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Esmee Fairbairn Foundation

Charity rating & review

62/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
62 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Quick answer

Is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation a good charity?

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation scores 62/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£9.5m total income, 94% 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 9JY Reg 200051 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Esmee Fairbairn Foundation do?

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is a registered charity (no. 200051) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 94% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 274 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈19% 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 — Esmee Fairbairn Foundation hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION scores 62 out of 100 (3 stars). 94% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation?

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation has a Clarity Score of 62 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 200051. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £9.5m, with 94% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 274 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, last updated .

Overall score

62/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

94%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£9.5m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

274 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£2.5 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 6% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION scores higher than.

Income band (£5m–£10m)12thpercentile

Scores higher than 12% of 619 charities in its income band · 62/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Poverty relief charities13thpercentile

Scores higher than 13% of 1,502 charities in this cause · 62/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2024
Filing date
Profile reviewed

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, Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and Charity Commission for Northern Ireland. Open Government Licence v3.0 .

What is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation'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.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION
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% 10 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

50/100

Financial Health metrics for ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION
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% 274 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.

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% 6% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

50/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below.

100% 94% · 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).

0% 40p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's Clarity Score?

62/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
50/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight10 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)274 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets6% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

50/100

Program expense ratio94% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency40p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratioNot reported · 0/10 pts

How much does Esmee Fairbairn Foundation raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £9.5m
Total expenditure £56m
Charitable activities £53m 94%
Fundraising £3.3m 6%
94%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £56m spent

  • Charitable activities94%
  • Fundraising6%

What trust indicators does Esmee Fairbairn Foundation have?

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing

  • Trustee board size (3–12)

    10 trustees on the Charity Commission register

Fundraising Regulator

Status not yet checked

Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.

Check Fundraising Regulator →

Official register

Reg 200051

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • BEATRICE HANNAH MILLICENT HOLLOND Chair · since 2009
  • Edward Bonham Carter since 2017
  • Professor David Hill since 2017
  • Professor Claire Elice Alexander since 2021
  • Dr Wanda Wyporska since 2021
  • Dame Clare Moriarty since 2023
  • Elspeth Jones since 2023
  • Mary Ann Sieghart since 2023
  • Gautham Radhakrishnan since 2024
  • Harriet Manners since 2026
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 →

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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's finances changed over five years?

£0k £16700k £33400k £50100k £66800k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £4,790k Spending 2020: £59,827k Cause spend 2020: £56,528k Income 2021: £5,077k Spending 2021: £58,437k Cause spend 2021: £54,945k Income 2022: £7,209k Spending 2022: £44,422k Cause spend 2022: £41,117k Income 2023: £8,416k Spending 2023: £66,525k Cause spend 2023: £63,235k Income 2024: £9,483k Spending 2024: £56,416k Cause spend 2024: £53,144k
  • 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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation?

Overall score
62/100 (3★)
Income
£9.5m
Cause spend
94% of expenditure
Reg number
200051
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
274 months
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where ESMEE FAIRBAIRN FOUNDATION sits

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

Similar poverty relief charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's rating?

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How do you add Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's rating to your site?

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What red flags does Esmee Fairbairn Foundation have?

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation a good charity? +

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation scores 62 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 94% 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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 200051). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/200051. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's charity number? +

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's charity number is 200051. 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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's charity rating? +

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation scores 62 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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. 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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 94% of Esmee Fairbairn Foundation'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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 6% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 6% of total expenditure at Esmee Fairbairn Foundation. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Esmee Fairbairn Foundation'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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation receive? +

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation reported £9.5m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Esmee Fairbairn Foundation'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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation based? +

Esmee Fairbairn Foundation is listed at London · UK-wide · N1 9JY and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief.

How does CharityCompare score Esmee Fairbairn Foundation? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Esmee Fairbairn Foundation'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 Esmee Fairbairn Foundation'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.