Home Countries United Kingdom Environment The Smart Villages Foundation

The Smart Villages Foundation

Abingdon, England · United Kingdom Charity No 1145689 (Charity Commission) Environment
Claim this charity
69 / 100
Integrity score
Partial transparency

About

The charity promotes integrated rural development in developing countries - in particular to harness innovative technologies (such as off-grid sustainable energy and ICT) to act as catalysts to create local services and productive uses that generate sustainable social and economic impacts for local communities.

Mission

Can remote villages have the same opportunities as urban centres? Can rural residents have access to careers, clean water, healthcare, education, productive agriculture and communication-without leaving their villages? Smart Villages believes that people in remote villages deserve the same opportunities as everyone else. Remote villages are often "off the grid" and do not have a reliable supply of energy for lighting homes, cooking, charging mobile phones, or powering businesses. The energy sources they do have, such as kerosene lamps, are often harmful to their health. The national grid may never reach many of these remote villages, but other solutions exist. We believe that energy access in off-grid communities is one of the services that can change lives-but only if it is implemented for the long-term and includes community involvement and training. And for development to happen sustainably, energy and other technologies must be harnessed for productive use, and for the innovative provision of community-level services (for example health and education), so that community residents are able to access all the basic services they need, despite their physical remoteness. Every village can be a "smart village." Smart Villages has provided policy makers, donors and development agencies concerned with rural energy access with new insights on the real barriers to energy access and innovation-driven rural development in villages in developing countries - technological, financial and political - and how they can be overcome. We are focusing more on remote off-grid villages, where local solutions (home- or institution-based systems, and mini-grids) are both more realistic and cheaper than national grid extension. But our approach is equally valid in other situations. Our concern is to ensure that energy access goes hand in hand with smarter, more integrated thinking about rural communities, and results in development and the creation of 'smart villages' in which many of

Focus & reach

Category
Causes

Verification & registration

Every mark links to the official registry entry and opens in a new tab.

Integrity assessment

A score from 0 to 100 for how openly a charity shares public information across five areas: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and data recency. It does not measure programme impact. See exactly what we do and do not have →

Registration 16/20
Government registration ID on record +8
Sourced from official registry +4
Cross-referenced (2+ sources) +4
Profile not yet claimed by organization 0
Financial Transparency 20/30
No financial documents found on website 0
Financial filing on record +8
Revenue figure disclosed +6
Spending figure disclosed +6
No detailed financial breakdown disclosed 0
Governance 13/20
At least 1 officer disclosed +5
Fewer than 3 officers disclosed 0
Officer titles disclosed +2
Executive compensation not disclosed 0
Mission / description on file +3
Founding date on file +3
Contact Availability 10/10
Website +3
Email +3
Phone +2
Physical address +2
Data Recency 10/20
Updated within 2 years +10
Newer data needed for full score 0
Red flags 0
No red flags detected, so nothing is deducted 0

Financials

Charity Commission (UK)
Annual revenue
£849
Reporting year
2024
See 5 years of financials
Revenue history, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet, free with an account.
Sign up

Leadership at a glance

Official filings
DR
Dr B••••••••
Trustee
DR
Dr L••••••••
Trustee

Similar charities

GiveRadarGiveRadar Intelligence

GiveRadar Analysis

From what GiveRadar has verified so far, The Smart Villages Foundation has a substantially complete profile, sourced from the Charity Commission.

  • It has more complete governance disclosure than nearly all comparable organizations, because GiveRadar has verified leadership, a mission statement and a founding date. See national comparisons
  • GiveRadar holds 3 years of financial filings for this organization, the most recent for fiscal year 2024. See the filings
  • GiveRadar's profile for The Smart Villages Foundation draws on its financial disclosures and its registration, in line with the typical environment charities in the United Kingdom it tracks. View this cohort
GiveRadar has verified
  • government registration
  • financial records (3 filed years)
  • disclosed leadership
  • a website
  • a contact email

Analysis based on GiveRadar's benchmark dataset of 2026-07-03. It describes what GiveRadar has verified, not a judgment of the organization itself.

Annual revenue
£849
Figures from Charity Commission (UK).
See 5 years of financials

Filing history

3 years on file from Charity Commission (UK): revenue, expenses, program spending, assets, and liabilities by fiscal year.

Years on record: 2024, 2023, 2021.
Financial details are free with a GiveRadar account

See 5 years of revenue, expense breakdowns, and balance sheet.

Sign up to view
Already have an account? Log in
No credit card needed. Takes about 20 seconds.

Tax deductibility

Whether a gift to The Smart Villages Foundation lowers your own taxes depends on where you pay them. Choose your country to see the rule that applies.

Tax-deductible

UK donations qualify for Gift Aid. The Smart Villages Foundation is registered with the Charity Commission. Eligible UK taxpayers can boost their gift by 25% at no extra cost.

This is general guidance, not tax advice. Confirm treatment with the charity or your tax advisor before donating.

Leadership & board

Official filings

Board members and senior officers on record, with disclosed pay where available.

See full names, roles, and stories

2 officers and trustees on file, free with a GiveRadar account.

Already have an account? Log in
Sign up to view
Officer names and roles come straight from official filings. We mirror the official record exactly and never edit it.

No red flags detected

Screened for the risks donors care about.
Charity Commission removal None found
Open investigations None found
Governance scandals None found
Related-party deals None found
Excessive exec comp None found

Timeline

From official filings

Key dates from this charity's official filings, newest first.

