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Institute for Voluntary Action Research

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82/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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82 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Institute for Voluntary Action Research a good charity?

Institute for Voluntary Action Research scores 82/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£1.0m total income, 97% 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 · SE115RR Reg 1114403 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Institute for Voluntary Action Research do?

Institute for Voluntary Action Research is a registered charity (no. 1114403) working in education across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 97% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 3 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. 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 — Institute for Voluntary Action Research hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH scores 82 out of 100 (4 stars). 97% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Institute for Voluntary Action Research?

Institute for Voluntary Action Research has a Clarity Score of 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1114403. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £1.0m, with 97% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 3 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

82/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

97%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£1.0m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

3 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£33.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)59thpercentile

Scores higher than 59% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 82/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Education charities68thpercentile

Scores higher than 68% of 579 charities in this cause · 82/100 vs 74 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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 INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH
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.

70% 7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

83/100

Financial Health metrics for INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH
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.

0% 56% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 97% · 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% 3p 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 INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH
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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research's Clarity Score?

82/100 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
83/100
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 oversight8 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

83/100

Reserves (months of cash)3 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets56% · 0/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio97% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency3p 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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £1.0m
Total expenditure £968k
Charitable activities £937k 97%
Fundraising £31k 3%
Governance & admin £12k 1%
97%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £968k spent

  • Charitable activities97%
  • Fundraising3%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does Institute for Voluntary Action Research 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)

    8 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 1114403

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • TIMOTHY EDWARD JONES since 2012
  • Sam Brier since 2015
  • Rosa Ninella Powloski since 2019
  • Kamna Muralidharan Chair · since 2020
  • Palmela Witter since 2020
  • Anneessa Mahmood since 2020
  • Ruth Stephens since 2022
  • Andre Delano Clarke since 2022
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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research's finances changed over five years?

£0k £300k £600k £900k £1200k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £1,020k Spending 2021: £828k Cause spend 2021: £809k Income 2022: £805k Spending 2022: £865k Cause spend 2022: £839k Income 2023: £833k Spending 2023: £894k Cause spend 2023: £868k Income 2024: £905k Spending 2024: £940k Cause spend 2024: £914k Income 2025: £1,023k Spending 2025: £968k Cause spend 2025: £937k
  • 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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research?

Overall score
82/100 (4★)
Income
£1.0m
Cause spend
97% of expenditure
Reg number
1114403
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
3 months
Trustees
8
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where INSTITUTE FOR VOLUNTARY ACTION RESEARCH sits

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

Similar education charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Institute for Voluntary Action Research's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Institute for Voluntary Action Research a good charity? +

Institute for Voluntary Action Research scores 82 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 97% 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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Institute for Voluntary Action Research is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1114403). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1114403. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Institute for Voluntary Action Research's charity number? +

Institute for Voluntary Action Research's charity number is 1114403. 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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research's charity rating? +

Institute for Voluntary Action Research scores 82 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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Institute for Voluntary Action Research. 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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 97% of Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research's overheads? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 3% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 4% of total expenditure at Institute for Voluntary Action Research. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research receive? +

Institute for Voluntary Action Research reported £1.0m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.

Are Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research based? +

Institute for Voluntary Action Research is listed at London · UK-wide · SE115RR and operates UK-wide, focused on education.

How does CharityCompare score Institute for Voluntary Action Research? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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 Institute for Voluntary Action Research'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.