register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk

You can download the full Register of Charities dataset from the Charity Commission for England and Wales by using the "View the dataset" link on the register's datasets page. This is the right route if you are a researcher or want information for all registered charities rather than looking up one organisation at a time. If you only need a smaller slice of records, the main search lets you export up to 10,000 records.

What data is available

The Charity Commission publishes three main types of data on this page:

• The full register dataset – all publicly available data on the Register of Charities, downloadable via "View the dataset".
• Top 10 lists – charities ranked by income, expenditure or other criteria, via the "Go to top 10 list" link.
• Sector data – a graphical representation of data about the charity sector, via "View the sector data".

For individual charities, the register itself shows what the charity does, trustee information, finance information such as income and expenditure, and any actions the Charity Commission has taken against the charity.

Downloading the whole dataset

1. Go to the Register of Charities site and open the datasets section.
2. Select "View the dataset". This gives you the entire register dataset for download, intended for researchers or anyone wanting data across all charities.
3. Use the downloaded file for your own analysis.

This route is best when you need complete coverage. The page does not state a record limit for the full dataset download, so treat the 10,000-record cap as applying to search exports rather than the dataset file.

Exporting a smaller set of records

If you need a targeted subset rather than everything:

1. Use the main search or advanced search to narrow results.
2. Export the results. You can export up to 10,000 records.

This suits a defined project — for example, pulling all charities matching a particular area or type — where a full-register download would be more than you need.

Other ways to get charity data

• Register of merged charities – view charities that have notified the Charity Commission that they merged or transferred their assets to another charity.
• Search by constituency – find charities based on the postcode of their named contact, the parliamentary constituency of the named contact, or the local authority area of the named contact. This helps surface small local charities, but it will not identify all charities operating in an area; for major national, international and key-service charities, use the main advanced search page.
• API – the Charity Commission for England and Wales API lets you retrieve charity information. The data returned is described as live and real-time, and simple to use and understand. There is a Beta API service you can go to.

Choosing between the options

Common points to watch

• The constituency search is based on the named contact's postcode, constituency or local authority area — not necessarily where the charity operates — so it can miss charities active in your area.
• The 10,000-record export limit applies to search exports; plan around it if your result set is larger.
• The page does not state that any of these services are free or require login, so check the relevant link or the online services login before relying on access conditions.

The Register of Charities (register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk) is the public, searchable record of charities registered in England and Wales, run by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. Use it when you want to check whether an organisation is a registered charity and to see its stated purposes, trustees, and financial information, plus any enforcement action the Commission has taken against it. It covers registered charities in England and Wales only, so it is not a register of charities based in Scotland or Northern Ireland, and it does not list unregistered organisations.

What you can find on the register

For each registered charity, the register is designed to show:

• What the charity does – its purposes and activities.
• Trustees – who is responsible for running it.
• Finance information – such as income and expenditure.
• Regulatory action – any actions the Charity Commission has taken against the charity.

This makes the register useful for donors, volunteers, journalists, researchers, and anyone verifying an organisation before giving money or time.

Ways to search

The site offers more than one route into the data, depending on what you already know:

The constituency search works by matching the postcode, parliamentary constituency, or local authority area of a charity's named contact. The Commission notes that many charities operate in small local areas and their contact often lives in or near that area, so this search can help surface small local charities. It also warns that this method will not identify all charities operating in your area — for national, international, or key-service charities, use the main advanced search page instead.

Datasets and bulk data

If you need information on all charities rather than one at a time, the register provides downloadable data:

• View the dataset – download all publicly available data on the Register of Charities. You can export up to 10,000 records.
• Top 10 list – view the top 10 charities by income, expenditure, or other criteria.
• Sector data – a graphical representation of data about the charity sector.

These are aimed at researchers or anyone wanting to analyse the register as a whole.

API access

The Charity Commission for England and Wales API lets you retrieve information about charities programmatically. According to the site, the data returned is live and real-time, and is described as simple to use and understand. It is offered as a Beta API service, so treat it as a developing product rather than a fully settled one.

