Set Up Your UK Charity

Get Professional Guidance at Every Step

You have the passion. The purpose. A clear idea of the difference you want to make. What you probably don’t have is a clear path through the legal requirements, Charity Commission paperwork, and regulatory detail that stands between your idea and a registered charity.

You’re not alone in that. The Charity Commission expects a level of precision that catches most first-time applicants off guard. Your charitable objects need to be legally exact. Your public benefit case has to stand up to scrutiny. Your governing document, trustee appointment, and policies all need to meet specific requirements. If any of it falls short, your application gets delayed or refused.

And if you’ve already been through a refusal, you know how frustrating that feels. Months of work, and a letter that says your application didn’t meet the test.

Sound familiar?

“I don’t know where to start.”
“The Charity Commission guidance is pages and pages long, and I’m still not sure what they actually want.”
“My application was refused, and I’m not sure how to fix it.”
“I’ve been working on this for months, and I’m going in circles.”

That’s where we come in.

Your Charity, Built on Solid Foundations

Evolve Catalyst provides a complete charity setup service for England and Wales. We work alongside you from your first conversation through to a fully registered, operational charity, handling the technical, legal, and regulatory work while you stay involved in the decisions that matter.

We don’t hand you a stack of templates and wish you luck. We prepare your documents, draft your application, and guide you through every stage. If the Charity Commission comes back with questions, we handle that too.

Here’s how the process works.

Stage 1: Planning and Preparation

Before anything gets submitted, we make sure the foundations are right. This is where most applications succeed or fail – and it’s where we spend the most time getting things tight.

Work out whether a CIO or a charitable company is the right structure for your charity
Draft your charitable objects clause – the single most important part of your entire application, and the part the Commission examines most closely
Build your public benefit case with clear evidence of need
Draft or review your governing document (constitution or articles of association) to make sure it meets Commission requirements
Advise on trustee recruitment, roles, eligibility, and legal responsibilities
Check your proposed charity name against the Charity Register, Companies House, and trade mark listings

Stage 2: Registration

Once everything is prepared, we move to the application itself. This is where attention to detail matters most – inconsistencies between your form and your documents are one of the most common reasons for delays.

Complete the Charity Commission online application form
Prepare all supporting documents: strategy plan, financial forecast, safeguarding policy, risk management policy, due diligence framework
Review the entire application for consistency and accuracy before submission
Help you respond to follow-up questions from the Charity Commission

Stage 3: Post-Registration Setup

Registration is a milestone, not the finish line. Once you’re approved, there’s still work to do to make sure your charity is properly set up to operate.

Open a dedicated charity bank account with dual authorisation
Register with HMRC for Gift Aid and applicable tax reliefs
Hold your first trustee meeting and record the minutes
Build a basic website to help you get started

Why Charity Applications Get Refused

The Charity Commission rejects applications for reasons that are almost always preventable. From our experience working with applicants, including those reapplying after refusal, the same issues come up again and again.

Vague Charitable Objects

Your objects clause is the legal foundation of your charity. If it says something like “to support vulnerable communities” without specifying what you’ll do, who benefits, and how, the Commission will refuse it. They need to see precisely what the charity exists to achieve, not a general aspiration.

What fails: “To support vulnerable communities.”

What works: “To relieve poverty among refugees and asylum seekers in Manchester by providing emergency food parcels, temporary accommodation, and advice on accessing benefits and employment.”

Poorly Defined Beneficiaries

“Disadvantaged people” is not specific enough. The Commission expects a clearly defined beneficiary group – who they are, where they are, and why they need the charity’s help. The more precise you are, the stronger your application.

Unrealistic Scope

Claiming four charitable purposes across six countries on an income of a few thousand pounds may raise immediate red flags. The Commission looks for a credible match between your ambition, your resources, and your actual capacity to deliver. Starting focused and scaling later is always the stronger approach.

Weak Link Between Activities and Purpose

If your objects say “education” but your planned activities look more like executive coaching or political campaigning, the Commission won’t see a charitable purpose. Every activity you describe needs a clear, demonstrable connection to your stated objects.

Insufficient Governance and Safeguarding

If your charity works with children, vulnerable adults, or operates overseas, the Commission will look closely at your safeguarding arrangements, trustee oversight, and risk management. Generic policies, or missing ones, are a common cause of delay or refusal.

We’ve helped applicants fix every one of these issues – whether they’re starting fresh or rebuilding after a refused application.

