--- title: "Derby Museums — charity rating & review | CharityCompare" description: "Is Derby Museums a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 79/100. Accounts 2025: income £4.2m · 81% on charitable activities. Reg 1149710." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/derby-museums retrieved: 2026-08-18T04:50:26.636Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Derby Museums a good charity? Derby Museums scores 79/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£4.2m total income, 81% 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. Derby · DE1 1BS | Reg [1149710](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/derby-museums) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.derbymuseums.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1149710) Donate ## How can you give to DERBY MUSEUMS? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official DERBY MUSEUMS form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.derbymuseums.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1149710) ## What does Derby Museums do? Derby Museums is a registered charity (no. 1149710) working in heritage in Derby · DE1 1BS. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 81% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 3 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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 — Derby Museums hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=derby-museums) **In short:** DERBY MUSEUMS scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars). 81% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Derby Museums? Derby Museums has a Clarity Score of 79 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1149710. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Heritage. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £4.2m, with 81% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 3 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 79/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 81% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 75/100 Finance beacon Income £4.2m Latest year 2025 Reserves 3 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £3.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 19% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does DERBY MUSEUMS compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers DERBY MUSEUMS scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)49thpercentile **Scores higher than 49% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 79/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Heritage charities50thpercentile **Scores higher than 50% of 151 charities in this cause** · 79/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Derby Museums'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 Derby Museums'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% | 13 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% | 3 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% | 3% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 65/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 80% | 81% · 8/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 50% | 26p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 60/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 60% | 175 volunteers / 145 staff · 6/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Derby Museums's Clarity Score? 79/100 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 65/100 Financial Efficiency 60/100 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 oversight13 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)3 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 65/100 Program expense ratio81% · 8/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency26p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 60/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio175 volunteers / 145 staff · 6/10 pts ## How much does Derby Museums raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £4.2m | — | | Total expenditure | £4.9m | — | | Charitable activities | £3.9m | 80% | | Fundraising | £963k | 20% | | Governance & admin | £622 | 0% | 80%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £4.9m spent - Charitable activities80% · £3.9m - Fundraising20% · £963k - Governance0% · £622 ## What trust indicators does Derby Museums 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) 13 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 145 employees · 175 volunteers (1:1 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 1149710 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/1149710) ### Trustees & officers - ELIZABETH JANE FOTHERGILL CBE since 2016 - Professor Keith Andrew John McLay since 2018 - Dr Kiron Griffin since 2019 - Charlotte Holmes since 2020 - Andy Finlay since 2021 - Emily Claire Lonsdale since 2022 - Amanda Ellse since 2023 - Paul James Hilsdon since 2023 - Alan Lindsey since 2023 - Clare Foyle since 2023 - Andrew James Taylor since 2025 - Gerald Desmond Potter 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 Derby Museums'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 Derby Museums? Overall score 79/100 (4★) Income £4.2m Cause spend 81% of expenditure Reg number 1149710 Scope Local (derby) Reserves 3 months Trustees 13 Accounts year 2025 Filing late ## How does DERBY MUSEUMS compare, and where else can you look? [Compare DERBY MUSEUMS with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=derby-museums) [More heritage charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/heritage) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where DERBY MUSEUMS sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [heritage charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/heritage) - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [Charities in Derby](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/derby) ### Similar heritage charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [HARTLEBURY CASTLE PRESERVATION TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hartlebury-castle-preservation-trust) 100/100 · £612k - [ST BARTHOLOMEW'S HERITAGE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/st-bartholomew-s-heritage) 99/100 · £5.7m - [JANE AUSTEN'S HOUSE MUSEUM](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/jane-austen-s-house-museum) 98/100 · £2.0m - [MILTON KEYNES MUSEUM TRUST LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/milton-keynes-museum-trust-limited) 98/100 · £763k ## How can you share Derby Museums's rating? 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BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 79/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/derby-museums) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 79/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Derby Museums have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Derby Museums's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Derby Museums a good charity? + Derby Museums scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 81% 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 Derby Museums a legitimate charity? + Yes — Derby Museums is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1149710). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1149710. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Derby Museums's charity number? + Derby Museums's charity number is 1149710. 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 Derby Museums's charity rating? + Derby Museums scores 79 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 Derby Museums have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Derby Museums. 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 Derby Museums? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 81% of Derby Museums'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 Derby Museums's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 19% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 19% of total expenditure at Derby Museums. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Derby Museums'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 Derby Museums receive? + Derby Museums reported £4.2m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: declining. Are Derby Museums'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 Derby Museums based? + Derby Museums is listed at Derby · DE1 1BS, focused on heritage. How does CharityCompare score Derby Museums? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Derby Museums'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 Derby Museums'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.