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Mission Aviation Fellowship UK

Charity rating & review

94/100 Clarity Score · 5 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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94 /100

Clarity score

Exceptional

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Quick answer

Is Mission Aviation Fellowship UK a good charity?

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK scores 94/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its Charity Commission filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£17m total income, 82% 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.

Canterbury · UK-wide · CT20 2TQ Reg 1064598 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK is a registered charity (no. 1064598) working in international aid across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 82% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈6% 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.

In short: MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK scores 94 out of 100 (5 stars). 82% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

Overview

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK has a Clarity Score of 94 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1064598. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £17m, with 82% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 4 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

94/100

5★ · Exceptional

Cause spend

82%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£17m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

4 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£5.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 18% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK compares

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)97thpercentile

Scores higher than 97% of 943 charities in its income band · 94/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

International aid charities94thpercentile

Scores higher than 94% of 618 charities in this cause · 94/100 vs 75 peer average (marker).

Data & confidence

Source
Charity Commission (E&W)
Accounts year
2025
Filing date
Profile reviewed

High confidence — complete filing data

Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.

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 .

Beacon report

Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.

Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

100/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK
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% 7 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.

97/100

Financial Health metrics for MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK
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% 4 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% 11% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

80% 82% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency

≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income).

70% 19p per £1 income · 7/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Community Support metrics for MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between.

100% 429 volunteers / 104 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

94/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars

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

100/100
Accountability & Transparency
97/100
Financial Health
75/100
Financial Efficiency
100/100
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 oversight7 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

97/100

Reserves (months of cash)4 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets11% · 4/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Program expense ratio82% · 8/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency19p per £1 income · 7/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

100/100

Volunteer-to-staff ratio429 volunteers / 104 staff · 10/10 pts

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP UK revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £17m
Total expenditure £18m
Charitable activities £14m 80%
Fundraising £3.5m 20%
Governance & admin £30k 0%
80%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2025) · £18m spent

  • Charitable activities80%
  • Fundraising20%
  • Governance0%

Trust indicators

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)

    7 trustees on the Charity Commission register

  • Workforce on register

    104 employees · 429 volunteers (4:1 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 →

Official register

Reg 1064598

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • WILLIAM NAIRN LOWE since 2021
  • Carl Knightly since 2021
  • Elizabeth Ann Saunders since 2021
  • Gordon May since 2023
  • Stuart Matheson since 2024
  • Clare Tunbridge since 2023
  • ANDREW STRANG MACLAY since 2023
How we score charities +

The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. 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 map the 0–100 score onto a familiar 5★ scale (≈20 points per star): 90–100 → 5★, 70–89 → 4★, 50–69 → 3★, 30–49 → 2★, 1–29 → 1★.

Five-year trends

£0k £4500k £9000k £13500k £18000k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £13,787k Spending 2021: £12,598k Cause spend 2021: £10,474k Income 2022: £15,971k Spending 2022: £17,122k Cause spend 2022: £14,961k Income 2023: £13,996k Spending 2023: £15,739k Cause spend 2023: £13,132k Income 2024: £17,150k Spending 2024: £16,444k Cause spend 2024: £13,602k Income 2025: £17,179k Spending 2025: £17,890k Cause spend 2025: £14,367k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Cause spend plotted only when the filing discloses a split · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
94/100 (5★)
Income
£17m
Cause spend
82% of expenditure
Reg number
1064598
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
4 months
Trustees
7
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Mission Aviation Fellowship UK's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Mission Aviation Fellowship UK a good charity? +

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK scores 94 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 82% 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 Mission Aviation Fellowship UK a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Mission Aviation Fellowship UK is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1064598. You can verify the entry on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1064598

What is Mission Aviation Fellowship UK's charity rating? +

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK scores 94 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).

How much of my donation reaches Mission Aviation Fellowship UK? +

According to its 2025 Charity Commission filing, 82% of Mission Aviation Fellowship UK'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 Mission Aviation Fellowship UK's overheads? +

According to its 2025 Charity Commission filing, fundraising costs were about 18% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 18% of total expenditure at Mission Aviation Fellowship UK. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Mission Aviation Fellowship UK'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 Mission Aviation Fellowship UK receive? +

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK reported £17m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Mission Aviation Fellowship UK'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 Mission Aviation Fellowship UK based? +

Mission Aviation Fellowship UK is listed at Canterbury · UK-wide · CT20 2TQ and operates UK-wide, focused on international aid.

How does CharityCompare score Mission Aviation Fellowship UK? +

We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead (disclosed years only); working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds. 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 Charity Commission data available to CharityCompare, and Mission Aviation Fellowship UK'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.