--- title: "British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association" description: "BHF vs Stroke Association compared: heart disease research and support vs stroke prevention and recovery — Clarity Scores, cause spend and UK regulator filings." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/british-heart-foundation-vs-stroke-association retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:26:32.843Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [BH](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/british-heart-foundation) [BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/british-heart-foundation) 82/100 4★ Reg. 225971 compared with [SA](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/stroke-association) [STROKE ASSOCIATION](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/stroke-association) 86/100 4★ Reg. 211015 # British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association — charity comparison **In short:** The British Heart Foundation focuses on heart and circulatory disease; the Stroke Association on stroke prevention, treatment and life after stroke — related conditions, different jobs for a donation. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 12 August 2026. Heart and stroke sit in the same circulatory-health neighbourhood, which is why donors compare these two brands. They are not substitutes. Shop-heavy and research-heavy models also look different on cause spend — read the filings snapshot rather than an overhead slogan. Information only. ## Key differences | What to compare | BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION | STROKE ASSOCIATION | | --- | --- | --- | | Primary model | Heart and circulatory disease — research, information and support | Stroke — prevention, support and recovery | | Condition focus | Heart and circulatory disease in the round | Stroke specifically | | What “cause spend” can look like | Research plus a large retail network can change the ratio — read the year | Support and prevention programmes — still compare peers, not slogans | | Best if you want | A major heart-disease research and support charity | A major stroke charity | ## What the latest filings show Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). | Metric | BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION | STROKE ASSOCIATION | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 82/100 (4★) | 86/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 36% of expenditure | 79% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £10.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £4.9 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | | Latest income | £411m | £44m | | Fundraising spend | 10% of expenditure | 21% of expenditure | | Reserves | 3 months | 10 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 225971 | 211015 | [BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/225971) · [STROKE ASSOCIATION on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/211015) ## BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION may suit you if… - You want to fund heart and circulatory disease research or support - You already use or recognise BHF information or shops - You are choosing a national heart charity after reading the filings [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/british-heart-foundation) ## STROKE ASSOCIATION may suit you if… - You want donations aimed at stroke prevention and life after stroke - You or someone you know has been affected by stroke - You want a stroke-specific national charity rather than a general heart fund [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/stroke-association) ## Common questions ### British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association — which should I donate to? Neither is universally better. They fund different conditions. Compare Clarity Scores and cause spend, then give to the condition and model you intend — many donors support both over time. ### Why might cause spend look low on a shop-heavy health charity? Retail and trading can sit outside “charitable activities” in the accounts even when shops fund the mission. That is a reason to read the snapshot and trustees’ report, not to treat the lowest ratio as the winner. 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. [Compare these charities side-by-side](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=british-heart-foundation,stroke-association) [Back to compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities)