---
title: "The Ditchley Foundation rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare"
description: "Is The Ditchley Foundation a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 72/100. Accounts 2025: income £6.4m · 95% on charitable activities. Reg 309657."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-ditchley-foundation
retrieved: 2026-08-18T10:06:53.421Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is The Ditchley Foundation a good charity?

The Ditchley Foundation scores 72/100 (3 stars, Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£6.4m total income, 95% 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.

Oxford · Oxfordsh |
Reg [309657](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-ditchley-foundation) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.ditchley.com/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/309657)

Donate

## How can you give to THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION?

You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form.

[Donate](https://www.ditchley.com/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=309657)

## What does The Ditchley Foundation do?

The Ditchley Foundation is a registered charity (no. 309657) working in education in Oxford · Oxfordsh. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 95% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 286 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income changed sharply in 2024 (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 Ditchley Foundation hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-ditchley-foundation)

**In short:** THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars). 95% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is The Ditchley Foundation?

The Ditchley Foundation has a Clarity Score of 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 309657. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Education. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £6.4m, with 95% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 286 months of operating costs. 2 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

72/100

3★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

95%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

93/100

Finance beacon

Income

£6.4m

Latest year 2025

Reserves

286 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£139.2 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) ·
5% overhead · Website on register ·
Confidence: high

## How does THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION compare?

Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION scores higher than.

Income band (£5m–£10m)30thpercentile

**Scores higher than 30% of 619 charities in its income band** · 72/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

Education charities42ndpercentile

**Scores higher than 42% of 579 charities in this cause** · 72/100 vs 74 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is The Ditchley Foundation'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 Ditchley Foundation'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
| 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% | 11 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.

50/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | 286 months · 0/15 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 · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 0% · 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% | 95% · 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
| 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 Ditchley Foundation's Clarity Score?

72/100 total · Needs improvement · 3 of 5 stars

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

93/100

Accountability & Transparency

50/100

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 oversight11 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies7/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)286 months · 0/15 pts

Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average

Liabilities to assets0% · 5/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

100/100

Program expense ratio95% · 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 The Ditchley Foundation raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £6.4m | — |
| Total expenditure | £4.6m | — |
| Charitable activities | £4.4m | 95% |
| Fundraising | £237k | 5% |
| Governance & admin | £23k | 0% |

95%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2025) · £4.6m spent

- Charitable activities95% · £4.4m
- Fundraising5% · £237k
- Governance0% · £23k

## What trust indicators does The Ditchley Foundation 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)

11 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 309657

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/309657)

### Trustees & officers

- Lord James George Bridges since 2019
- Marjorie Glasgow since 2020
- The Marquess Of Salisbury Robert Salisbury since 2018
- Pamela Dow since 2021
- Sir Julian King since 2021
- David John Morrison since 2022
- The Hon Robert Wills since 2022
- Jamie Merisotis since 2022
- James Landale since 2022
- The Hon Rupert Christopher Soames since 2024
- Dame Karen Pierce Chair · 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 The Ditchley Foundation'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 Ditchley Foundation?

Overall score

72/100 (3★)

Income

£6.4m

Cause spend

95% of expenditure

Reg number

309657

Scope

Local (oxford)

Reserves

286 months

Trustees

11

Accounts year

2025

Filing

up to date

## How does THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION compare, and where else can you look?

[Compare THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-ditchley-foundation) [More education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology)

### Where THE DITCHLEY FOUNDATION sits

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

- [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education)
- [Charities in Oxford](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/oxford)
- [education charities in Oxford](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education/oxford)

### Similar education charities

Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score

- [CHAPTER ONE (U.K.) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/chapter-one-u-k-ltd) 100/100 · £1.8m
- [SCHOOL IN A BAG](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/school-in-a-bag) 100/100 · £600k
- [THE BEN KINSELLA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-ben-kinsella-trust) 100/100 · £596k
- [EALING AND HOUNSLOW COMMUNITY VOLUNTARY SERVICE](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/ealing-and-hounslow-community-voluntary-service) 99/100 · £953k

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## How do you add The Ditchley Foundation's rating to your site?

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## What red flags does The Ditchley Foundation have?

## Frequently asked questions

Common questions about The Ditchley Foundation's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

Is The Ditchley Foundation a good charity? + The Ditchley Foundation scores 72 out of 100 (3 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 95% 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 Ditchley Foundation a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Ditchley Foundation is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 309657). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/309657. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Ditchley Foundation's charity number? + The Ditchley Foundation's charity number is 309657. 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 Ditchley Foundation's charity rating? + The Ditchley Foundation scores 72 out of 100 on CharityCompare (3 stars — Needs improvement). 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 Ditchley Foundation have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Ditchley Foundation. Instead you get a filing-based Clarity Score, cause spend, reserves and red flags such as late accounts (2 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 Ditchley Foundation? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 95% of The Ditchley Foundation'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 The Ditchley Foundation's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 5% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 5% of total expenditure at The Ditchley Foundation. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Ditchley Foundation'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 Ditchley Foundation receive? + The Ditchley Foundation reported £6.4m total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: restructured.

Are The Ditchley Foundation'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 Ditchley Foundation based? + The Ditchley Foundation is listed at Oxford · Oxfordsh, focused on education.

How does CharityCompare score The Ditchley Foundation? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Ditchley Foundation'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 Ditchley Foundation'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.