--- title: "Tools for Self Reliance rating & legitimacy | CharityCompare" description: "Is Tools for Self Reliance a legitimate UK charity? Clarity Score 81/100. Accounts 2024: income £699k · 81% on charitable activities. Reg 280437." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/tools-for-self-reliance retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:40:06.841Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- Quick answer ## Is Tools for Self Reliance a good charity? Tools for Self Reliance scores 81/100 (4 stars, Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, calculated from its UK regulator filings. Its latest accounts year is 2024 (£699k total income, 81% 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. Southampton · UK-wide · SO40 7GY | Reg [280437](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/tools-for-self-reliance) | Registered charity | [Official website](https://www.tfsr.org/) | [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/280437) Donate ## How can you give to TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE? You leave CharityCompare to complete a donation on the official TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE form. We do not process payments or take commission. Opens their official online donation form. [Donate](https://www.tfsr.org/?utm_source=charitycompare&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=donate&utm_content=280437) ## What does Tools for Self Reliance do? Tools for Self Reliance is a registered charity (no. 280437) working in international aid across the United Kingdom. Its latest Charity Commission filing directs 81% of spending to charitable activities, holding roughly 2 months of reserves, and files its annual accounts on time. Reported income has been broadly stable 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. Summarised from public filings — Tools for Self Reliance hasn't added its own description yet. [Work here? Add it free →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/claim?charity=tools-for-self-reliance) **In short:** TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE scores 81 out of 100 (4 stars). 81% average program spend (3-year average). Filings are up to date with no major concerns. ## What is Tools for Self Reliance? Tools for Self Reliance has a Clarity Score of 81 out of 100 on CharityCompare (4 stars, Good). Charity Commission registration number 280437. Status: Registered. Primary cause area: International aid. Latest accounts year 2024: total income £699k, with 81% of expenditure on charitable activities. Accounts filing: up to date. Reserves: approximately 2 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 81/100 4★ · Good Cause spend 81% 3-yr avg · charitable activities Accountability 100/100 Finance beacon Income £699k Latest year 2024 Reserves 2 mo Months of running costs Accounts filing On time Charity Commission £4.7 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) · 20% overhead · Website on register · Confidence: high ## How does TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE compare? Clarity Score percentile against similar UK charities — the share of peers TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE scores higher than. Income band (£500k–£1m)52ndpercentile **Scores higher than 52% of 2,187 charities in its income band** · 81/100 vs 79 peer average (marker). International aid charities68thpercentile **Scores higher than 68% of 618 charities in this cause** · 81/100 vs 75 peer average (marker). ## How reliable is Tools for Self Reliance's data? Source Charity Commission (England & Wales) Accounts year 2024 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 Tools for Self Reliance'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% | 6 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. 57/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Reserves (months of cash) 3–24 months = full marks, tapering on both sides · 0 months or 4+ years (hoarding) = 0 pts. | 67% | 2 months · 10/15 pts | | Income stability / growth +20% or more over the window = 10 pts · flat = 5 pts · −20% or worse = 0 pts, scaled between. | 20% | 2/10 pts · 3-year average | | Liabilities to assets 0% liabilities-to-assets = 5 pts, scaling down to 0 pts at 60%+ debt. | 100% | 2% · 5/5 pts | ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 70/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Program expense ratio 90%+ on charitable activities = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 50% or below. | 80% | 81% · 8/10 pts (3-year average) | | Fundraising efficiency ≤10p to raise £1 = full marks, scaling down to 0 pts at 40p or above (fundraising cost ÷ income). | 60% | 21p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average) | ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 | Metric | Score | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Volunteer-to-staff ratio Volunteers at 2x staff or more = full marks · no volunteers = 0 pts, scaled between. | 100% | 350 volunteers / 10 staff · 10/10 pts | [How we calculate beacon scores →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ## What is Tools for Self Reliance's Clarity Score? 81/100 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 57/100 Financial Health 70/100 Financial Efficiency 100/100 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 oversight6 trustees · 15/15 pts Declared policies10/10 pts ### Financial Health Stability and solvency — reserves, revenue trend, and debt from Charity Commission accounts. 57/100 Reserves (months of cash)2 months · 10/15 pts Income stability / growth2/10 pts · 3-year average Liabilities to assets2% · 5/5 pts ### Financial Efficiency How efficiently funds reach the cause — program spend and fundraising cost ratios. 