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THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION

Charity rating & review

63/100 Clarity Score · 2 stars · Charity Commission filings · How we score

Verified · Charity Commission data
63 /100

Clarity score

Needs improvement

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Is THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION a good charity?

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION scores 63/100 (Needs improvement) on our Clarity Score, with 80% of spending going to charitable activities and accounts up to date. This reflects financial transparency and stewardship from Charity Commission filings — not the real-world impact of its programmes. See the full breakdown.

Sheffield · UK-wide · SN16 0LJ Reg 1187297 Registered charity Official website Charity Commission register

Mission

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION is a registered charity (no. 1187297) working in children & youth across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 80% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 292 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Income has been growing 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 HARGREAVES FOUNDATION scores 63 out of 100 (2 stars). 80% average program spend (3-year average). Review the pillar breakdown below.

Overview

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION has a Clarity Score of 63 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars, Needs improvement). Charity Commission registration number 1187297. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: Children & youth. Latest accounts year 2021: total income £92m, with 80% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 292 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, last updated .

Overall score

63/100

2★ · Needs improvement

Cause spend

80%

3-yr avg · charitable activities

Accountability

83/100

Finance beacon

Income

£92m

Latest year 2021

Reserves

292 mo

Months of running costs

Accounts filing

On time

Charity Commission

£2.4 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 11% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high

How THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION compares

Clarity Score benchmarked against similar UK charities — higher is better.

Income band (£10m+)63 vs 77 avg

Ranks higher than 14% of 1,022 charities in its income band.

Children & youth charities63 vs 78 avg

Ranks higher than 15% of 3,988 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

High confidence — complete filing data

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.

83/100

Accountability & Transparency metrics for THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION
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 · one or two = 0 pts (governance red flag).

100% 5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies

Safeguarding (4) · conflict of interest (3) · volunteer management (3) — from Charity Commission annual return.

30% 3/10 pts

Financial Health

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

50/100

Financial Health metrics for THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION
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% 292 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% 3% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Financial Efficiency metrics for THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION
Metric Score Value
Program expense ratio

≥ 75% on charitable activities = 10 pts · 60–75% = 5 pts · below 60% = 0 pts.

100% 80% · 10/10 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).

50% 32p per £1 income · 5/10 pts (3-year average)

Community Support

Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff.

0/100

Community Support metrics for THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION
Metric Score Value
Volunteer-to-staff ratio

More volunteers than paid staff = 10 pts · equal mix = 5 pts · no volunteers = 0 pts.

0% Not reported · 0/10 pts

How we calculate beacon scores →

Clarity Score

63/100 total · Needs improvement · 2 of 4 stars

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

83/100
Accountability & Transparency
50/100
Financial Health
75/100
Financial Efficiency
0/100
Community Support

Accountability & Transparency

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

83/100

Filing history (5 years)15/15 pts
Trustee oversight5 trustees · 15/15 pts
Declared policies3/10 pts

Financial Health

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

50/100

Reserves (months of cash)292 months · 0/15 pts
Income stability / growth10/10 pts · 3-year average
Liabilities to assets3% · 5/5 pts

Financial Efficiency

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

75/100

Program expense ratio80% · 10/10 pts (3-year average)
Fundraising efficiency32p per £1 income · 5/10 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

Revenue & expenses

Latest filed year 2021 · Source: Charity Commission annual accounts

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION revenue and expenses for 2021
Category Amount % of spend
Total income £92m
Total expenditure £489k
Charitable activities £489k 100%
Governance & admin £6k 1%
100%On charitable activities

Where the money goes

Latest accounts (2021) · £489k spent

  • Charitable activities100%
  • Governance1%

Trust indicators

Pulled from the Charity Commission register — filing behaviour, board size, and workforce where reported.

  • Accounts filed on time

    up to date · last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000

  • 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 →

Official register

Reg 1187297

Full trustee list, accounts, and regulatory history on the Charity Commission.

View on Charity Commission →

Trustees & officers

  • LOUISA ROSE HARGREAVES since 2020
  • Robert Kendal Hargreaves since 2020
  • NIGEL JAMES BENCE since 2020
  • PETER KENDAL HARGREAVES Chair · since 2020
  • Rosemary Hargreaves since 2022
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.

Full methodology →

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

£0k £22900k £45800k £68700k £91600k 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 Income 2021: £91,547k Spending 2021: £489k Cause spend 2021: £489k Income 2022: £2,424k Spending 2022: £1,050k Cause spend 2022: £1,050k Income 2023: £378k Spending 2023: £1,677k Cause spend 2023: £1,258k Income 2024: £1,170k Spending 2024: £3,025k Cause spend 2024: £2,473k Income 2025: £1,338k Spending 2025: £4,232k Cause spend 2025: £3,578k
  • Income
  • Spending
  • Cause spend

Values in £ thousands · Source: Charity Commission accounts

Key facts

Overall score
63/100 (2★)
Income
£92m
Cause spend
80% of expenditure
Reg number
1187297
Scope
UK-wide
Reserves
292 months
Trustees
5
Accounts year
2021
Filing
up to date

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Red flags

Frequently asked questions

Common questions about THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status.

What is THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION's charity rating? +

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION scores 63 out of 100 on CharityCompare (2 stars — Needs improvement). 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 HARGREAVES FOUNDATION a good charity to donate to? +

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION scores 63 out of 100 (2 stars — Needs improvement) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its Charity Commission filings. Around 80% 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 HARGREAVES FOUNDATION a legitimate UK charity? +

Yes — THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales under registration number 1187297. You can verify the entry on the official register.

What is THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION's Charity Commission registration number? +

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION's registration number is 1187297. Official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1187297

How much income does THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION receive? +

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION reported £92m total income in its 2021 accounts, based on Charity Commission filings. Five-year trend: growing.

What percentage of THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION's spending goes to charitable activities? +

Approximately 80% of total expenditure went to charitable activities in the latest filed year. Fundraising was 11% and combined overhead (fundraising plus governance) was 11%.

Are THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION's accounts up to date? +

Filing status: up to date (last filing 2026-06-24 00:00:00.0000000). CharityCompare flags late or missing accounts separately from the financial score.

Where is THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION based? +

THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION is listed at Sheffield · UK-wide · SN16 0LJ and operates UK-wide, focused on children & youth.

How does CharityCompare score THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION? +

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 HARGREAVES FOUNDATION? +

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 HARGREAVES FOUNDATION with other charities? +

Use our free compare tool to put THE HARGREAVES FOUNDATION side-by-side with other UK charities on scores, finances, and filing status.