Question 1

What is CharityLens?

Accepted Answer

CharityLens is a free financial intelligence platform for the UK charity sector. We aggregate data from the Charity Commission to provide 27+ financial health metrics, peer benchmarks, and due diligence tools for over 180,000 registered charities.

Question 2

Where does the data come from?

Accepted Answer

All data is sourced directly from official Charity Commission filings (Annual Returns and Accounts). We normalize this data to calculate comparable metrics like 'Charitable Spending Ratio' and 'Survival Months'.

Question 3

Is this tool free?

Accepted Answer

Yes, CharityLens is currently in open beta and completely free to use. We aim to help grant makers, donors, and charity leaders make better decisions with transparent data.

Question 4

How reliable are the benchmarks?

Accepted Answer

Our benchmarks are calculated using data from similar organizations. You can compare a charity against its 'Income Band' peers (e.g., other £1M-£10M charities) or its specific 'Sector' peers (e.g., other Education charities) for context-aware analysis.

Question 5

Can I use this for grant due diligence?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely. CharityLens is designed to speed up the initial financial due diligence process. Use our 'Financial Health' and 'Governance' metrics to quickly spot red flags or strong performers before digging deeper into full accounts.

Question 6

Can I export the data?

Accepted Answer

Bulk export functionality and PDF reports are currently in development. We plan to offer these features as part of a premium tier for professional grant makers and researchers. Sign up for our newsletter to be notified when they launch.

Question 7

Is this an official government website?

Accepted Answer

No, CharityLens is an independent platform. We are not affiliated with the Charity Commission or the UK Government. However, all our data is sourced directly from the official open data files published by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

Question 8

Why can't I find a specific charity?

Accepted Answer

We currently cover registered charities in England and Wales that have submitted at least one annual return. Very small charities (income <£10k) or newly registered organisations might not have enough financial data to appear in our main search index yet.

Question 9

Can non-grant makers use this?

Accepted Answer

Yes! While built for financial analysis, CharityLens is a great way to discover local charities you might want to support or volunteer with. Use our 'Location' and 'What They Do' filters to find organizations in your community that align with your values.

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