70/100 Program expense ratio81% · 8/10 pts (3-year average) Fundraising efficiency21p per £1 income · 6/10 pts (3-year average) ### Community Support Grassroots backing from Charity Commission workforce data — volunteers vs paid staff. 100/100 Volunteer-to-staff ratio350 volunteers / 10 staff · 10/10 pts ## How much does Tools for Self Reliance raise and spend? Latest filed year 2024 · Source: Charity Commission filings | Category | Amount | % of spend | | --- | --- | --- | | Total income | £699k | — | | Total expenditure | £767k | — | | Charitable activities | £636k | 83% | | Fundraising | £131k | 17% | | Governance & admin | £6k | 1% | 83%On charitable activities ## Where does the money go? Latest accounts (2024) · £767k spent - Charitable activities83% · £636k - Fundraising17% · £131k - Governance1% · £6k ## What trust indicators does Tools for Self Reliance 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) 6 trustees on the Charity Commission register - ✓ Workforce on register 10 employees · 350 volunteers (35:1 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 280437 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/280437) ### Trustees & officers - Jacqui Scott since 2018 - Linda Hansford since 2018 - Sarah Dickins since 2022 - David Fletcher Chair · since 2023 - Samantha Rider since 2024 - Bram Miller 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 Tools for Self Reliance'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 Tools for Self Reliance? Overall score 81/100 (4★) Income £699k Cause spend 81% of expenditure Reg number 280437 Scope UK-wide Reserves 2 months Trustees 6 Accounts year 2024 Filing up to date ## How does TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE compare, and where else can you look? [Compare TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE with others](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=tools-for-self-reliance) [More international aid charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) [How we score charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) ### Where TOOLS FOR SELF RELIANCE sits The causes this charity is classified under, and other charities working nearby. - [international charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/international) - [poverty charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/poverty) - [education charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/education) - [community charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/community) - [Charities in Southampton](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/cities/southampton) ### Similar international aid charities Top-rated peers by CharityCompare score - [THE ZAHRA TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/the-zahra-trust) 100/100 · £5.9m - [ORISON CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/orison-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.8m - [HELP THE NEEDY CHARITABLE TRUST](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/help-the-needy-charitable-trust) 100/100 · £2.6m - [MAJLIS ANSARULLAH (UK) LTD](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/majlis-ansarullah-uk-ltd) 100/100 · £1.9m ## How can you share Tools for Self Reliance's rating? 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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 81/100 ★★★★★](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/tools-for-self-reliance) Lightweight HTML badge (no iframe) — paste anywhere ♥ CharityCompare Clarity Score 81/100 ★★★★★ Copy code ## Frequently asked questions Common questions about Tools for Self Reliance's rating, finances, and Charity Commission status. Is Tools for Self Reliance a good charity? + Tools for Self Reliance scores 81 out of 100 (4 stars — Good) on CharityCompare's Clarity Score, our independent read of its UK regulator filings. Around 81% 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 Tools for Self Reliance a legitimate charity? + Yes — Tools for Self Reliance is a legitimate registered charity (charity number 280437). Verify it on the official register: https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/280437. Registration proves status; Clarity Score then summarises filing transparency on paper, not programme impact. What is Tools for Self Reliance's charity number? + Tools for Self Reliance's charity number is 280437. 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 Tools for Self Reliance's charity rating? + Tools for Self Reliance scores 81 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 Tools for Self Reliance have reviews and complaints? + CharityCompare does not host public user reviews for Tools for Self Reliance. 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 Tools for Self Reliance? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, 81% of Tools for Self Reliance'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 Tools for Self Reliance's overheads? + According to its 2024 regulator filing, fundraising costs were about 19% of total expenditure and combined overheads (fundraising plus governance) were about 20% of total expenditure at Tools for Self Reliance. The filings CharityCompare uses do not publish CEO or senior-staff pay, so we cannot say what Tools for Self Reliance'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 Tools for Self Reliance receive? + Tools for Self Reliance reported £699k total income in its 2024 accounts, based on UK regulator filings. Five-year trend: stable. Are Tools for Self Reliance'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 Tools for Self Reliance based? + Tools for Self Reliance is listed at Southampton · UK-wide · SO40 7GY and operates UK-wide, focused on international aid. How does CharityCompare score Tools for Self Reliance? + We calculate a Clarity Score of 0–100 from four pillars in Tools for Self Reliance'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 Tools for Self Reliance'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.