How to Search for a Charity on the Register of Charities

Updated

Go to register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk and use the main search to look up a charity by name or other details. This works for registered charities in England and Wales, and a result page shows what the charity does, its trustees, its finances (income and expenditure), and any actions the Charity Commission has taken against it. You do not need to log in to search the public register — "Log in to online services" is a separate area for charity accounts.

Search the register

  1. Open the site and find the search field on the main page.
  2. Enter the charity's name, or another detail you already have.
  3. Open the matching result to see the charity's record: activities, trustees, financial information such as income and expenditure, and any regulatory action taken by the Commission.

If you are unsure of the exact name, try the core words of the name rather than the full legal title. If the charity is known by a working name, search that too.

Other ways to search

The site offers more than one route, depending on what you know:

What you have Where to go What it does
A charity name or general detail Main search Finds the charity and shows its full record
A postcode, parliamentary constituency, or local authority area Search by constituency Finds charities based on the postcode, constituency, or local authority area of their named contact
A need for more specific criteria Main advanced search page Supports more specific queries
Interest in merged charities Register of merged charities Shows charities that notified the Commission they merged or transferred assets to another charity

One caveat on the constituency search: it uses the location of the charity's named contact, so it will not identify every charity operating in your area. For major national charities, international charities, and those providing key services, use the main advanced search page instead.

Downloading data and using the API

If you need information on many charities rather than one, the site supports bulk access:

  • Register datasets — the entire register dataset is available to download via "View the dataset". You can export up to 10,000 records.
  • Top 10 lists — view the top 10 charities by income, expenditure, or other criteria.
  • Sector data — a graphical representation of data about the charity sector.
  • API — the Charity Commission for England and Wales API lets you retrieve charity information; the data returned is live and real-time. It is described as a Beta API service.

Common points to watch

  • The register covers England and Wales only. Charities registered elsewhere will not appear.
  • A search by constituency reflects the named contact's location, not every area where the charity works.
  • The register is a record of registered charities and Commission actions — it is not a rating or endorsement of a charity.