Animals · Reg 1088221
THE GARDEN MUSEUM
Charity rating & review
50/100 Clarity Score · 1 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score
Clarity score
Poor
Is THE GARDEN MUSEUM a good charity?
THE GARDEN MUSEUM scores 50/100 (Poor) on our Clarity Score, with 51% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts late. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.
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Mission
THE GARDEN MUSEUM is a registered charity (no. 1088221) working in animals across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 51% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 0 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been declining over recent years. 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.
In short: THE GARDEN MUSEUM scores 50 out of 100 (1 star). 51% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.
Overview
THE GARDEN MUSEUM has a Clarity Score of 50 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1088221. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Animals. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £2.1m, with 51% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 0 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, last updated .
Overall score
50/100
1★ · Poor
Cause spend
51%
3-yr avg · charitable activities
Accountability
75/100
Finance beacon
Income
£2.1m
Latest year 2021
Reserves
0 mo
Months of running costs
Accounts filing
Late
Check register
£2.0 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 49% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: medium
How THE GARDEN MUSEUM compares
Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.
Ranks higher than 5% of 3,014 charities in its income band.
Ranks higher than 6% of 2,982 charities in this cause.
Data & confidence
- Source
- Charity Commission (E&W)
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing date
- 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000
- Profile reviewed
- 2026-06-25
Medium confidence — some data missing or late
Scores reflect the latest annual accounts on the register. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons require information beyond public filings.
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Charity Commission for England and Wales . Open Government Licence v3.0 .
Beacon report
Detailed accountability and finance metrics from Charity Commission filings — structured for transparency in our four-beacon report.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
75/100
| 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. | 33% | 5/15 pts |
| Trustee oversight Three or more trustees on the register = 15 pts · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag). | 100% | 16 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 = 15 pts · 1–3 months = 7 pts · under 1 month or over 3 years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 0% | 0 months · 0/15 pts |
| Income stability / growth Positive or stable three-year revenue trend = 10 pts · sustained decline = 0 pts. | 100% | 10/10 pts · 3-year average |
| Liabilities to assets Low debt (< 30% liabilities to assets) = 5 pts · high debt = 0 pts. | 100% | 23% · 5/5 pts |
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
0/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Program expense ratio ≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts. | 0% | 51% · 0/10 pts (3-year average) |
| Fundraising efficiency Spends ≤ £0.20 to raise £1 = 10 pts · £0.21–£0.35 = 5 pts · above £0.35 = 0 pts (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 0% | 50p per £1 income · 0/10 pts (3-year average) |
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
50/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteer-to-staff ratio More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts. | 50% | 57 volunteers / 61 staff · 5/10 pts |
Clarity Score
50/100 total · Poor · 1 of 4 stars
Four pillars (40 + 30 + 20 + 10 points) from Charity Commission filings — see methodology for full weightings.
Accountability & Transparency
Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.
75/100
Financial Health
Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts.
50/100
Financial Efficiency
How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios.
0/100
Community Support
Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.
50/100
Revenue & expenses
Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
|---|---|---|
| Total income | £2.1m | — |
| Total expenditure | £1.7m | — |
| Charitable activities | £165k | 10% |
| Fundraising | £1.6m | 90% |
Where the money goes
Latest accounts (2021) · £1.7m spent
- Charitable activities10% · £165k
- Fundraising90% · £1.6m
Trust indicators
Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.
-
Accounts filed on time
Filing status: late
-
Trustee board size (3–12)
16 trustees on the Charity Commission register
-
Workforce on register
61 employees · 57 volunteers (1:1 volunteer-to-staff)
Fundraising Regulator
Not listed as member
Separate from our financial scores — shows whether the charity follows the Code of Fundraising Practice.
Check Fundraising Regulator →Official register
Reg 1088221
Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.
View on Charity Commission →Trustees & officers
- LADY TANIA COMPTON since 2026
- Charles Spicer since 2026
- LADY CAROLINE EGREMONT since 2026
- THOMAS STUART-SMITH since 2026
- Edwina Sassoon since 2026
- LADY JILL RIBLAT OBE since 2026
- Marchioness Nicola Shulman since 2026
- BRYAN SANDERSON CBE since 2026
- Sir Charles Robert Saumarez Smith since 2026
- Edward McMullan since 2026
- Hazel Gardiner since 2026
- Jeremy Clay since 2026
How we score charities +
The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK Charity Commission data. Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10). A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically.
Accountability & Transparency
Scored from filings
40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15), declared policies (10).
Financial Health
Scored from filings
30 points — reserves (15), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5).
Financial Efficiency
Scored from filings
20 points — program expense ratio (10), fundraising efficiency (10). Kept at 20% to avoid punishing legitimate infrastructure costs.
Community Support
Scored from filings
10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data.
Overall score
Sum of all pillar points. Translated to stars: 90–100 Exceptional (4★), 75–89 Good (3★), 60–74 Needs improvement (2★), below 60 Poor (1★).
Five-year trends
- Income
- Spending
- Cause spend
Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts
Key facts
- Overall score
- 50/100 (1★)
- Income
- £2.1m
- Cause spend
- 51% of expenditure
- Reg number
- 1088221
- Scope
- UK-wide
- Reserves
- —
- Trustees
- 16
- Accounts year
- 2021
- Filing
- late
Compare & explore
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Red flags
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about THE GARDEN MUSEUM's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.
What is THE GARDEN MUSEUM's charity rating? +
THE GARDEN MUSEUM scores 50 out of 100 on CharityCompare (1 stars — Poor). The Clarity Score V1 sums four pillars from Charity Commission filings: Accountability & Transparency (40 pts), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10).
Is THE GARDEN MUSEUM a good charity to donate to? +
THE GARDEN MUSEUM scores 50 out of 100 (1 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 51% of its spending goes to charitable activities and its accounts are late. 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 GARDEN MUSEUM a legitimate UK charity? +
Yes — THE GARDEN MUSEUM is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1088221. You can verify the entry on the official register.
What is THE GARDEN MUSEUM's Charity Commission registration number? +
THE GARDEN MUSEUM's registration number is 1088221. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1088221
How much income does THE GARDEN MUSEUM receive? +
THE GARDEN MUSEUM reported £2.1m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: declining.
What percentage of THE GARDEN MUSEUM's spending goes to charitable activities? +
Approximately 51% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 49% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 49%.
Are THE GARDEN MUSEUM's accounts up to date? +
Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.
Where is THE GARDEN MUSEUM based? +
THE GARDEN MUSEUM is listed at London · UK-wide · SE1 7LB and operates UK-wide, focused on animals.
How does CharityCompare score THE GARDEN MUSEUM? +
We analyse Charity Commission annual accounts using three-year averages for program expense, fundraising efficiency, and overhead; working capital from reserves vs average expenditure; liabilities-to-assets from the latest balance sheet when available. Impact, leadership, and culture beacons are not yet assessed from public data alone. See our methodology for weights and thresholds.
Does CharityCompare recommend donating to THE GARDEN MUSEUM? +
No. CharityCompare provides independent scores and facts from official filings. We do not tell you where to donate or earn commission from charities.
How can I compare THE GARDEN MUSEUM with other charities? +
Use our free compare tool to put THE GARDEN MUSEUM side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.