Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Related legal acts

Key definition

Charity definition

What does Charity mean? In practice, a charity is an organisation established solely for charitable purposes to deliver public benefit, with assets held for those purposes and supervised by the courts and charity regulators. Common forms include a trust, unincorporated association or company limited by guarantee (including CIO/SCIO). Surpluses cannot be distributed to members; funds must be applied to the purposes. Political activity is permitted only as ancillary. Status determines regulatory duties and eligibility for charity tax reliefs. England and Wales: Charities Act 2011, s 1, defines a charity as an institution established for charitable purposes only and subject to High Court control;...

Charity Formation and Governance in England and Wales: Purposes and Public Benefit, Registration, Gifts, Trustees’ Duties and Constitutional Change

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Practice notes

A charity is a corporate or unincorporated body whose objects are, in law, exclusively charitable. Those objects must be legally enforceable, and a charity has no power to undertake anything that does not advance, or help to advance, a charitable purpose.

Charitable purposes

The Charities Act 2011 (CA 2011) provides a catalogue of purposes regarded as charitable when aimed at benefiting the public rather than particular individuals or private groups. The catalogue is not exhaustive. It includes a sweeping clause embracing purposes already recognised as charitable, though not itemised, together with purposes of a similar nature. Public benefit is crucial, but on its own it does not secure charitable status. It has recently been determined that, to satisfy the public benefit test, the purposes of an independent school require that the educational advantages extend not only to those who can pay the fees but also, in a manner selected by the trustees, to those otherwise eligible for benefit who cannot afford them. Thus, fee-charging education must be complemented by provision for those unable to pay...

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