--- title: "Royal Air Force Museum rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Royal Air Force Museum a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 82/100. Accounts 2025: income £19m · 80% on charitable activities. Reg 1197541." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-air-force-museum retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:02:43.412Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Royal Air Force Museum a good charity? Royal Air Force Museum scores 82/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£19m total income, 80% 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 · NW9 5LL | Reg [1197541](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-air-force-museum) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1197541) Donate ## How can you give to ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1197541) ## What does Royal Air Force Museum do? Royal Air Force Museum is a registered charity (no. 1197541) working in armed forces across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 80% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 1 month 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 — Royal Air Force Museum hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=royal-air-force-museum) **In short:** ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM scores 82 out of 100 (4 stars). 80% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is Royal Air Force Museum? Royal Air Force Museum has a Clarity Score of 82 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1197541. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Armed forces. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £19m, with 80% 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 82/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 80% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £19m Latest year 2025 Reserves 1 mo 1 month of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £29.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 5% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM scores higher than. Income band (£10m+)64thpercentile **Scores higher than 64% of 943 charities in its income band** · 82/100 vs 77 peer average (marker). Armed forces charities68thpercentile **Scores higher than 68% of 84 charities in this cause** · 82/100 vs 74 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Royal Air Force Museum'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 Royal Air Force Museum'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% | 14 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. 47/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 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. | 40% | 4/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 1% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 90/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 80% | 80% · 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). | 100% | 3p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 403 volunteers / 203 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Royal Air Force Museum's Clarity Score? 82/100 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 47/100 Financial Health 90/100 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 oversight14 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 47/100 Reserves (months of cash)1 month · 5/15 pts Income stability / growth4/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 90/100 Program expense ratio80% · 8/10 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. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio403 volunteers / 203 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Royal Air Force Museum raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £19m | — | | Total expenditure | £20m | — | | Charitable activities | £16m | 82% | | Fundraising | £601k | 3% | 82%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £20m spent - Charitable activities82% · £16m - Fundraising3% · £601k - Other spending15% · £3.1m ## What trust indicators does Royal Air Force Museum 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) 14 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 203 employees · 403 volunteers (2:1 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 1197541 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/1197541) ### Trustees & officers - Waseem Mahmood OBE since 2022 - John Banks since 2022 - David Cooper CBE since 2022 - Matthew Gilpin since 2022 - Sir Stephen Hillier since 2022 - Jonathan Ian Field since 2022 - Julie McGarvey since 2022 - Nick Sanders since 2022 - Air Marshal Peter William David Ruddock CB CBE since 2022 - Josh Chana since 2023 - Hemma Gooljar since 2023 - Anita Bernie since 2026 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 Royal Air Force Museum'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 Royal Air Force Museum? Overall score 82/100 (4★) Income £19m Cause spend 80% of expenditure Reg number 1197541 Scope UK-wide Reserves 1 month Trustees 14 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM compare, and where else can you look? [Compare ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=royal-air-force-museum) [More armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [armed forces charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces) - [heritage charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/heritage) - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [armed forces charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/armed-forces/london) ### Similar armed forces charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [ROYAL NAVAL SAILING ASSOCIATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-naval-sailing-association) 99/100 · £782k - [THE ROYAL AIR FORCES ASSOCIATION - CORPORATE BODY](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-royal-air-forces-association-corporate-body) 98/100 · £22m - [ARMY FLYING MUSEUM LIMITED](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/army-flying-museum-limited) 96/100 · £1.3m - [CARE OF POLICE SURVIVORS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/care-of-police-survivors) 93/100 · £661k ## How can you share Royal Air Force Museum'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 82/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/royal-air-force-museum) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 82/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Royal Air Force Museum's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Royal Air Force Museum a good charity? + Royal Air Force Museum scores 82 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 80% 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 Royal Air Force Museum a legitimate charity? + Yes — Royal Air Force Museum is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1197541). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1197541. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Royal Air Force Museum's charity number? + Royal Air Force Museum's charity number is 1197541. 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 Royal Air Force Museum's charity rating? + Royal Air Force Museum scores 82 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 Royal Air Force Museum have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Royal Air Force Museum. 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 Royal Air Force Museum? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 80% of Royal Air Force Museum'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 Royal Air Force Museum's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 4% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 5% of total expenditure at Royal Air Force Museum. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Royal Air Force Museum'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 Royal Air Force Museum receive? + Royal Air Force Museum reported £19m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Royal Air Force Museum'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 Royal Air Force Museum based? + Royal Air Force Museum is listed at London · UK-wide · NW9 5LL and operates UK-wide, focused on armed forces. How does CharityCompare score Royal Air Force Museum? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Royal Air Force Museum'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 Royal Air Force Museum'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.