--- title: "Institution of Royal Engineers rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is Institution of Royal Engineers a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 93/100. Accounts 2025: income £622k · 99% on charitable activities. Reg 249882." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/institution-of-royal-engineers retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:10:02.189Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Institution of Royal Engineers a good charity? Institution of Royal Engineers scores 93/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£622k total income, 99% 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. United Kingdom | Reg [249882](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/institution-of-royal-engineers) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.instre.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/249882) Donate ## How can you give to INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.instre.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=249882) ## What does Institution of Royal Engineers do? Institution of Royal Engineers is a registered charity (no. 249882) working in armed forces across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 99% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 26 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈7% 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 — Institution of Royal Engineers hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=institution-of-royal-engineers) **In short:** INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS scores 93 out of 100 (5 stars). 99% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is Institution of Royal Engineers? Institution of Royal Engineers has a Clarity Score of 93 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 249882. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Armed forces. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £622k, with 99% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 26 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 93/100 5★ · Exceptional Cause spend 99% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 90/100 Finance beacon Income £622k Latest year 2025 Reserves 26 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £74.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)85thpercentile **Scores higher than 85% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 93/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Armed forces charities96thpercentile **Scores higher than 96% of 84 charities in this cause** · 93/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Institution of Royal Engineers'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 Institution of Royal Engineers'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. 90/100 | 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% | 11 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 60% | 6/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 90/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 93% | 26 months · 14/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 80% | 8/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 1% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 99% · 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% | 1p per £1 income · 10/10 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% | 52 volunteers / 6 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Institution of Royal Engineers's Clarity Score? 93/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 90/100 Accountability & Transparency 90/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 90/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies6/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 90/100 Reserves (months of cash)26 months · 14/15 pts Income stability / growth8/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio99% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency1p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio52 volunteers / 6 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Institution of Royal Engineers raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £622k | — | | Total expenditure | £574k | — | | Charitable activities | £573k | 100% | | Fundraising | £1k | 0% | 100%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £574k spent - Charitable activities100% · £573k - Fundraising0% · £1k ## What trust indicators does Institution of Royal Engineers 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) 11 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 6 employees · 52 volunteers (9:1 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 249882 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/249882) ### Trustees & officers - MAJOR GENERAL DAVID WILLIAM SOUTHALL CBE since 2020 - COLONEL JONATHAN LAYTON PRICHARD KVRM since 2020 - Brig James David Webster since 2022 - Colonel Simon Justin Graham since 2024 - Brigadier Peter Thomas Quaite OBE since 2024 - Colonel Alexander John Harris since 2024 - Brigadier James Douglas Stuart since 2025 - COLONEL DANIEL HALL VR since 2025 - MAJOR GENERAL ANDREW JOHN WINGATE STURROCK since 2026 - COLONEL GUY STUART CHEESMAN ADC since 2026 - CORPS SERGEANT MAJOR CRAIG SMITH since 2026 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 Institution of Royal Engineers'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 Institution of Royal Engineers? Overall score 93/100 (5★) Income £622k Cause spend 99% of expenditure Reg number 249882 Scope UK-wide Reserves 26 months Trustees 11 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS compare, and where else can you look? [Compare INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=institution-of-royal-engineers) [More armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where INSTITUTION OF ROYAL ENGINEERS sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) ### Similar armed forces charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [ROYAL NAVAL SAILING ASSOCIATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-naval-sailing-association) 99/100 · £782k - [THE ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION - CORPORATE BODY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-air-forces-association-corporate-body) 98/100 · £22m - [ARMY FLYING MUSEUM LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/army-flying-museum-limited) 96/100 · £1.3m - [CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/care-of-police-survivors) 93/100 · £661k ## How can you share Institution of Royal Engineers's rating? 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Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 93/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/institution-of-royal-engineers) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 93/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Institution of Royal Engineers's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Institution of Royal Engineers a good charity? + Institution of Royal Engineers scores 93 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 99% 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 Institution of Royal Engineers a legitimate charity? + Yes — Institution of Royal Engineers is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 249882). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/249882. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Institution of Royal Engineers's charity number? + Institution of Royal Engineers's charity number is 249882. 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 Institution of Royal Engineers's charity rating? + Institution of Royal Engineers scores 93 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). 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 Institution of Royal Engineers have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Institution of Royal Engineers. 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 Institution of Royal Engineers? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 99% of Institution of Royal Engineers'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 Institution of Royal Engineers's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 1% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 1% of total expenditure at Institution of Royal Engineers. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Institution of Royal Engineers'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 Institution of Royal Engineers receive? + Institution of Royal Engineers reported £622k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Institution of Royal Engineers'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 Institution of Royal Engineers based? + Institution of Royal Engineers is listed at United Kingdom and operates UK-wide, focused on armed forces. How does CharityCompare score Institution of Royal Engineers? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Institution of Royal Engineers'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 Institution of Royal Engineers'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.