--- title: "The Cbso Development Trust charity rating | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Cbso Development Trust a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 76/100. Accounts 2025: income £125k · 97% on charitable activities. Reg 1042296." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-cbso-development-trust retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:01:38.157Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Cbso Development Trust a good charity? The Cbso Development Trust scores 76/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£125k total income, 97% 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. Birmingham · UK-wide · B1 2LF | Reg [1042296](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-cbso-development-trust) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.cbso.co.uk/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1042296) Donate ## How can you give to THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.cbso.co.uk/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1042296) ## What does The Cbso Development Trust do? The Cbso Development Trust is a registered charity (no. 1042296) working in arts & culture across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 97% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 6 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income changed sharply in 2023 (likely a merger, transfer or reporting change) — year-on-year trend labels are not meaningful across that step. 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 Cbso Development Trust hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-cbso-development-trust) **In short:** THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST scores 76 out of 100 (4 stars). 97% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below. ## What is The Cbso Development Trust? The Cbso Development Trust has a Clarity Score of 76 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 1042296. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Arts & culture. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £125k, with 97% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 6 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 76/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 97% latest year · charitable activities Accountability 90/100 Finance beacon Income £125k Latest year 2025 Reserves 6 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £199.3 raised per £1 fundraising (latest year) · 2% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST scores higher than. Income band (£100k–£500k)64thpercentile **Scores higher than 64% of 972 charities in its income band** · 76/100 vs 70 peer average (marker). Arts & culture charities49thpercentile **Scores higher than 49% of 624 charities in this cause** · 76/100 vs 76 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Cbso Development Trust'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 The Cbso Development Trust'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. 90/100 | 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% | 7 trustees · 15/15 pts | | Declared policies Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return. | 60% | 6/10 pts | ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 67/100 | 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% | 6 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. | 0% | 0/10 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. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 100% | 97% · 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% | 0p per £1 income · 10/10 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 The Cbso Development Trust's Clarity Score? 76/100 total · Good · 4 of 5 stars Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings. 90/100 Accountability & Transparency 67/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 0/100 Community Support ### Accountability & Transparency Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies. 90/100 Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts Trustee oversight7 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies6/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 67/100 Reserves (months of cash)6 months · 15/15 pts Income stability / growth0/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets1% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio97% · 10/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency0p 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 The Cbso Development Trust raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £125k | — | | Total expenditure | £495k | — | | Charitable activities | Not disclosed | — | ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £495k spent. Not disclosed in this filing — the Charity Commission return omits the charitable-activities split. ## What trust indicators does The Cbso Development Trust 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) 7 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 1042296 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/1042296) ### Trustees & officers - Mr Charles Barwell since 2012 - GORDON HENRY BUCHANAN CAMPBELL since 2012 - DAVID JOHN PETT since 2013 - Mr John Osborn since 2013 - CHRISTOPHER THOMAS LOUGHRAN Chair · since 2014 - JULIANNA HALL since 2023 - ELIZABETH FROSTICK since 2023 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 Cbso Development Trust'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 Cbso Development Trust? Overall score 76/100 (4★) Income £125k Cause spend 97% of expenditure Reg number 1042296 Scope UK-wide Reserves 6 months Trustees 7 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-cbso-development-trust) [More arts & culture charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE CBSO DEVELOPMENT TRUST sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [Charities in Birmingham](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/birmingham) - [arts charities in Birmingham](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts/birmingham) ### 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 The Cbso Development Trust'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 76/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-cbso-development-trust) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 76/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## What red flags does The Cbso Development Trust have? ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Cbso Development Trust's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Cbso Development Trust a good charity? + The Cbso Development Trust scores 76 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 97% 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 Cbso Development Trust a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Cbso Development Trust is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1042296). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1042296. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Cbso Development Trust's charity number? + The Cbso Development Trust's charity number is 1042296. 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 Cbso Development Trust's charity rating? + The Cbso Development Trust scores 76 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 The Cbso Development Trust have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Cbso Development Trust. 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 The Cbso Development Trust? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 97% of The Cbso Development Trust'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 Cbso Development Trust's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 3% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 2% of total expenditure at The Cbso Development Trust. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Cbso Development Trust'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 Cbso Development Trust receive? + The Cbso Development Trust reported £125k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured. Are The Cbso Development Trust'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 Cbso Development Trust based? + The Cbso Development Trust is listed at Birmingham · UK-wide · B1 2LF and operates UK-wide, focused on arts & culture. How does CharityCompare score The Cbso Development Trust? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Cbso Development Trust'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 Cbso Development Trust'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.