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Justice Defenders

Charity rating & review

64/100 Clarity Score · 3 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
64 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Quick answer

Is Justice Defenders a good charity?

Justice Defenders scores 64/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£2.1m total income, 91% 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 · CR0 1AA Reg 1121764 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Justice Defenders do?

Justice Defenders is a registered charity (no. 1121764) working in international aid in London · CR0 1AA. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 91% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈8% 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 — Justice Defenders hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: JUSTICE DEFENDERS scores 64 out of 100 (3 stars). 91% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

What is Justice Defenders?

Justice Defenders has a Clarity Score of 64 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1121764. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £2.1m, with 91% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 1 month 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

64/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

91%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.1m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

1 mo

1 month of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£14.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 10% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does JUSTICE DEFENDERS compare?

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

Income band (£1m–£5m)15thpercentile

Scores higher than 15% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 64/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

International aid charities18thpercentile

Scores higher than 18% of 618 charities in this cause · 64/100 vs 75 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Justice Defenders'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 Justice Defenders'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 JUSTICE DEFENDERS
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% 4 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.

23/100

Financial Health metrics for JUSTICE DEFENDERS
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

33% 1 month · 5/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

0% 0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

40% 31% · 2/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for JUSTICE DEFENDERS
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

100% 91% · 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% 8p 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 JUSTICE DEFENDERS
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 Justice Defenders's Clarity Score?

64/100 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
23/100
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 oversight4 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

23/100

Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts
Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets31% · 2/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio91% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency8p 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 Justice Defenders raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

JUSTICE DEFENDERS revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £2.1m
Total expenditure £2.3m
Charitable activities £2.0m 90%
Fundraising £234k 10%
Governance & admin £10k 0%
90%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £2.3m spent

  • Charitable activities90%
  • Fundraising10%
  • Governance0%

What trust indicators does Justice Defenders 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)

    4 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 1121764

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Luis Franceschi Chair · since 2024
  • Janet Lintott since 2024
  • JONATHAN STEWART PHILIP COULSON since 2024
  • Ruth Ibegbuna 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 Justice Defenders's finances changed over five years?

£0k £1300k £2600k £3900k £5200k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £1,575k Spending 2020: £1,515k Cause spend 2020: £1,296k Income 2021: £2,455k Spending 2021: £1,831k Cause spend 2021: £1,597k Income 2022: £5,108k Spending 2022: £2,495k Cause spend 2022: £2,230k Income 2023: £2,873k Spending 2023: £2,616k Cause spend 2023: £2,426k Income 2024: £2,122k Spending 2024: £2,275k Cause spend 2024: £2,041k
  • 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 Justice Defenders?

Overall score
64/100 (3★)
Income
£2.1m
Cause spend
91% of expenditure
Reg number
1121764
Scope
Local (london)
Reserves
1 month
Trustees
4
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where JUSTICE DEFENDERS sits

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

Similar international aid charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Justice Defenders's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Justice Defenders a good charity? +

Justice Defenders scores 64 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 91% 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 Justice Defenders a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Justice Defenders is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1121764). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1121764. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Justice Defenders's charity number? +

Justice Defenders's charity number is 1121764. 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 Justice Defenders's charity rating? +

Justice Defenders scores 64 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 Justice Defenders have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Justice Defenders. 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 Justice Defenders? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 91% of Justice Defenders'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 Justice Defenders's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 9% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 10% of total expenditure at Justice Defenders. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Justice Defenders'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 Justice Defenders receive? +

Justice Defenders reported £2.1m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Justice Defenders'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 Justice Defenders based? +

Justice Defenders is listed at London · CR0 1AA, focused on international aid.

How does CharityCompare score Justice Defenders? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Justice Defenders'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 Justice Defenders'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.