Charities and public benefit assessment

On 14 July the Charity Commission published the reports on its first exercise in assessing the public benefit of charities which are already on the charities register. The reports are important because they give us the first indication of how the Charity Commission intends to apply its public benefit guidance to registered charities.

The 12 charities assessed include some representing two of the categories of charitable purpose which have lost the benefit of the presumption that they are for the public benefit (advancement of education and advancement of religion) as well as some which charge ‘high’ fees, which the Charity Commission defines as being fees which ‘many people cannot afford’. All the charities established for the advancement of religion passed the Charity Commission’s test, but 2 independent schools and 2 care homes failed, 3 of these ostensibly because the Commission considered that they failed to provide ‘sufficient’ means-tested assistance with the fees charged.

The reports can be viewed on the Commission’s website at http://www.charitycommission.gov.uk/publicbenefit/default.asp

Please click here to view our latest Public Benefit Update.

If you would like to know more about any of the topics outlined above, contact Penny Chapman, Partner.