Regulator’s new report analyses first charities to be registered in Northern Ireland
A new report by Northern Ireland’s charity regulator offers a unique insight into the first charities to be registered since compulsory charity registration began in Northern Ireland in December 2013.
The report, entitled What do charities look like in Northern Ireland, analyses charity information held on the new register of charities as at 19 January 2015, just over a year after registration began.
Head of Charity Services at the Commission, Punam McGookin, commented: “Once complete, the register of charities will be the definitive directory of all charities in Northern Ireland, providing the public with a wide a range of information on each charity.
“Alongside this, the register will also act as a valuable research tool, providing unique and up to date data on the charity sector in Northern Ireland, including charities’ income, purposes and activities.
“This research report, which analyses the new register at just over a year old, is the latest in what we hope will be a series of reports, each one providing an important insight into the charity sector and the register itself as it develops.”
The report, available to view below, analyses information on the first 786 charities registered by the Commission, representing 100% of the register of charities as at 19 January 2015.
Some of the key findings from the report include:
- Annual income of the 786 registered charities range from less than ?100 to almost ?200 million.
- The top 20% of charities by income account for more than 80% of the total income of the sector.
- Just over a quarter of charities on the register have an income of ?10,000 or less per annum.
- Just over half of registered charities are unincorporated associations.
- 36% of registered charities are charitable companies.
- 24% of charities are located in Belfast (population 16%).
It is compulsory for all charities in Northern Ireland to apply to the Commission for registration, regardless of the organisation’s size, annual income or whether or not it has registered with HMRC for charitable tax exemptions.
Charity registration began in Northern Ireland for the first time on 16 December 2013, marking the beginning of a process which will see thousands of charitable organisations in Northern Ireland registered over the next three years.
The Commission is managing the process by calling charities forward to apply in tranches, with each charity having three months to submit their application from the date they are called forward.
As at 4 March 2015, the Commission had registered 1,141 charities with more charities added to the new register of charities as their registration applications are assessed.
ENDS
For more information please contact Shirley Kernan, Charity Commission for Northern Ireland Communications Officer, on telephone: 028 3832 0169, mobile: 07827338978 or email: shirley.kernan@charitycommissionni.org.uk
Notes to editors
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland is the independent regulator of charities in Northern Ireland. It was established under the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.
The Act states that the Commission must keep a publicly accessible register of all charities in Northern Ireland.