What You Walk Away With

By the end of the process, you’ll have a charity that isn’t just registered; it’s properly set up to run. That means:

A registered charity number and your charity listed on the official Register of Charities
A governing document that meets Charity Commission requirements
Legally precise charitable objects with a clear public benefit case
Core policies in place: safeguarding, finance, risk management, due diligence
A strategy plan that maps out your three years of operations
HMRC recognition for Gift Aid and applicable tax reliefs
A charity bank account, open and ready
A simple website ready to communicate your mission and engage supporters

In short: a charity with strong foundations, built to last.

This Service Is For You If…

You want to start a charity in England and Wales and need help with the full process - from first steps to registration and beyond
Your charity application was refused by the Charity Commission, and you need to understand what went wrong and how to fix it
You’re not sure whether a charity CIO or charitable company is the right structure for what you want to achieve
You’ve read the Charity Commission guidance but need someone who can turn it into a workable plan
You’re planning to work with vulnerable people or operate overseas and need proper safeguarding and due diligence frameworks from the start
You want to get it right the first time, without spending months going back and forth with the Commission

How It Works

1. Free Consultation Call

We start with a conversation about your vision, your aims, and where you are in the process. We’ll be straight with you about whether charity status is the right path, and if it is, what the journey looks like from here.

2. We Build Your Application Together

We draft your charitable objects, prepare your governing document, write your policies, and put together your full application. You stay involved at every decision point; it’s your charity, but we handle the regulatory detail.

3. Submission and Commission Follow-up

We review everything for consistency, submit the application, and help you manage any follow-up questions from the Charity Commission.

4. Post-Registration Setup

Once you’re approved, we help you open your bank account, register with HMRC, and build a simple website to get started. So you’re ready to operate from day one.

Charity Setup FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take to register a charity in the UK?

The Charity Commission typically takes around 8-12 weeks to process a straightforward application, though complex cases can take longer. Before that, the preparation stage – drafting your objects, governing document, and supporting policies – usually takes 2–4 weeks. We work to get you application-ready as efficiently as possible, without cutting corners.

Do I need to register my charity with the Charity Commission?

It depends on your structure and income. If you’re setting up a CIO, registration is mandatory regardless of income – a CIO doesn’t legally exist until it’s registered. For other charity types, you must register if your annual income is £5,000 or more. Below that threshold, you can operate as an unregistered charity, but the Commission will only consider voluntary registration in exceptional circumstances.

What are charitable objects and why do they matter so much?

Your charitable objects are the legal statement of what your charity exists to do. They must fall within the 13 descriptions of charitable purposes in the Charities Act 2011, and each purpose must be for the public benefit. The objects clause is the most examined part of your application. If it’s vague, overly broad, or could allow non-charitable activity, the Commission will refuse your application. Getting this right is the single most important step in the entire process.

My charity application was refused. Can I reapply?

Yes. You can submit a fresh application once you’ve addressed the issues set out in the Commission’s refusal letter. That usually means rewriting your objects clause, narrowing your scope, providing more operational detail, and improving your governance and safeguarding plans. We work with applicants who’ve been refused and help them rebuild a stronger application.

What’s the difference between a CIO and a charitable company?

Both are incorporated structures that give the charity its own legal identity, meaning trustees aren’t personally liable for its debts. A CIO registers only with the Charity Commission – there’s no Companies House filing and less ongoing paperwork. A charitable company registers with both Companies House and the Charity Commission, and must comply with company law as well as charity law. For most new charities, a CIO is simpler to set up and run.

Do I need a solicitor to register a charity?

There’s no legal requirement to use a solicitor. Many charities are successfully registered by their founders. That said, the objects clause, governing document, and public benefit statement all need to meet a specific legal standard – and getting them right first time avoids the cost and frustration of a refused application. We provide specialist charity registration support that covers those requirements without the cost of a full solicitor engagement.

What documents do I need to register a charity?

At minimum: a finalised governing document with your objects clause, trustee declaration forms, trustees’ details, a description of your planned activities and public benefit, and a financial plan. If you work with vulnerable people, you’ll need a safeguarding policy. If you operate overseas, you’ll need due diligence and risk management policies. We prepare all of these as part of our service.

Ready to Set Up Your Charity?

Starting from scratch or picking up after a refused application – we’ll help you build a charity that’s properly structured, compliant, and ready to make an impact.
Book your call now and let’s talk about where you are and what you need.

Based in England. Specialising in Charity Commission registration for England and Wales.