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Stella Maris

Charity rating & review

89/100 Clarity Score · 4 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
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89 /100

Clarity score

Good

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Quick answer

Is Stella Maris a good charity?

Stella Maris scores 89/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£2.6m 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 · SW1V 1BX Reg 1069833 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

What does Stella Maris do?

Stella Maris is a registered charity (no. 1069833) working in human rights across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 80% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 27 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been growing (≈10% 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 — Stella Maris hasn't added its own description yet. Work here? Add it free →

In short: Stella Maris scores 89 out of 100 (4 stars). 80% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns.

What is Stella Maris?

Stella Maris has a Clarity Score of 89 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1069833. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Human rights. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £2.6m, with 80% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 27 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

89/100

4★ · Good

Cause spend

80%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

100/100

Finance beacon

Income

£2.6m

Latest year 2024

Reserves

27 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£4.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 22% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How does Stella Maris compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers Stella Maris scores higher than.

Income band (£1m–£5m)81stpercentile

Scores higher than 81% of 2,776 charities in its income band · 89/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Human rights charities86thpercentile

Scores higher than 86% of 146 charities in this cause · 89/100 vs 77 peer average (marker).

How reliable is Stella Maris'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 Stella Maris'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

Accountability & Transparency metrics for Stella Maris
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.

100% 10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

83/100

Financial Health metrics for Stella Maris
Metric Score Value
Reserves (months of cash)

3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts.

87% 27 months · 13/15 pts
Income stability / growth

+20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between.

70% 7/10 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.

70/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for Stella Maris
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

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

70% 80% · 7/10 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% 20p 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 Stella Maris
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

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

100% 110 volunteers / 36 staff · 10/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

What is Stella Maris's Clarity Score?

89/100 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
83/100
Financial Health
70/100
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 oversight13 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies10/10 pts

Financial Health

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

83/100

Reserves (months of cash)27 months · 13/15 pts
Income stability / growth7/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

70/100

Program expense ratio80% · 7/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency20p 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 ratio110 volunteers / 36 staff · 10/10 pts

How much does Stella Maris raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings

Stella Maris revenue and expenses for 2024
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £2.6m
Total expenditure £2.7m
Charitable activities £2.1m 80%
Fundraising £538k 20%
Governance & admin £78k 3%
80%On charitable activities

Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £2.7m spent

  • Charitable activities80%
  • Fundraising20%
  • Governance3%

What trust indicators does Stella Maris 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

  • Workforce on register

    36 employees · 110 volunteers (3:1 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 1069833

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

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • Rt Rev Paul James Mason since 2017
  • Esteban Pacha Vicente since 2018
  • Theresa Crossley since 2018
  • William Ogbonna Azuh since 2018
  • Rev Edward Nicholas Hugh Gilbert Bishop since 2020
  • Maria Lourdes Crowe since 2020
  • James Muir since 2020
  • Rev David Burke since 2021
  • John Stanley Hood since 2021
  • Edward Donati since 2023
  • Karen Young since 2024
  • James Cashman since 2024
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 Stella Maris's finances changed over five years?

£0k £700k £1400k £2100k £2800k 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 Income 2020: £1,762k Spending 2020: £2,039k Cause spend 2020: £1,615k Income 2021: £2,130k Spending 2021: £2,578k Cause spend 2021: £2,048k Income 2022: £2,410k Spending 2022: £2,713k Cause spend 2022: £2,161k Income 2023: £2,655k Spending 2023: £2,317k Cause spend 2023: £1,842k Income 2024: £2,604k Spending 2024: £2,685k Cause spend 2024: £2,147k
  • 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 Stella Maris?

Overall score
89/100 (4★)
Income
£2.6m
Cause spend
80% of expenditure
Reg number
1069833
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
27 months
Trustees
13
Accounts year
2024
Filing
up to date

Where Stella Maris sits

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

Similar human rights charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

How can you share Stella Maris's rating?

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Frequently asked questions

Common questions about Stella Maris's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is Stella Maris a good charity? +

Stella Maris scores 89 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 Stella Maris a legitimate charity? +

Yes — Stella Maris is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1069833). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1069833. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is Stella Maris's charity number? +

Stella Maris's charity number is 1069833. 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 Stella Maris's charity rating? +

Stella Maris scores 89 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 Stella Maris have reviews and complaints? +

CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Stella Maris. 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 Stella Maris? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, 80% of Stella Maris'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 Stella Maris's overheads? +

According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 20% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 22% of total expenditure at Stella Maris. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Stella Maris'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 Stella Maris receive? +

Stella Maris reported £2.6m total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are Stella Maris'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 Stella Maris based? +

Stella Maris is listed at London · UK-wide · SW1V 1BX and operates UK-wide, focused on human rights.

How does CharityCompare score Stella Maris? +

We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Stella Maris'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 Stella Maris'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.