Charity Commission

Building Charity fit for a post Covid-19 world

Baroness Tina Stowell, 17 June 2020 - Governance, Public Trust

This article was first published on The Times website on Monday 15 June 2020. The pandemic has merely reinforced the fundamental challenges charities face rather than changed them. As if dealing with the impact of coronavirus were not enough charities, …

Covid-19 highlights the lifeline that charities are to so many – and we are playing our part as regulator

Helen Stephenson, 7 April 2020 - Governance, Guidance, Public Trust

As many thousands of people continue to step outside their homes to go to work each day amid a national lockdown, I am struck by how many of these frontline workers will be employed by charities. Care homes, hospices, specialist …

Read all about it: when can journalism be charitable?

Aarti Thakor, 27 January 2020 - Governance, Law, Public Trust

The government has today (27 January 2020) responded to the recommendations made in Dame Frances Cairncross’s independent review of the sustainability of high-quality journalism in the UK. The response recognises that charities can and do use journalism as a tool …

How do charities approach investing in line with their purpose and values? We want to know, and we want to help

Sian Hawkrigg, Strategic Policy Advisor, 15 January 2020 - Finance, Governance, Public Trust

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic which is affecting many charities, we have extended the deadline for responses to 30 April 2020. See the section 'We want to hear from you' for more information. Charities are driven by a passion …

We regulate charities within the boundaries of a clear legal framework – the Courts and Tribunal hold us to that

Stephen Grenfell, 22 November 2019 - Governance, Law, Public Trust

This month (November 2019) we won a landmark case in the High Court. For the first time, we made an application for a finding of contempt of court, after trustees repeatedly failed to comply with Commission Orders seeking information …

Updates to guidance about safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees

Jane Hobson, Head of Guidance and Practice, 22 October 2019 - Guidance, Safeguarding, Survey

One year on since we launched the guidance ‘Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees’, we’ve updated it. Here’s a quick refresher on what the guidance is for and a summary of what changes we’ve made and why. All …

Charities and political campaigning: a reflection on charities’ responsibilities

Helen Stephenson, 13 September 2019 - Governance, Guidance, Public Trust

With expectations growing of a general election before the end of this year and all political parties preparing for it, I want to remind charities of their responsibilities and of the guidance we publish to help decision making around political …

Help us improve our safeguarding guidance

Jane Hobson, Head of Guidance and Practice, 22 July 2019 - Guidance, Safeguarding, Survey

In October 2018 we launched refreshed guidance about Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees. The issue of safeguarding and protecting people has continued to dominate the headlines, with the sector producing new tools and resources to help support …

Educational charities must behave charitably

Helen Stephenson and Nicola Dandridge, 27 June 2019 - Governance, Guidance, Public Trust

Universities and colleges are some of the most substantial charities in England. This status brings with it a special responsibility. Organisations established for the valued charitable purpose of advancing education must do so for the public benefit, helping society to …

Thanks but no thanks: when should charities refuse donations?

Sarah Atkinson, 6 June 2019 - Finance, Governance, Public Trust

Recent high-profile scandals have left many charity trustees wondering how to do the right thing when it comes to accepting certain donations. Trustees have rightly been wanting to make sure that money does not come from sources that might compromise …

Blog Charity Commission

Recent events have underlined the crucial role of charity in our society, here’s what we will do in 2020-21 to ensure charity can thrive and inspire trust