FY2024
Form filed
£0.0M revenue, Charity Commission (UK)
FY2023
Form filed
£0.0M revenue, Charity Commission (UK)
FY2021
Form filed
£0.0M revenue, Charity Commission (UK)

In the news

From public news

No recent news coverage found

News coverage will appear here when articles mention this organization.

Write a review

Share your experience with The Smart Villages Foundation to help other donors.

We'll send a 6-digit verification code. Your email won't be displayed publicly. Log in to skip this step.

Your rating
Reviews are email-verified and approved before appearing.

How it stacks up against peers

Compared with 8 similar environment charities in United Kingdom.

Integrity Assessment Behind peer average
This charity
69 Peer average
86

Cause areas in United Kingdom

Charities working in each area, this charity's highlighted.

Education
72,716
Health
26,318
Religion
24,342
Arts & Culture
24,283
Community Development
16,310
Social Services
8,665
Environment
6,258
Youth Development
4,668
See all cause areas

Sources and verification

Registration and legal identity
Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities
Financial filings
Charity Commission annual returns · Fiscal year 2024 most recent on file.
Officers and trustees
Charity Commission for England and Wales - Register of Charities · 2 disclosed in the public registry.

What we know and don't know

Every data point we track for this charity, and whether we have found it. Disclosure only, never a judgment of the charity's work.

Financial data
Named leadership
Government registration
Mission statement
Official website
Headquarters address
Direct contact
Tax-deductibility
Founding date
Executive pay
Programs & activities

Data freshness

How current this profile is, and when we last checked it against the official source.

Last updated
September 1, 2026
Profile edits and newly added data
Registry checked
September 1, 2026
Reconciled with the official source
Latest financials
Financial year 2024
Most recent filing on record
Profile completeness
65%
Data points we track that are filled in

Methodology

GiveRadar builds each profile primarily from official government charity registries, supplemented where available by third-party nonprofit databases and news archives, and combines it into a single 0-100 integrity assessment. The exact sources for this charity are listed above. We don't take a cut of any donation, ever.

Read full methodology
Are you the owner or a board member?

If you represent this organization and want to correct or update its data, you can claim this listing to edit details yourself, or email info@giveradar.com with the correct information. We review every request and respond within 30 days.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about The Smart Villages Foundation

The Smart Villages Foundation is a registered environment nonprofit based in Abingdon, England, United Kingdom. It is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales. It was founded in 2012 and has been operating for 14 years. GiveRadar's Integrity Assessment for the organization is 69/100, which reflects how much public information is available, not whether the charity is legitimate. The organization reports £849 in annual revenue. No red flags have been detected.

Based on official filings, The Smart Villages Foundation has £849 in annual revenue. Its revenue is below the peer average of £1M. Create a free GiveRadar account to view the complete financial breakdown with year-over-year trends.

The charity promotes integrated rural development in developing countries - in particular to harness innovative technologies (such as off-grid sustainable energy and ICT) to act as catalysts to create local services and productive uses that generate sustainable social and economic impacts for local communities. The Smart Villages Foundation is classified as an environment organization registered in United Kingdom. The organization was founded in 2012.

The Smart Villages Foundation is a charitable company limited by guarantee, the most common incorporated form for UK charities. It is registered with both Companies House and the Charity Commission, and must file annual accounts with both regulators. Directors (who are also charity trustees) have limited liability.

The Smart Villages Foundation's registered charity number is 1145689. You can use it to look up the organization on the Charity Commission register.

The Smart Villages Foundation is located in Abingdon, England, United Kingdom. The organization was established in 2012 and has been active for 14 years.

The Smart Villages Foundation is based in Abingdon in England. The Charity Commission for England and Wales (CCEW) is the primary regulator. Scotland has its own regulator (OSCR), and Northern Ireland has the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI). A charity registered with the CCEW may operate across the whole of the UK or internationally.

Keep researching

Check any charity before you give

Search 7.9M+ nonprofits across 100+ countries. Free, and no account needed.

Quick facts about The Smart Villages Foundation

What is The Smart Villages Foundation?
The Smart Villages Foundation is a environment charitable company based in Abingdon, United Kingdom. The charity promotes integrated rural development in developing countries - in particular to harness innovative technologies (such as off-grid sustainable energy and ICT) to act as catalysts to create local services and productive uses that generate sustainable social and economic impacts for local communities.
When was The Smart Villages Foundation founded?
The Smart Villages Foundation was founded in 2012.
Where is The Smart Villages Foundation located?
Headquartered in Abingdon, England, United Kingdom.
What is The Smart Villages Foundation's annual budget?
Annual revenue for fiscal year 2024 is £849.
Is The Smart Villages Foundation trustworthy?
The Smart Villages Foundation has a GiveRadar Integrity Assessment of 69 out of 100 (Partial transparency). The score reflects public-data transparency: registration, financial disclosure, governance, contact details, and how recently data was refreshed. It does not measure program impact.
What is The Smart Villages Foundation's website?
http://www.e4sv.org
Are donations to The Smart Villages Foundation tax-deductible?
Donations may be tax-deductible for residents of United Kingdom under local rules. US donors should check whether the charity has an equivalency-determination letter or a US-based fiscal sponsor before claiming a deduction.