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Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited

Charity rating & review

81/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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81 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited a good charity?

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited scores 81/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£12m 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.

London · UK-wide · HA9 0BP Reg 244533 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited do?

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a registered charity (no. 244533) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 96% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 4 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈38% 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 — Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED scores 81 out of 100 (4 stars). 96% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited?

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited has a Clarity Score of 81 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 244533. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £12m, with 96% 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

81/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

96%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£12m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

4 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£25.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 5% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED scores higher than.

Income band (£10m+)61stpercentile

Scores higher than 61% of 943 charities in its income band · 81/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

Arts & culture charities64thpercentile

Scores higher than 64% of 624 charities in this cause · 81/100 vs 76 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's data?

Source
Charity Commission (England & Wales)
Accounts year
2025
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 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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.

93/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED
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% 13 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.

80/100

Financial Health metrics for ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED
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.

60% 6/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets

0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt.

60% 26% · 3/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED
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% 4p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

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

0/100

Community Support metrics for ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED
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 →

What is Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's Clarity Score?

81/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars

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

93/100
Accountability & Transparency
80/100
Financial Health
100/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

93/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight13 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies7/10 pts

Financial Health

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

80/100

Reserves (months of cash)4 months · 15/15 pts
Income stability / growth6/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets26% · 3/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio96% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency4p per £1 income · 10/10 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 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings

ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED revenue and expenses for 2025
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £12m
Total expenditure £11m
Charitable activities £11m 95%
Fundraising £595k 5%
Governance & admin £106k 1%
95%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £11m spent

  • Charitable activities95%
  • Fundraising5%
  • Governance1%

What trust indicators does Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited 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)

    13 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 244533

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • ELIZABETH CASE since 2017
  • SALI-WYN RYAN since 2018
  • Philip Henry KELLER since 2019
  • PATRICK JOHN FLANAGHAN since 2019
  • Elisabeth Anne Varlow since 2021
  • LORD PAUL YAW BOATENG since 2022
  • Andrew Jeffrey STOREY since 2022
  • Joshua Nathanael CIRTINA since 2023
  • Benjamin Keith HULME since 2024
  • Sarah Jane Bardwell since 2024
  • Sonia Kate SIELAFF since 2024
  • Lindsay Diane Dodsworth 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.

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 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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's finances changed over five years?

£0k £3000k £6000k £9000k £12000k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £3,201k Spending 2021: £3,580k Cause spend 2021: £3,374k Income 2022: £8,603k Spending 2022: £8,314k Cause spend 2022: £7,946k Income 2023: £11,219k Spending 2023: £10,398k Cause spend 2023: £10,019k Income 2024: £11,948k Spending 2024: £11,885k Cause spend 2024: £11,469k Income 2025: £11,768k Spending 2025: £11,289k Cause spend 2025: £10,694k
  • 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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited?

Overall score
81/100 (4★)
Income
£12m
Cause spend
96% of expenditure
Reg number
244533
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
4 months
Trustees
13
Accounts year
2025
Filing
up to date

Where ROYAL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA LIMITED sits

The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby.

Similar arts & culture charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's rating?

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited a good charity? +

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited scores 81 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 Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 244533). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/244533. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's charity number? +

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's charity number is 244533. 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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited's charity rating? +

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited scores 81 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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited. 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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited? +

According to its 2025 regulator filing, 96% of Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited receive? +

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited reported £12m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited based? +

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited is listed at London · UK-wide · HA9 0BP and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture.

How does CharityCompare score Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Royal Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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 Philharmonic Orchestra Limited'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.