---
title: "The Gavins Foundation rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare"
description: "Is The Gavins Foundation a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 57/100. Accounts 2024: income £718k · 77% on charitable activities. Reg 1169665."
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-gavins-foundation
retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:50:21.394Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

Quick answer

## Is The Gavins Foundation a good charity?

The Gavins Foundation scores 57/100 (2 stars, Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£718k total income, 77% 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.

Sheffield · UK-wide · S20 3FR |
Reg [1169665](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-gavins-foundation) | Registered charity | [Official website](http://thegavinsfoundation.com/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1169665)

Donate

## How can you give to THE GAVINS FOUNDATION?

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

[Donate](http://thegavinsfoundation.com/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=1169665)

## What does The Gavins Foundation do?

The Gavins Foundation is a registered charity (no. 1169665) working in poverty relief across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 77% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 44 months of reserves, though its recent accounts were filed late. Reported income has been growing (≈15% 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 Gavins Foundation hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=the-gavins-foundation)

**In short:** THE GAVINS FOUNDATION scores 57 out of 100 (2 stars). 77% average program spend (2-year average, disclosed years only). Review the pillar breakdown below.

## What is The Gavins Foundation?

The Gavins Foundation has a Clarity Score of 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Poor). Charity Commission registration number 1169665. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Poverty relief. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £718k, with 77% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: late. Reserves: approximately 44 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

57/100

2★ · Poor

Cause spend

77%

2-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

68/100

Finance beacon

Income

£718k

Latest year 2024

Reserves

44 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

Late

Check register

Fundraising efficiency not stated ·
Overhead not disclosed · Website on register ·
Confidence: medium

## How does THE GAVINS FOUNDATION compare?

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

Income band (£500k–£1m)8thpercentile

**Scores higher than 8% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 57/100 vs 79 peer average (marker).

Poverty relief charities8thpercentile

**Scores higher than 8% of 1,502 charities in this cause** · 57/100 vs 78 peer average (marker).

## How reliable is The Gavins Foundation's data?

Source

Charity Commission (England & Wales)

Accounts year

2024

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 Gavins 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.

68/100
| 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, scaled down for fewer (governance red flag below three). | 100% | 5 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.

43/100
| Metric | Score | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 20% | 44 months · 3/15 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. | 0% | Not stated · 0/5 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% | 77% · 7/10 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 Gavins Foundation's Clarity Score?

57/100 total · Poor · 2 of 5 stars

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

68/100

Accountability & Transparency

43/100

Financial Health

85/100

Financial Efficiency

0/100

Community Support

### Accountability & Transparency

Baseline trust from filing discipline, board oversight, and declared governance policies.

68/100

Filing history (5 years)5/15 pts

Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts

Declared policies7/10 pts

### Financial Health

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

43/100

Reserves (months of cash)44 months · 3/15 pts

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

Liabilities to assetsNot stated · 0/5 pts

### Financial Efficiency

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

85/100

Program expense ratio77% · 7/10 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 Gavins Foundation raise and spend?

Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings
| Category | Amount | % of spend |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Total income | £718k | — |
| Total expenditure | £575k | — |
| Charitable activities | £459k | 80% |

80%On charitable activities

## Where does the money go?

Latest accounts (2024) · £575k spent

- Charitable activities80% · £459k
- Other spending20% · £116k

## What trust indicators does The Gavins Foundation have?

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)

5 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 1169665

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/1169665)

### Trustees & officers

- TREVOR PAUL WORMLEIGHTON since 2016
- JOAN GAVINS since 2016
- MATTHEW JAMES GAVINS Chair · since 2016
- Catherine Frances Gavins since 2018
- Andrew Mander since 2024

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 Gavins 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 Gavins Foundation?

Overall score

57/100 (2★)

Income

£718k

Cause spend

77% of expenditure

Reg number

1169665

Scope

UK-wide

Reserves

44 months

Trustees

5

Accounts year

2024

Filing

late

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

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

### Where THE GAVINS FOUNDATION sits

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

- [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty)
- [disability charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/disability)
- [children charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/children)
- [elderly charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/elderly)
- [Charities in Sheffield](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/sheffield)
- [poverty charities in Sheffield](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty/sheffield)

### 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

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

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## What red flags does The Gavins Foundation have?

## Frequently asked questions

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

Is The Gavins Foundation a good charity? + The Gavins Foundation scores 57 out of 100 (2 stars — Poor) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 77% 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 Gavins Foundation a legitimate charity? + Yes — The Gavins Foundation is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 1169665). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1169665. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact.

What is The Gavins Foundation's charity number? + The Gavins Foundation's charity number is 1169665. 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 Gavins Foundation's charity rating? + The Gavins Foundation scores 57 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Poor). 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 Gavins Foundation have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for The Gavins 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 Gavins Foundation? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 77% of The Gavins Foundation's total spending went to charitable activities (2-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 Gavins Foundation's overheads? + The Gavins Foundation's recent UK regulator filings do not disclose a fundraising or governance cost split, so no official overhead percentage is available. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what The Gavins 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 Gavins Foundation receive? + The Gavins Foundation reported £718k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: growing.

Are The Gavins Foundation's accounts up to date? + Filing status: late (last filing 2026-06-24). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is The Gavins Foundation based? + The Gavins Foundation is listed at Sheffield · UK-wide · S20 3FR and operates UK-wide, focused on poverty relief.

How does CharityCompare score The Gavins Foundation? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in The Gavins 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 Gavins Foundation's most recent accounts cover 2024. Scores and figures refresh whenever we re-ingest the register, so the page reflects our latest data pull rather than a one-off review.