. 285987) working in human rights across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 93% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 15 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 — British Humanist Association hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=british-humanist-association) **In short:** BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars). 93% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is British Humanist Association? British Humanist Association has a Clarity Score of 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 285987. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Human rights. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £3.5m, with 93% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 15 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 90/100 5★ · Exceptional Cause spend 93% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 75/100 Finance beacon Income £3.5m Latest year 2024 Reserves 15 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £14.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 8% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)85thpercentile **Scores higher than 85% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 90/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Human rights charities90thpercentile **Scores higher than 90% of 146 charities in this cause** · 90/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is British Humanist Association'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 British Humanist Association'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. | 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% | 16 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. 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% | 15 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% | 4% · 5/5 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% | 93% · 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% | 7p 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% | 602 volunteers / 43 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is British Humanist Association's Clarity Score? 90/100 total · Exceptional · 5 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 100/100 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)5/15 pts Trustee oversight16 trustees · 15/15 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)15 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets4% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio93% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency7p 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 ratio602 volunteers / 43 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does British Humanist Association raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £3.5m | — | | Total expenditure | £3.7m | — | | Charitable activities | £3.4m | 93% | | Fundraising | £241k | 7% | | Governance & admin | £14k | 0% | 93%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £3.7m spent - Charitable activities93% · £3.4m - Fundraising7% · £241k - Governance0% · £14k ## What trust indicators does British Humanist Association 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) 16 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 43 employees · 602 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 285987 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/285987) ### Trustees & officers - Emma Shepherd since 2019 - David Iain Deboys since 2020 - Charley Jarrett since 2022 - Professor Simon Walker-Samuel since 2022 - Andrew Russell since 2022 - Kate West since 2023 - Roland Arthur Davis since 2023 - Dr John Olusegun Adenitire since 2023 - Tamar Ghosh since 2024 - Amy Walden since 2024 - Nicole Maxine Saunders since 2025 - Kay Jones 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 British Humanist Association'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 British Humanist Association? Overall score 90/100 (5★) Income £3.5m Cause spend 93% of expenditure Reg number 285987 Scope UK-wide Reserves 15 months Trustees 16 Accounts year 2024 Filing late ## How does BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION compare, and where else can you look? [Compare BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=british-humanist-association) [More human rights charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/human-rights) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where BRITISH HUMANIST ASSOCIATION sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [human rights charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/human-rights) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [human rights charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/human-rights/london) ### Similar human rights charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [CENTRE FOR WOMEN'S JUSTICE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/centre-for-women-s-justice) 99/100 · £987k - [THE 93 PERCENT CLUB FOUNDATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-93-percent-club-foundation) 97/100 · £773k - [THE MOTHERHOOD PLAN](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-motherhood-plan) 97/100 · £764k - [LGB ALLIANCE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/lgb-alliance) 97/100 · £551k ## How can you share British Humanist Association's rating? 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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](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 90/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/british-humanist-association) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 90/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does British Humanist Association have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about British Humanist Association's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is British Humanist Association a good charity? + British Humanist Association scores 90 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 93% 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 British Humanist Association a legitimate charity? + Yes — British Humanist Association is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 285987). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/285987. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is British Humanist Association's charity number? + British Humanist Association's charity number is 285987. 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 British Humanist Association's charity rating? + British Humanist Association scores 90 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). 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 British Humanist Association have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for British Humanist Association. 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 British Humanist Association? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 93% of British Humanist Association'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 British Humanist Association's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 7% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 8% of total expenditure at British Humanist Association. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what British Humanist Association'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 British Humanist Association receive? + British Humanist Association reported £3.5m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are British Humanist Association'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 British Humanist Association based? + British Humanist Association is listed at London · UK-wide · EC1N 2SW and operates UK-wide, focused on human rights. How does CharityCompare score British Humanist Association? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in British Humanist Association'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 British Humanist Association'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.