The Regulator for Charities in England and Wales

Large Charities Division

What is the Large Charities Division?

This guidance is about the Large Charities Division which works with charities which have an annual income of more than £5 million.

Why do we deal with large charities separately?

Although large charities account for less than 1% of the total number of charities that we regulate, they control over 60% of the charity sector’s income. This group includes many well-known and influential charities. The Large Charities Division focuses on this key part of the sector, aiming to increase its effectiveness and impact.

What does the Large Charities Division do?

The Large Charities Division aims to provide a high-quality, responsive service which meets large charities’ needs and expectations. It seeks to build relationships with large charities to ensure better regulation and provides advice on the legal framework, best practice and legal consents to large charities. The Division also handles enquiries from the public about large charities.

Are all large charities dealt with by the Large Charities Division?

The following types of large charities are dealt with by other specialist teams within the Commission:

  • Schools, educational charities and professional bodies
  • Armed forces charities
  • Welsh charities
  • NHS charities

Queries for these types of charities should be addressed in the first instance to Charity Commission Direct.

Organisational structure

The Large Charities Division sits within the Charity Services directorate of the Charity Commission. This is the largest directorate and is at the heart of the Commission’s work to ensure that trustees comply with their legal obligations and to enable the effective administration of charities. The directorate is also responsible for the Commission’s statutory function of determining whether organisations are charities or not.

Charity Services is structured as follows:






If you are using assistive technology please click here to access the chart above

 

How is the Large Charities Division structured?

The Large Charities Division is divided by charity type into specialist teams:

  • Faith, Young, International
  • Community, Arts, Older People, Grant-makers, Accommodation
  • Disability, Animals, Conservation, Medical and Research
  • Common Investment Funds

The Large Charities Division is organised around specific sub-sectors of charities to ensure a greater degree of consistency in the advice and guidance we offer. It also allows us to identify emerging trends among sub-sectors of large charities and to develop our contextual knowledge of the different types of charities we regulate.

Common Investment Funds (CIFs) are investment vehicles which allow charities to pool their funds thus giving them access to a wider range of investments. They are established by Schemes of the Commission and are deemed by law to be charities themselves. They are therefore eligible for registration as charities in their own right.

Large Charities Division Structure Chart

 

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How to contact Large Charities Division

All correspondence should be sent in the first instance to Charity Commission Direct:

Tel: 0845 300 0218

Before you contact us please have a look on our website. The answers to most common queries can be found in the guidance and publications section or in our FAQs. You might also be able to find the information you are looking for in our apply for it section.

We will try to give you a full and clear response within fifteen working days from receipt of your letter. Please ensure that you send us all the information that we require when you first contact us. You can check what information we need by reading our guidance on the links below or by calling Charity Commission Direct on the above number.

We will let you have the name and contact number of the person dealing with your query. We will also ensure that our response is both accurate and appropriate. This service standard applies to all forms of correspondence including e-mails and faxes.

If we cannot give you a full response within fifteen days, we will contact you and let you know the reasons why this is not possible and when we expect to give you a full response.

What type of work does Large Charities Division handle?

The Large Charities Division deals frequently with the following types of issues. Please note this is not a comprehensive list: