[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":314},["ShallowReactive",2],{"schema:\u002Fbusiness-essentials\u002Fguides\u002Fhow-to-start-a-charity\u002F":3},{"elements":4,"system":308},{"post__title":5,"post__summary":9,"post__content":12,"post__author":26,"post__reviewer":99,"publish_date":151,"updated_date":156,"url":159,"seo__meta_title":162,"seo__meta_description":164,"seo__add_no_index_tag":166,"seo__canonical_url":169,"related_articles":171,"categories":175,"subfolder":237,"tags":268,"thumbnail_image":283,"show_on_index_page":291,"hide_author":297,"hide_reviewer":301,"hide_tags":305},{"name":6,"type":7,"value":8},"Title","text","How to Start a Charity in 2026",{"name":10,"type":7,"value":11},"Summary","Starting up a charity? Do you know how all the steps to set it up correctly? Read up on the key areas from finding trustees to ongoing fundraising tips. Read now.",{"images":13,"linkedItemCodenames":20,"linkedItems":21,"links":22,"name":23,"type":24,"value":25},[14],{"description":15,"imageId":16,"url":17,"height":18,"width":19},"Bionic branded image with text 'how to start a charity' with graphics of donation items and money.","3cbd5a5d-d4d2-4aa2-b6fc-e04baa8a7033","https:\u002F\u002Fassets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443\u002F77bbf83a-1306-0152-fea5-3b5eaf937634\u002Febdae9d6-53e8-4db1-ba44-1bcaf5bd12e3\u002FStart%20a%20charity.jpg",1415,2118,[],[],[],"Content","rich_text","\u003Cp>Starting a charity can be a rewarding way to support a cause you care about while creating&nbsp;a&nbsp;meaningful impact in your&nbsp;local&nbsp;community.&nbsp;&nbsp;But where do you even start?&nbsp;Arguably&nbsp;there is more to consider when setting up a charity compared to a high street business, but don’t let that put you off – equipped with the right facts, you&nbsp;can get well on&nbsp;your way to setting up a&nbsp;successful&nbsp;charity&nbsp;for a meaningful cause&nbsp;in 2026\u002F27.&nbsp;To give you the best chance of success,&nbsp;you need to&nbsp;understand&nbsp;the ins and outs of&nbsp;how to start a charity organisation in 2026\u002F27.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This guide explains&nbsp;exactly&nbsp;how to start a charity in the&nbsp;UK, including&nbsp;the legal and financial considerations&nbsp;to&nbsp;the practical steps you need to take in 2026 to&nbsp;launch your&nbsp;charitable organisation. Once&nbsp;you’ve&nbsp;got your not-for-profit organisation up and running,&nbsp;you should consider what insurance you might need, more info&nbsp;the type of cover you&nbsp;may&nbsp;need can be found on our&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fcharity\u002F\">charit\u003C\u002Fa>\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fcharity\u002F\">y insurance\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;page.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cfigure data-asset-id=\"3cbd5a5d-d4d2-4aa2-b6fc-e04baa8a7033\" data-image-id=\"3cbd5a5d-d4d2-4aa2-b6fc-e04baa8a7033\">\u003Cimg src=\"https:\u002F\u002Fassets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443\u002F77bbf83a-1306-0152-fea5-3b5eaf937634\u002Febdae9d6-53e8-4db1-ba44-1bcaf5bd12e3\u002FStart%20a%20charity.jpg\" data-asset-id=\"3cbd5a5d-d4d2-4aa2-b6fc-e04baa8a7033\" data-image-id=\"3cbd5a5d-d4d2-4aa2-b6fc-e04baa8a7033\" alt=\"Bionic branded image with text 'how to start a charity' with graphics of donation items and money.\">\u003C\u002Ffigure>\n\u003Ch2>Why start a charity?&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Many individuals and groups choose to start up a charity to tackle social, environmental or community challenges.&nbsp;You&nbsp;probably know&nbsp;exactly why you want to start a charity, but some common reasons&nbsp;could&nbsp;include:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>Supporting a cause or community you care about&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Raising funds for research,&nbsp;relief&nbsp;or education&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Providing services for vulnerable groups&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Creating long-term social or environmental change&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>If&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;thinking about how to start a foundation for charity or a charitable organisation,&nbsp;it's&nbsp;important to remember that charities must&nbsp;operate&nbsp;for&nbsp;\u003Cem>public benefit\u003C\u002Fem>&nbsp;and follow governance&nbsp;rules set by the regulator.&nbsp;In England and&nbsp;Wales&nbsp;the regulator is the&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Forganisations\u002Fcharity-commission\" data-new-window=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charity Commission\u003C\u002Fa>. In Scotland, this is the&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.oscr.org.uk\u002F\" data-new-window=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR).\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Key steps to starting a charity in the UK&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The following steps outline how to start a registered charity properly and meet regulatory requirements.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Find trustees for your charity&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Every charity must have a group of trustees responsible for overseeing how it&nbsp;operates&nbsp;and acting in the best interests of the charity.