---
title: "City Year UK — charity rating & review | CharityCompare"
description: "Is City Year UK a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 68/100. Accounts 2025: income £1.7m · 88% on charitable activities. Reg 1131350."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/city-year-uk
retrieved: 2026-08-18T07:31:57.065Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is City Year UK a good charity?

City Year UK scores 68/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£1.7m 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 · N1 9JP |
Reg [1131350](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/city-year-uk) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.cityyear.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1131350)

Donate

## How can you give to CITY YEAR UK?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official CITY YEAR UK form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.cityyear.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1131350)

## What does City Year UK do?

City Year UK is a registered charity (no. 1131350) working in education across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 88% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been declining (≈12% 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 — City Year UK hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=city-year-uk)

**In short:** CITY YEAR UK scores 68 out of 100 (3 stars). 88% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is City Year UK?

City Year UK has a Clarity Score of 68 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1131350. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £1.7m, with 88% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 0 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

68/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

88%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.7m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

0 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£7.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
12% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does CITY YEAR UK compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers CITY YEAR UK scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)21stpercentile

**Scores higher than 21% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 68/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Education charities31stpercentile

**Scores higher than 31% of 579 charities in this cause** · 68/100 vs 74 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is City Year UK'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 City Year UK'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.

100/100
| 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). | 100% | 8 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.

0/100
| 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% | 0 months · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 0% | 0/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 0% | 97% · 0/5 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% | 83 volunteers / 32 staff · 10/10 pts |

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

## What is City Year UK's Clarity Score?

68/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

100/100

Accountability & Transparency

0/100

Financial Health

90/100

Financial Efficiency

100/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

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

100/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts

Trustee oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies10/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

0/100

Reserves (months of cash)0 months · 0/15 pts

Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets97% · 0/5 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 ratio83 volunteers / 32 staff · 10/10 pts

## How much does City Year UK raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £1.7m | — |
| Total expenditure | £2.1m | — |
| Charitable activities | £1.8m | 87% |
| Fundraising | £276k | 13% |
| Governance & admin | £16k | 1% |

87%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £2.1m spent

- Charitable activities87% · £1.8m
- Fundraising13% · £276k
- Governance1% · £16k

## What trust indicators does City Year UK 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)

8 trustees on the Charity Commission register

- ✓ Workforce on register

32 employees · 83 volunteers (3:1 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 1131350

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/1131350)

### Trustees & officers

- ANNMAURA CONNOLLY since 2011
- Rodney Williams since 2018
- Matthew Davies Chair · since 2020
- Kasey Elizabeth Hooper since 2021
- Sachin Jogia since 2021
- James Terry since 2022
- Michael Lynas since 2023
- Stephanie Wu since 2021

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 City Year UK'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 City Year UK?

Overall score

68/100 (3★)

Income

£1.7m

Cause spend

88% of expenditure

Reg number

1131350

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

0 months

Trustees

8

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does CITY YEAR UK compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare CITY YEAR UK with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=city-year-uk) [More education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where CITY YEAR UK 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 London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london)
- [education charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education/london)

### 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

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## How do you add City Year UK's rating to your site?

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## What red flags does City Year UK have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about City Year UK's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is City Year UK a good charity? + City Year UK scores 68 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 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 City Year UK a legitimate charity? + Yes — City Year UK is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1131350). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1131350. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is City Year UK's charity number? + City Year UK's charity number is 1131350. 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 City Year UK's charity rating? + City Year UK scores 68 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 City Year UK have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for City Year UK. 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 City Year UK? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 88% of City Year UK'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 City Year UK's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 12% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 12% of total expenditure at City Year UK. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what City Year UK'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 City Year UK receive? + City Year UK reported £1.7m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining.

Are City Year UK'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 City Year UK based? + City Year UK is listed at London · UK-wide · N1 9JP and operates UK-wide, focused on education.

How does CharityCompare score City Year UK? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in City Year UK'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 City Year UK'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.