Every charity finishes with a single Governance Index from 0 to 100 and a band, from Foundational up to Assured (Gold). Three design choices are what make that number mean something.
Each question is scored 0–3: Absent → Ad hoc → Documented → Embedded. You see how far each practice has matured, and exactly what “one level up” looks like.
The 13 domains aren’t equal. Safeguarding carries 11× the weight of a minor one, set by legal duty and how badly a failure would hurt. Weights sum to 100.
Weighted domain scores roll into a single 0–100 index and band. A domain that doesn’t apply (no overseas work, no Zakat) is re-based out, so you’re never marked down for it.
Most governance self-assessments average everything together, so one fatal gap disappears into a comfortable number. This one is built so it can’t.
This charity scores well across the board. Now switch off its DBS checks (a legal duty for a charity teaching children) and watch what happens to the rating.
Averaging would barely move. Gating caps the whole rating at 55 and pushes the failure to the top of the report.
Generic tools stop at the standard governance spine. A third of this framework’s weight sits in domains built for how Muslim charities really operate.
The same questions most tools skip, and the plain reason each one matters for your charity.
This is not an opinion survey. Every question is anchored to a published standard or a statutory duty, so a charity’s score reflects the rules it is actually held to, not a consultant’s house style.
All eight principles of the 2025 Code, from organisational purpose and board effectiveness to the new emphasis on equity, diversity and inclusion, digital and AI. Most sector tools still run on the older 2020, seven-principle version.
Questions map to the Commission’s own guidance: CC3 The Essential Trustee, CC8 Internal Financial Controls, the safeguarding duty, and the rules on reporting serious incidents. These are legal expectations, not nice-to-haves.
Financial questions follow the Charities Statement of Recommended Practice (FRS 102), including correct restricted versus unrestricted fund accounting, and the Fundraising Regulator’s Code of Fundraising Practice.
The overseas domain draws on the Commission’s compliance toolkit for protecting charities from abuse and monitoring the end use of funds; the Zakat and Shariah domain reflects established sector practice on restricted Zakat funds and independent Shariah oversight.
Built and maintained by the Muslim Charities Forum, the umbrella body for British Muslim charities. It is a self-assessment and improvement tool aligned to the above standards, not an official Charity Commission rating or legal advice.
Yes. The framework is built on the 2025 Charity Governance Code and its 8 principles, including the newer emphasis on equity & diversity, digital and AI. Most sector tools still sit on the 2020, 7-principle version.
A single score from 0 to 100. Every question is scored 0–3 for maturity; each of the 13 domains has a weight reflecting its legal and risk importance; the weighted domain scores are combined and normalised into the index, then mapped to a band from Foundational to Assured (Gold).
Gating items are duties so fundamental (safe recruitment/DBS, a current safeguarding policy, restricted-fund accounting) that failing one caps the whole rating at 55 regardless of everything else. It stops a charity with one fatal gap from posting a comfortable score, and it is the single biggest reason the rating is defensible.
No. Domains that don’t apply (overseas due diligence, or Zakat & Shariah governance) can be marked Not applicable, and their weight is re-based across the domains that do apply. You’re only ever scored on what is relevant to you.
Around 25 minutes. It’s best completed by a trustee or senior staff member with sight of the charity’s policies, finances and board papers, ideally reviewed together at a board meeting.
Yes. The assessment runs entirely in your browser, your answers never leave your device, and the PDF report is generated locally. Charity lookup only sends the name or number you type to the public charity register.
No. It’s a self-assessment and improvement tool, not legal advice or an official Charity Commission rating. It points you to the right official guidance for every gap, but you remain responsible for your own compliance.
Your index and band, a domain-by-domain breakdown, any gating red flags, a prioritised action plan ranked by impact, and a referral pack of mostly-free support for each weak area, all downloadable as a board-ready PDF.
Around 25 minutes. Nothing leaves your browser.