Get help for your inactive or ineffective charity
How the Revitalising Trusts Programme can help your inactive or ineffective charity.
Applies to England
About the Revitalising Trusts Programme
The Revitalising Trusts Programme was set up in 2018 to help those charities that are inactive or ineffective.
The Programme works with charities such as UK Community Foundations (UKCF) for charities operating in England and Community Foundation in Wales (CFW) for charities operating in Wales.
Which charities can get support
The Revitalising Trusts Programme will contact charities that have been identified as being inactive or ineffective:
- inactive – charities have either not submitted the Annual Return for 5 years or they have reported nil income and nil expenditure for 5 years
- ineffective – charities are up to date with Annual Return submissions but have spent less than 30% of its combined income over the last 5 years
There might be a number of reasons why charities find themselves in the above categories, such as:
- struggling to find new trustees
- struggling to identify suitable beneficiaries
- struggling to spend income in furtherance of the objects
- struggling to find time to run the charity
- struggling to access funds in the charity’s bank account
How can the Revitalising Trusts Programme help your charity
The Programme can help trustees to ensure their charity’s funds can be used in furtherance of its objects and for the public benefit.
Some options available are:
- transfer its assets to another similar charity - How to transfer charity assets to another charity
- close down, or ‘wind up’ if there are no assets remaining - How to close a charity
- change its purposes to work more effectively - How to make changes to your charity’s governing document (CC36)
For any trustees struggling to access funds in the bank account, the Commission might be able to use its powers to direct the bank to transfer the funds.
Contact us
If you receive an email or letter from the Revitalising Trusts Programme, it is important you reply so that we can help the trustees think about the charity’s future.
Even if you are no longer involved with the charity, please reply to us so your details can be removed.
If you have not received an email or letter but feel your charity is struggling as outlined earlier, please contact us as we may be able to help.
CSRevitalisingTrusts@charitycommission.gov.uk
If you are a charity based in England and are interested in transferring funds to your local Community Foundation, email Rachel Morgan at UKCF trusttransfers@ukcommunityfoundations.org
If you are a charity based in Wales and are interested in transferring funds to Community Foundation in Wales, email trusttransfers@communityfoundationwales.org
Updates to this page
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The Revitalising Trusts Team will be proactively contacting charities in England.
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First published.