--- title: "Catholic Agency for Overseas Devel… rating | CharityCompare" description: "Catholic Agency for Overseas Development scores 66/100 (Needs improvement). Latest accounts 2025: income £56m · 88% on charitable activities. Reg 1160384." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/catholic-agency-for-overseas-development retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:03:05.696Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Catholic Agency for Overseas Development a good charity? Catholic Agency for Overseas Development scores 66/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£56m total income, 88% 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 · SE1 7JB | Reg [1160384](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/catholic-agency-for-overseas-development) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.cafod.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160384) Donate ## How can you give to CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.cafod.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1160384) ## What does Catholic Agency for Overseas Development do? Catholic Agency for Overseas Development is a registered charity (no. 1160384) working in international aid across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 88% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month 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 — Catholic Agency for Overseas Development hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=catholic-agency-for-overseas-development) **In short:** CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT scores 66 out of 100 (3 stars). 88% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Catholic Agency for Overseas Development? Catholic Agency for Overseas Development has a Clarity Score of 66 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1160384. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £56m, with 88% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 1 month 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 66/100 3★ · Needs improvement Cause spend 88% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 75/100 Finance beacon Income £56m Latest year 2025 Reserves 1 mo 1 month of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £8.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 13% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT scores higher than. Income band (£10m+)17thpercentile **Scores higher than 17% of 943 charities in its income band** · 66/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). International aid charities23rdpercentile **Scores higher than 23% of 618 charities in this cause** · 66/100 vs 75 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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% | 14 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. 27/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 33% | 1 month · 5/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 10% | 1/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 40% | 36% · 2/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 90/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 90% | 88% · 9/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 90% | 13p per £1 income · 9/10 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% | 2,048 volunteers / 378 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's Clarity Score? 66/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 75/100 Accountability & Transparency 27/100 Financial Health 90/100 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 oversight14 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 27/100 Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts Income stability / growth1/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets36% · 2/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 90/100 Program expense ratio88% · 9/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency13p per £1 income · 9/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio2,048 volunteers / 378 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Catholic Agency for Overseas Development raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £56m | — | | Total expenditure | £51m | — | | Charitable activities | £43m | 86% | | Fundraising | £7.3m | 14% | | Governance & admin | £541k | 1% | 86%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £51m spent - Charitable activities86% · £43m - Fundraising14% · £7.3m - Governance1% · £541k ## What trust indicators does Catholic Agency for Overseas Development 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) 14 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 378 employees · 2,048 volunteers (5:1 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 1160384 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/1160384) ### Trustees & officers - DOMINIC JERMEY OBE CVO since 2016 - Mary Veronica Ward since 2017 - Professor Karen Kilby since 2017 - Rev Mark Odion since 2019 - Rt Rev Stephen James Lawrence Wright Chair · since 2021 - Rev George Dhanasegaran Sigamoney since 2021 - Rosanne Mary Beatrix Kay since 2021 - Gabriela Flores Zavala since 2021 - Graham O'Sullivan since 2023 - George William Fitzsimons since 2023 - Maveen Pereira since 2023 - Rev Tom Neylon Bishop since 2023 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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development? Overall score 66/100 (3★) Income £56m Cause spend 88% of expenditure Reg number 1160384 Scope UK-wide Reserves 1 month Trustees 14 Accounts year 2025 Filing late ## How does CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT compare, and where else can you look? [Compare CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=catholic-agency-for-overseas-development) [More international aid charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where CATHOLIC AGENCY FOR OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [international charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [homelessness charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/homelessness) - [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [international charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international/london) ### Similar international aid charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [THE ZAHRA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-zahra-trust) 100/100 · £5.9m - [ORISON CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orison-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.8m - [HELP THE NEEDY CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/help-the-needy-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m - [MAJLIS ANSARULLAH (UK) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/majlis-ansarullah-uk-ltd) 100/100 · £1.9m ## How can you share Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's rating? 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For this charity ## How do you add Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 66/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/catholic-agency-for-overseas-development) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 66/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Catholic Agency for Overseas Development have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Catholic Agency for Overseas Development a good charity? + Catholic Agency for Overseas Development scores 66 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 88% 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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development a legitimate charity? + Yes — Catholic Agency for Overseas Development is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1160384). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1160384. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's charity number? + Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's charity number is 1160384. 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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's charity rating? + Catholic Agency for Overseas Development scores 66 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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. 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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 88% of Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 12% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 13% of total expenditure at Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development receive? + Catholic Agency for Overseas Development reported £56m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development based? + Catholic Agency for Overseas Development is listed at London · UK-wide · SE1 7JB and operates UK-wide, focused on international aid. How does CharityCompare score Catholic Agency for Overseas Development? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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 Catholic Agency for Overseas Development'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.