Practical points before you rely on it

• Jurisdiction: England and Wales only.
• Export limit: up to 10,000 records when exporting.
• Constituency search is partial: it is a discovery aid, not a complete local charity list.
• Some services require login: the site includes a "Log in to online services" option, so not every function is necessarily available without an account.
• Licensing: all content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated, with Crown copyright.

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:

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.

Use the Search by constituency tool on the Register of Charities when you want to find smaller, locally based charities in England and Wales. It matches charities by the postcode, parliamentary constituency, or local authority area of their named contact. For national or international charities, or charities providing key services, use the main advanced search instead — the constituency search is not designed to surface those.

What the Register of Charities covers

The Register of Charities is run by the Charity Commission for England and Wales. For each registered charity it shows:

• What the charity does
• Trustee information
• Finance information, such as income and expenditure
• Any actions the Charity Commission has taken against the charity

You can export up to 10,000 records from the register.

How to search by area

1. Go to the Register of Charities and open Search by constituency.
2. Enter one of the following:
   • The postcode of the charity's named contact
   • The parliamentary constituency of the named contact
   • The local authority area of the named contact
3. Review the results.

The search works because many charities operate in small local areas, and for charities that work in limited areas the named contact will often live in or close to that area. That makes the contact's location a useful proxy for where the charity operates.

What this search will and won't find

The Register itself notes an important limitation: this search will not identify all the charities that operate in your area. Treat it as a way to surface locally based organisations, not as a complete list of everything active in a place.

Other ways to explore the register

• Register of merged charities — view charities that have notified the Charity Commission they merged or transferred their assets to another charity.
• Register datasets — researchers and others can download all publicly available data on the Register of Charities using the "View the dataset" link. The Commission publishes three main types of data, including the full register dataset.
• Top 10 lists — view 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 information about charities. The data returned is live and real-time. A Beta API service is available.

Practical notes

• If you are looking for a charity you already know by name, the main register search is the faster route.
• If your goal is area-based research across many charities, the downloadable dataset or the API will be more complete than the constituency search alone.
• Log in to online services is available from the register homepage if you need account-based functions.

Yes. The Charity Commission for England and Wales provides an API that lets you retrieve information about charities, and the data it returns is described as live and real-time. The register page also points to a new Beta API service. If you need charity data inside your own application, dashboard, or research pipeline rather than reading it page by page, the API is the intended route.

What the API gives you

According to the register's own description, the API:

• Lets you retrieve information about charities.
• Returns live, real-time data (not a periodic snapshot).
• Is described as simple to use and understand.

The register page links to a "new Beta API service," so treat the API as an active but evolving offering. Because it is labelled Beta, expect the interface or documentation to change over time, and check the current service page before you build anything long-lived on top of it.

API vs. the other ways to get register data

The register offers several access routes, and they suit different jobs:

If you need to query one charity at a moment in time, the API fits. If you need to analyse every charity at once, the full dataset download is the better starting point. The two are complementary: the dataset gives you breadth, the API gives you freshness.

Practical points before you start

• Export limits apply to the register search, not necessarily the API. The register states you can export up to 10,000 records from the search interface. That cap is a reason to use the dataset download or the API when you need more.
• The API is the only route described as real-time. The dataset download and top 10 lists are published resources; if currency matters, the API is the one to check.
• Start from the register page. The API link sits alongside the dataset, top 10, and sector data links, so you can compare options before committing to an integration.
• Verify access terms yourself. The register page does not state pricing, rate limits, or authentication requirements for the API in the material available here, so confirm those on the Beta API service page before relying on it.

When the API is the right choice

Use the API if you are building something that needs current charity information on demand — for example, a tool that checks a charity's status or finances when a user looks it up. Use the full dataset download instead if you are doing research across all charities and can work with a published extract. Use the ordinary register search if you just need to look up one or a few charities by hand.