Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Charitable purposes definition

What does Charitable purposes mean? In legal practice, charitable purposes are the legally recognised aims that qualify an organisation as a charity and determine how its objects are drafted, interpreted and regulated. Across England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland, the concept is principally statutory and informed by case law: Charities Act 2011 (E&W), Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 and Charities Act 2009 (Ireland). Typical purposes include the relief of poverty; advancement of education, religion, health, citizenship or community development; arts, culture or heritage; environmental protection; human rights; animal welfare; amateur sport; and other analogous purposes. A...

Charitable purposes in England and Wales: a practitioner’s guide to statutory purposes, public benefit, constitutional drafting and Charity Commission guidance under the Charities Act 2011

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Practice notes

Unless an institution is set up solely for charitable purposes, it cannot be a charity. Statute (the Charities Act 2011 (CA 2011)) provides guidance: for the law of England and Wales, a charitable purpose is a purpose that

falls within section 3(1), and
is for the public benefit (see section 4).

Accordingly, the definition adopts a two-limbed approach; the first limb requires a proposed purpose to align with a defined list, and the second concerns public benefit. That list is far more substantial and encompassing than earlier lists, and is considerably broader and more inclusive than those that preceded it...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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