--- title: "The Big Difference rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Big Difference a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 97/100. Accounts 2025: income £722k · 78% on charitable activities. Reg 1202119." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-big-difference retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:19:09.932Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Big Difference a good charity? The Big Difference scores 97/100 (5 stars, Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£722k total income, 78% 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. Southampton · UK-wide · SO19 9AD | Reg [1202119](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-big-difference) | Registered charity | [Official website](http://www.thebigdifference.org.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1202119) Donate ## How can you give to THE BIG DIFFERENCE? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE BIG DIFFERENCE form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](http://www.thebigdifference.org.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1202119) ## What does The Big Difference do? The Big Difference is a registered charity (no. 1202119) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 78% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 14 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. 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 — The Big Difference hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-big-difference) **In short:** THE BIG DIFFERENCE scores 97 out of 100 (5 stars). 78% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The Big Difference? The Big Difference has a Clarity Score of 97 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars, Exceptional). Charity Commission registration number 1202119. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £722k, with 78% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 14 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](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 17 July 2026. Overall score 97/100 5★ · Exceptional Cause spend 78% latest year · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £722k Latest year 2025 Reserves 14 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £7.9 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) · 11% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium ## How does THE BIG DIFFERENCE compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE BIG DIFFERENCE scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)94thpercentile **Scores higher than 94% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 97/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Poverty relief charities96thpercentile **Scores higher than 96% of 1,502 charities in this cause** · 97/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Big Difference's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2025 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 The Big Difference'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% | 4 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. 100/100 | 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% | 14 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. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 2-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. 85/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 70% | 78% · 7/10 pts (2-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 100% | 8p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (2-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% | 30 volunteers / 4 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Big Difference's Clarity Score? 97/100 total · Exceptional · 5 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 100/100 Financial Health 85/100 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 oversight4 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 100/100 Reserves (months of cash)14 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 2-year average Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 85/100 Program expense ratio78% · 7/10 pts (2-year average) Fundraising efficiency8p per £1 income · 10/10 pts (2-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio30 volunteers / 4 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does The Big Difference raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £722k | — | | Total expenditure | £546k | — | | Charitable activities | £426k | 78% | | Fundraising | £120k | 22% | | Governance & admin | £2k | 0% | 78%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £546k spent - Charitable activities78% · £426k - Fundraising22% · £120k - Governance0% · £2k ## What trust indicators does The Big Difference 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) 4 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 4 employees · 30 volunteers (8:1 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 1202119 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/1202119) ### Trustees & officers - Ashley James Chair · since 2023 - Michael Spradbery since 2023 - CHRIS WARD since 2023 - Nigel James Lapage 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 The Big Difference'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 The Big Difference? Overall score 97/100 (5★) Income £722k Cause spend 78% of expenditure Reg number 1202119 Scope UK-wide Reserves 14 months Trustees 4 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE BIG DIFFERENCE compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE BIG DIFFERENCE with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-big-difference) [More poverty relief charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE BIG DIFFERENCE sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [environment charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/environment) - [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children) - [elderly charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/elderly) - [Charities in Southampton](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/southampton) - [poverty charities in Southampton](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty/southampton) ### Similar poverty relief charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [AMOS TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/amos-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m - [SUFRA - NW LONDON](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/sufra-nw-london) 100/100 · £1.7m - [WILDERNESS FOUNDATION UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/wilderness-foundation-uk) 100/100 · £1.6m - [BIRMINGHAM CITY MISSION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/birmingham-city-mission) 100/100 · £1.4m ## How can you share The Big Difference'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 97/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-big-difference) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 97/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Big Difference's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Big Difference a good charity? + The Big Difference scores 97 out of 100 (5 stars — Exceptional) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 78% 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 The Big Difference a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Big Difference is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1202119). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1202119. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Big Difference's charity number? + The Big Difference's charity number is 1202119. 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 The Big Difference's charity rating? + The Big Difference scores 97 out of 100 on CharityCompare (5 stars — Exceptional). 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 The Big Difference have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Big Difference. 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 The Big Difference? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 78% of The Big Difference's total spending went to charitable activities. 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 The Big Difference's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 22% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 11% of total expenditure at The Big Difference. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Big Difference'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 The Big Difference receive? + The Big Difference reported £722k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: limited history. Are The Big Difference'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 The Big Difference based? + The Big Difference is listed at Southampton · UK-wide · SO19 9AD and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief. How does CharityCompare score The Big Difference? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Big Difference'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 The Big Difference'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.