--- title: "Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenm… rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 68/100. Accounts 2024: income £3.8m · 89% on charitable activities. Reg 295329." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment retrieved: 2026-08-18T05:43:36.443Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment a good charity? Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment scores 68/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£3.8m total income, 89% 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 · UK-wide · NW5 1UH | Reg [295329](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.oae.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/295329) Donate ## How can you give to ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.oae.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=295329) ## What does Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment do? Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is a registered charity (no. 295329) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 89% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. 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 — Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment) **In short:** ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT scores 68 out of 100 (3 stars). 89% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment? Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment has a Clarity Score of 68 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 295329. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £3.8m, with 89% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 2 months of operating costs. 1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile. 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 68/100 3★ · Needs improvement Cause spend 89% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 68/100 Finance beacon Income £3.8m Latest year 2024 Reserves 2 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing Late Check register £8.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 13% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT scores higher than. Income band (£1m–£5m)21stpercentile **Scores higher than 21% of 2,776 charities in its income band** · 68/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). Arts & culture charities28thpercentile **Scores higher than 28% of 624 charities in this cause** · 68/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2024 Filing date 24 June 2026 Profile reviewed 17 July 2026 Medium confidence — some data missing or late 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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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. 68/100 | 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. | 33% | 5/15 pts | | Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 14 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. 73/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 67% | 2 months · 10/15 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. | 40% | 33% · 2/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 95/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 89% · 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). | 90% | 12p per £1 income · 9/10 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 | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's Clarity Score? 68/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 68/100 Accountability & Transparency 73/100 Financial Health 95/100 Financial Efficiency 0/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 68/100 Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts Trustee oversight14 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies7/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 73/100 Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 10/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets33% · 2/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 95/100 Program expense ratio89% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency12p per £1 income · 9/10 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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £3.8m | — | | Total expenditure | £3.7m | — | | Charitable activities | £3.3m | 88% | | Fundraising | £435k | 12% | | Governance & admin | £88k | 2% | 88%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £3.7m spent - Charitable activities88% · £3.3m - Fundraising12% · £435k - Governance2% · £88k ## What trust indicators does Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have? Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported. - — Accounts filed on time Filing status: late - — Trustee board size (3–12) 14 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 →](https://www.fundraisingregulator.org.uk/members/) Official register Reg 295329 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/295329) ### Trustees & officers - Crispin Peter Woodhead since 2014 - IMOGEN PATRICIA CHARLTON-EDWARDS since 2018 - ADRIAN CHARLES FROST since 2019 - Dr Susan Mary Tranter since 2020 - Daniel Alexander KC since 2021 - ALISON MCFADYEN since 2021 - Christine Sticher since 2022 - Katherine Ann Spencer since 2023 - Cecelia Catherine Bruggemeyer since 2023 - Dr Daniel Edgar since 2024 - Alexandra Bellamy since 2024 - Eleanor Patricia Williamson 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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment? Overall score 68/100 (3★) Income £3.8m Cause spend 89% of expenditure Reg number 295329 Scope UK-wide Reserves 2 months Trustees 14 Accounts year 2024 Filing late ## How does ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT compare, and where else can you look? [Compare ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children) - [elderly charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/elderly) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [arts charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts/london) ### Similar arts & culture charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [HACKNEY QUEST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/hackney-quest) 100/100 · £827k - [COMMON WEALTH THEATRE LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/common-wealth-theatre-limited) 100/100 · £760k - [PALLANT HOUSE GALLERY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/pallant-house-gallery) 99/100 · £3.0m - [CREATE (ARTS) LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/create-arts-limited) 99/100 · £1.6m ## How can you share Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's rating? 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For this charity ## How do you add Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). BadgeScore widget [♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 68/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 68/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment a good charity? + Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment scores 68 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 89% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. 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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment a legitimate charity? + Yes — Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 295329). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/295329. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's charity number? + Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's charity number is 295329. 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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's charity rating? + Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment scores 68 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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (1 filing concern(s) noted on this profile). For formal complaints about a charity, contact the Charity Commission, OSCR, CCNI or the Fundraising Regulator as appropriate. How much of my donation reaches Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 89% of Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 11% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 13% of total expenditure at Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment receive? + Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment reported £3.8m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment's accounts up to date? + Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score. Where is Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment based? + Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is listed at London · UK-wide · NW5 1UH and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture. How does CharityCompare score Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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 Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment'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.