There are all sorts of not-for-profit organisations, as it’s not a legal structure in itself – so the key thing that differentiates a not-for-profit from a charity is whether the organisation is eligible to register as a charity with The Charity Commission. Not-for-profit organisations are also referred to as voluntary organisations.
There are around 170,000 charities in the UK. The biggest, by revenue, are:
- Save the Children International
- Nuffield Health
- The Charities Aid Foundation
- Lloyd’s Register Foundation
- The British Council
- The Arts Council of England
- United Learning Ltd
- Cancer Research UK
- The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty
Across English regions and Wales, the highest percentage of people identified as homeless was in London; 24.8% of all people identified as homeless were located in this region (3,460 people).London charity Glass Door runs the UK’s largest network of open-access shelters for people who are homeless. During 2021 and 2022 the charity provided support to 1,465 people.
Community centres
Since 1981, community centres have had to rely on local authorities for support, and to develop their hire facilities. Many now have bars, very different from the teetotal principles on which the first halls were founded.
Community centres remain important spaces for physical, creative and social classes and events. They provide much needed facilities for community groups and projects.
