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Forward Thinking

Charity rating & review

86/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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86 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Forward Thinking a good charity?

Forward Thinking scores 86/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£966k total income, 100% 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 · SW1P 4QP Reg 1105206 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Forward Thinking do?

Forward Thinking is a registered charity (no. 1105206) working in human rights across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 8 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈14% 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 — Forward Thinking hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: FORWARD THINKING scores 86 out of 100 (4 stars). 100% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Forward Thinking?

Forward Thinking has a Clarity Score of 86 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1105206. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Human rights. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £966k, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 8 months of operating costs. No major red flags from our filing review. Scores are independent and based on official filings — not a donation recommendation.

Data from Charity Commission register, last updated .

Overall score

86/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

100%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£966k

Latest year 2025

Reserves

8 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

Fundraising efficiency not stated · 11% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does FORWARD THINKING compare?

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)66thpercentile

Scores higher than 66% of 2,187 charities in its income band · 86/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).

Human rights charities74thpercentile

Scores higher than 74% of 146 charities in this cause · 86/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Forward Thinking's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
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 Forward Thinking'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 FORWARD THINKING
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.

97/100

Financial Health metrics for FORWARD THINKING
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% 8 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.

80% 12% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for FORWARD THINKING
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 100% · 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% 0p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for FORWARD THINKING
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 Forward Thinking's Clarity Score?

86/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
97/100
Financial Health
100/100
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.

97/100

Reserves (months of cash)8 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets12% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio100% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency0p per £1 income · 10/10 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 Forward Thinking raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

FORWARD THINKING revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £966k
Total expenditure £698k
Charitable activities £698k 100%
Governance & admin £80k 11%
100%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £698k spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance11%

What trust indicators does Forward Thinking 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 1105206

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • MR CHRIS DONNELLY
  • MICHAEL HOLLAND
  • WILLIAM MATTHEW TIMOTHY SIEGHART Chair
  • Francis Campbell since 2014
  • Laurence Justin Dowley since 2019
  • Jeremy Quentin Greenstock since 2019
  • Dympna May since 2021
  • Christopher Paul Bake since 2024
  • Professor Cav. Simon David Mordant AO since 2025
  • Samuel George William Holland since 2025
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 Forward Thinking's finances changed over five years?

£0k £300k £600k £900k £1200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £563k Spending 2021: £604k Cause spend 2021: £604k Income 2022: £623k Spending 2022: £815k Cause spend 2022: £815k Income 2023: £573k Spending 2023: £702k Cause spend 2023: £702k Income 2024: £737k Spending 2024: £601k Cause spend 2024: £601k Income 2025: £966k Spending 2025: £698k Cause spend 2025: £698k
  • 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 Forward Thinking?

Overall score
86/100 (4★)
Income
£966k
Cause spend
100% of expenditure
Reg number
1105206
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
8 months
Trustees
10
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where FORWARD THINKING sits

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

Similar human rights charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Forward Thinking's rating?

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Forward Thinking's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Forward Thinking a good charity? +

Forward Thinking scores 86 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 100% 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 Forward Thinking a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Forward Thinking is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1105206). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1105206. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Forward Thinking's charity number? +

Forward Thinking's charity number is 1105206. 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 Forward Thinking's charity rating? +

Forward Thinking scores 86 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 Forward Thinking have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Forward Thinking. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts. For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate.

How much of my donation reaches Forward Thinking? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 100% of Forward Thinking'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 Forward Thinking's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 11% of total expenditure at Forward Thinking. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Forward Thinking'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 Forward Thinking receive? +

Forward Thinking reported £966k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Forward Thinking'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 Forward Thinking based? +

Forward Thinking is listed at London · UK-wide · SW1P 4QP and operates UK-wide, focused on human rights.

How does CharityCompare score Forward Thinking? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Forward Thinking'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 Forward Thinking'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.