The Register of Merged Charities on the Charity Commission website has just been updated on the gov.uk website.

Listed are charities that have notified the Charity Commission they have merged with or transferred their assets to another charity. The mergers register is updated monthly. To view the Register of Merged Charities, please click here.

For government guidance on how to merge or link charities, please click here. The pages also include information on when to register a merger, when to link charities, advantages of linking, limitations of linking and how to apply to link charities.

Decide whether merging is in your charity’s interests.

It could be less risky and more efficient to work with another charity more informally. More helpful guidance can be found by via the following Charity Commission links:

Charities often consider merging as an option. Other options are available including holding “linked charities”. Please contact us for guidance if you are looking into merging or linking your charities. .

Charities can merge by either:

  • one charity taking over another’s work and assets
  • forming a completely new charity to take over the work and assets of all the charities involved
  • one charity taking over the management of another charity but keeping it (temporarily or permanently) as a separate entity or brand within a group.

Mergers, or other forms of collaborative working, can make better use of charitable funds and property and provide better services for your beneficiaries. For example, if two charities in the same area are doing similar work and competing for funding, a merger may be the best way to secure funding and provide a united voice.

When thinking about a merger, you must make sure that:

  • the governing documents of the charities involved allow the merger
  • all the charities involved have similar aims
  • there are sound financial and management reasons for merging.

You will need to get permission from the Charity Commission before you merge, so an early discussion with them or us could save you a bit of time.  You always need the Charity Commission’s permission to merge two or more CIOs.

Posted 6 March 2023