An exempt charity is an institution established in

England and Wales England and Wales () is one of the Law of the United Kingdom#Legal jurisdictions, three legal jurisdictions of the United Kingdom. It covers the constituent countries England and Wales and was formed by the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Th ...

for charitable purposes which is exempt from registration with, and oversight by, the

Charity Commission for England and Wales The Charity Commission for England and Wales is a non-ministerial government department, non-ministerial department of Government of the United Kingdom, His Majesty's Government that regulates Charitable organization, registered charities in En ...

. Exempt charities are largely institutions of further and higher education, universities, industrial and provident societies, friendly societies, or national museums, that were established by Act of Parliament or by

Royal Charter A royal charter is a formal grant issued by a monarch under royal prerogative as letters patent. Historically, they have been used to promulgate public laws, the most famous example being the English Magna Carta (great charter) of 1215, but ...

. These organisations are specified in schedule 3 to the

Charities Act 2011 The Charities Act 2011 (c. 25) is a UK act of Parliament. It consolidated the bulk of the Charities Act 2006, outstanding provisions of the Charities Act 1993, and various other enactments. Repeals Legislation repealed in its entirety by th ...

. Historically, they were treated as exempt from supervision because they were considered to be adequately supervised by, or accountable to, some other body or authority, such as Parliament. However this supervision was not always formalised, and the

Charities Act 2006 The Charities Act 2006 (c. 50) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to alter the regulatory framework in which charities operate, partly by amending the Charities Act 1993. The act was mostly superseded by the Charities A ...

(which was consolidated into the 2011 act) introduced the idea of "principal regulator" for exempt charities. Where a previously exempt charity had no principal regulator it would become subject to registration with, and regulation by, the Charity Commission. Although outside the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission, exempt charities are still subject to the usual legal rules applicable to charities in

English law English law is the common law list of national legal systems, legal system of England and Wales, comprising mainly English criminal law, criminal law and Civil law (common law), civil law, each branch having its own Courts of England and Wales, ...

and to the general provisions of the Charities Acts, and may seek advice from the Charity Commission

Named charities

The following list (comprisin
schedule 3 to the Charities Act 2011
lists institutions both by name and by generic type as exempt charities:

Formerly exempt charities

The following charities are no longer exempt, because there was no suitable body to act as principal regulator: * Universities and other higher education institutions in Wales * The colleges and halls of Cambridge, Durham and Oxford universities * Students' unions * Eton and Winchester colleges *

Museum of London London Museum (known from 1976 to 2024 as the Museum of London) is a museum in London, covering the history of the city from prehistoric to modern times, with a particular focus on social history. The Museum of London was formed in 1976 by ama ...

Church Commissioners The Church Commissioners is a body which administers the property assets of the Church of England. It was established in 1948 and combined the assets of Queen Anne's Bounty, a fund dating from 1704 for the relief of poor clergy, and of the Eccle ...

, and the Representative Body of the Church in Wales

References

External links

Charity Commission
{{DEFAULTSORT:Exempt Charity Charity law