--- title: "Launchpad Reading — charity rating & review | CharityCompare" description: "Is Launchpad Reading a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 79/100. Accounts 2025: income £4.7m · 97% on charitable activities. Reg 279859." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/launchpad-reading retrieved: 2026-08-18T04:49:53.117Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Launchpad Reading a good charity? Launchpad Reading scores 79/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£4.7m 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. Reading · RG1 1DT | Reg [279859](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/launchpad-reading) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.launchpadreading.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/279859) Donate ## How can you give to LAUNCHPAD READING? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official LAUNCHPAD READING form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.launchpadreading.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=279859) ## What does Launchpad Reading do? Launchpad Reading is a registered charity (no. 279859) working in poverty relief in Reading · RG1 1DT. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 97% of spending to charitable activities, 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 — Launchpad Reading hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=launchpad-reading) **In short:** LAUNCHPAD READING scores 79 out of 100 (4 stars). 97% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is Launchpad Reading? Launchpad Reading has a Clarity Score of 79 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 279859. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £4.7m, with 97% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. 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 79/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 97% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £4.7m Latest year 2025 Reserves — Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £38.3 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 4% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does LAUNCHPAD READING compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers LAUNCHPAD READING scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)49thpercentile **Scores higher than 49% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 79/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Poverty relief charities47thpercentile **Scores higher than 47% of 1,502 charities in this cause** · 79/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading'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. 100/100 | 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. | 100% | 10/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 43/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | Not stated · 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. | 60% | 23% · 3/5 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% | 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. 60/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 60% | 75 volunteers / 59 staff · 6/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Launchpad Reading's Clarity Score? 79/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 43/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 60/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 100/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 43/100 Reserves (months of cash)Not stated · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets23% · 3/5 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. 60/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio75 volunteers / 59 staff · 6/10 pts ## How much does Launchpad Reading raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £4.7m | — | | Total expenditure | £4.3m | — | | Charitable activities | £4.2m | 98% | | Fundraising | £101k | 2% | | Governance & admin | £16k | 0% | 98%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £4.3m spent - Charitable activities98% · £4.2m - Fundraising2% · £101k - Governance0% · £16k ## What trust indicators does Launchpad Reading 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 59 employees · 75 volunteers (1:1 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 279859 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/279859) ### Trustees & officers - MATT ANDREWS - Hannah Powell Chair · since 2024 - Ian Haslam since 2017 - Philip Jones since 2017 - William Montague since 2017 - Deborah Jane Edwards since 2020 - Alison Wright since 2022 - Amy Brunsdon since 2025 - FIONA JANE HAMMOND since 2024 - Stephen Poland since 2025 - Anna Bailey since 2025 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 Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading? Overall score 79/100 (4★) Income £4.7m Cause spend 97% of expenditure Reg number 279859 Scope Local (reading) Reserves — Trustees 11 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does LAUNCHPAD READING compare, and where else can you look? [Compare LAUNCHPAD READING with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=launchpad-reading) [More poverty relief charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where LAUNCHPAD READING sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [homelessness charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/homelessness) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [community charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/community) - [Charities in Reading](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/reading) - [poverty charities in Reading](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty/reading) ### Similar poverty relief charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [AMOS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/amos-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m - [SUFRA - NW LONDON](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/sufra-nw-london) 100/100 · £1.7m - [WILDERNESS FOUNDATION UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/wilderness-foundation-uk) 100/100 · £1.6m - [BIRMINGHAM CITY MISSION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-city-mission) 100/100 · £1.4m ## How can you share Launchpad Reading'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 79/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/launchpad-reading) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 79/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Launchpad Reading's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Launchpad Reading a good charity? + Launchpad Reading scores 79 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 Launchpad Reading a legitimate charity? + Yes — Launchpad Reading is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 279859). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/279859. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Launchpad Reading's charity number? + Launchpad Reading's charity number is 279859. 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 Launchpad Reading's charity rating? + Launchpad Reading scores 79 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 Launchpad Reading have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Launchpad Reading. 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 Launchpad Reading? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 97% of Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading receive? + Launchpad Reading reported £4.7m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading based? + Launchpad Reading is listed at Reading · RG1 1DT, focused on poverty relief. How does CharityCompare score Launchpad Reading? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Launchpad Reading'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 Launchpad Reading'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.