Human rights · Reg 1128789
Media Legal Defence Initiative
Charity rating & review
84/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Good
Quick answer
Is Media Legal Defence Initiative a good charity?
Media Legal Defence Initiative scores 84/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£3.0m total income, 96% 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.
Donate
How can you give to MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE?
You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.
What does Media Legal Defence Initiative do?
Media Legal Defence Initiative is a registered charity (no. 1128789) working in human rights across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 5 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 — Media Legal Defence Initiative hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →
In short: MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars). 96% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.
What is Media Legal Defence Initiative?
Media Legal Defence Initiative has a Clarity Score of 84 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1128789. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Human rights. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £3.0m, with 96% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 5 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
84/100
4★ · Good
Cause spend
96%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
100/100
Finance beacon
Income
£3.0m
Latest year 2024
Reserves
5 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
On time
Charity Commission
£29.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 6% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high
How does MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE compare?
Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE scores higher than.
Scores higher than 65% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 84/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).
Scores higher than 71% of 146 charities in this cause · 84/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).
How reliable is Media Legal Defence Initiative'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 Media Legal Defence Initiative'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% | 10 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.
80/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 100% | 5 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. | 80% | 8/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 20% | 46% · 1/5 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% | 96% · 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
| 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 |
What is Media Legal Defence Initiative's Clarity Score?
84/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
100/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
80/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
100/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
0/100
How much does Media Legal Defence Initiative raise and spend?
Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £3.0m | — |
| Total expenditure | £3.0m | — |
| Charitable activities | £2.9m | 97% |
| Fundraising | £86k | 3% |
| Governance & admin | £74k | 2% |
Where does the money go?
Latest accounts (2024) · £3.0m spent
- Charitable activities97% · £2.9m
- Fundraising3% · £86k
- Governance2% · £74k
What trust indicators does Media Legal Defence Initiative 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)
10 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 1128789
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- David Trevor Jones since 2019
- Maria Teresa Ronderos Torres Chair · since 2020
- Catherine Anite since 2020
- GALINA ARAPOVA since 2022
- Peter Alexander Hyde since 2022
- Chivonne Li-Shan Preston since 2022
- Hilda Elizabeth Rivera Rivas since 2022
- JIA YI RINA SEE since 2025
- Layal Bahnam since 2025
- Rachel Oldroyd since 2025
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.
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 Media Legal Defence Initiative'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 Media Legal Defence Initiative?
- Overall score
- 84/100 (4★)
- Income
- £3.0m
- Cause spend
- 96% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1128789
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- 5 months
- Trustees
- 10
- Accounts year
- 2024
- Filing
- up to date
How does MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE compare, and where else can you look?
Where MEDIA LEGAL DEFENCE INITIATIVE sits
The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.
Similar human rights charities
Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score
- CENTRE FOR WOMEN'S JUSTICE 99/100 · £987k
- THE 93 PERCENT CLUB FOUNDATION 97/100 · £773k
- THE MOTHERHOOD PLAN 97/100 · £764k
- LGB ALLIANCE 97/100 · £551k
How can you share Media Legal Defence Initiative's rating?
Opens a printer-friendly view of this profile for Media Legal Defence Initiative.
For this charity
How do you add Media Legal Defence Initiative's rating to your site?
Free to use — a lightweight HTML badge or an embeddable score widget, each linking back to this independent profile and our methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Media Legal Defence Initiative's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
Is Media Legal Defence Initiative a good charity? +
Media Legal Defence Initiative scores 84 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 96% 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 Media Legal Defence Initiative a legitimate charity? +
Yes — Media Legal Defence Initiative is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1128789). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1128789. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.
What is Media Legal Defence Initiative's charity number? +
Media Legal Defence Initiative's charity number is 1128789. 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 Media Legal Defence Initiative's charity rating? +
Media Legal Defence Initiative scores 84 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 Media Legal Defence Initiative have reviews and complaints? +
CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Media Legal Defence Initiative. 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 Media Legal Defence Initiative? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, 96% of Media Legal Defence Initiative'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 Media Legal Defence Initiative's overheads? +
According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 4% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 6% of total expenditure at Media Legal Defence Initiative. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Media Legal Defence Initiative'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 Media Legal Defence Initiative receive? +
Media Legal Defence Initiative reported £3.0m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable.
Are Media Legal Defence Initiative'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 Media Legal Defence Initiative based? +
Media Legal Defence Initiative is listed at London · UK-wide · WC1V 7QH and operates UK-wide, focused on human rights.
How does CharityCompare score Media Legal Defence Initiative? +
We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Media Legal Defence Initiative'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 Media Legal Defence Initiative'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.