--- title: "The Downside Settlement rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is The Downside Settlement a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 76/100. Accounts 2025: income £555k · 100% on charitable activities. Reg 252196." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-downside-settlement retrieved: 2026-08-18T03:36:22.572Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is The Downside Settlement a good charity? The Downside Settlement scores 76/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2025 (£555k total income, 100% 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 · SE1 2EZ | Reg [252196](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-downside-settlement) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.downside-fisher.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/252196) Donate ## How can you give to THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.downside-fisher.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=252196) ## What does The Downside Settlement do? The Downside Settlement is a registered charity (no. 252196) working in poverty relief in London · SE1 2EZ. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 100% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 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 — The Downside Settlement hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-downside-settlement) **In short:** THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT scores 76 out of 100 (4 stars). 100% average program spend (Latest year, disclosed years only). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is The Downside Settlement? The Downside Settlement has a Clarity Score of 76 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 252196. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2025: total income £555k, with 100% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 0 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 76/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 100% latest year · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £555k Latest year 2025 Reserves 0 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission Fundraising efficiency not stated · 1% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)38thpercentile **Scores higher than 38% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 76/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). Poverty relief charities38thpercentile **Scores higher than 38% of 1,502 charities in this cause** · 76/100 vs 78 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is The Downside Settlement'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 Downside Settlement'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% | 12 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. 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% | 0 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% | 5% · 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% | 100% · 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. 10/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 10% | 3 volunteers / 15 staff · 1/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is The Downside Settlement'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. 100/100 Accountability & Transparency 50/100 Financial Health 100/100 Financial Efficiency 10/100 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 oversight12 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 50/100 Reserves (months of cash)0 months · 0/15 pts Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets5% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 100/100 Program expense ratio100% · 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. 10/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio3 volunteers / 15 staff · 1/10 pts ## How much does The Downside Settlement raise and spend? Latest filed year 2025 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £555k | — | | Total expenditure | £506k | — | | Charitable activities | £505k | 100% | | Governance & admin | £14k | 3% | 100%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2025) · £506k spent - Charitable activities100% · £505k - Governance3% · £14k ## What trust indicators does The Downside Settlement 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) 12 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 15 employees · 3 volunteers (0:1 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 252196 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/252196) ### Trustees & officers - CHARLES GERADA since 2011 - JOY TOGHILL since 2011 - Robert Henry Dewes Coke Chair · since 2014 - Tabitha Jane Gabriel Barran since 2016 - JOHN NICHOLAS COTTON since 2016 - Neil Geoffrey Woodings since 2019 - Ivone William Kirkpatrick since 2020 - ANTON DE PIRO D'AMICO INGUANEZ since 2014 - Matthew James Robert Valenzia since 2023 - Oliver James Kenneth Roderick Mellotte since 2023 - Daemon Keith Bear since 2024 - Charlotte Bamford 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 Downside Settlement'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 Downside Settlement? Overall score 76/100 (4★) Income £555k Cause spend 100% of expenditure Reg number 252196 Scope Local (london) Reserves 0 months Trustees 12 Accounts year 2025 Filing up to date ## How does THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT compare, and where else can you look? [Compare THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=the-downside-settlement) [More poverty relief charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where THE DOWNSIDE SETTLEMENT sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [arts charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/arts) - [sport charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/sport) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [Charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/london) - [poverty charities in London](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty/london) ### 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 Downside Settlement's rating? Share: [X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=The%20Downside%20Settlement%20%E2%80%94%2076%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-downside-settlement)[LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-downside-settlement)[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-downside-settlement)[Bluesky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=The%20Downside%20Settlement%20%E2%80%94%2076%2F100%20Clarity%20Score%20on%20CharityCompare%20https%3A%2F%2Fwww.charitycompare.org.uk%2Fcharity%2Fthe-downside-settlement) Copy link Print / save as PDFOpens a printer-friendly view of this profile for The Downside Settlement. For this charity ## How do you add The Downside Settlement's rating to your site? 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-downside-settlement) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 76/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about The Downside Settlement's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is The Downside Settlement a good charity? + The Downside Settlement scores 76 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 100% 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 Downside Settlement a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Downside Settlement is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 252196). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/252196. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is The Downside Settlement's charity number? + The Downside Settlement's charity number is 252196. 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 Downside Settlement's charity rating? + The Downside Settlement 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 Downside Settlement have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Downside Settlement. 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 Downside Settlement? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, 100% of The Downside Settlement'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 Downside Settlement's overheads? + According to its 2025 regulator filing, combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 1% of total expenditure at The Downside Settlement. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Downside Settlement'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 Downside Settlement receive? + The Downside Settlement reported £555k total income in its 2025 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing. Are The Downside Settlement'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 Downside Settlement based? + The Downside Settlement is listed at London · SE1 2EZ, focused on poverty relief. How does CharityCompare score The Downside Settlement? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Downside Settlement'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 Downside Settlement'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.