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;an important job&nbsp;- trustees&nbsp;make&nbsp;sure the charity&nbsp;fulfils&nbsp;its mission and&nbsp;complies&nbsp;with&nbsp;legal obligations. When selecting&nbsp;your&nbsp;trustees, choose people with different&nbsp;skill&nbsp;sets,&nbsp;ensure they understand their responsibilities and aim for at least three trustees to&nbsp;help with all the&nbsp;decision-making.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You might want to consider the following skill sets:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>Experience in your charities area&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Strategic leadership experience or&nbsp;long term decision making&nbsp;skills&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Team work and&nbsp;negotiation&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Experience in charity fundraising&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch3>Ensure your charity has ‘charitable purposes for the public benefit’&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>To become an approved charity, your organisation must have clear charitable&nbsp;objectives&nbsp;that&nbsp;benefit&nbsp;the public. In the UK, recognised charitable purposes include areas such as:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>Relieving poverty&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Education&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Religion&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Health&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Saving lives&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Citizenship or community development&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>The arts&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Amateur sport&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Human rights&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Religious or racial harmony&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>The protection of the environment&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Animal welfare&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>The efficiency of the armed forces, police,&nbsp;fire&nbsp;or ambulance services&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch3>Choose a name for your charity&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>This might be an obvious step, but you will need to name your charity. The official name of your charity is known as its ‘main name’.&nbsp;Your charity may also have a ‘working name’,&nbsp;which is another name it uses.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both&nbsp;these&nbsp;names&nbsp;must not:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>Be the same as or too&nbsp;similar to&nbsp;the main or working name of an existing charity&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Use words you do not have permission to use, for example, a trademark&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Use offensive words or acronyms&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Be misleading, for example, suggest your charity does something it does not&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>You can search the&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Ffind-charity-information\">charities register\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;to check the names of registered charities.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Choose a structure for your charity&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>The legal structure of your charity&nbsp;can&nbsp;affect things like&nbsp;\u003Cem>who\u003C\u002Fem>&nbsp;runs the charity,&nbsp;\u003Cem>how\u003C\u002Fem>&nbsp;the charity is run and&nbsp;\u003Cem>what\u003C\u002Fem>&nbsp;the charity can do, so&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;an important consideration when learning how to start up a charity.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are four common charity structures in the UK:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>Charitable company&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Charitable incorporated organisation (CIO)&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Charitable trust&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Unincorporated association&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>The type of charity you opt for is up to you, but we’ve broken down suitability of each, so can you make an informed decision.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Different charity types\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ctable>\u003Ctbody>\n  \u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Charity type\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Charitable Company\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Charitable Trust\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Unincorporated Association\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n  \u003Ctr>\u003Ctd>\u003Cstrong>Best&nbsp;for\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>New\u002Fmedium-sized charities&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Large charities\u002Femployment&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Grant-making\u002Fsimple assets&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003Ctd>Small voluntary groups&nbsp;\u003C\u002Ftd>\u003C\u002Ftr>\n\u003C\u002Ftbody>\u003C\u002Ftable>\n\u003Ch3>Create a ‘governing document’&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>This sounds very formal – but it is&nbsp;essentially a&nbsp;large document explaining how your&nbsp;charity&nbsp;works and runs.&nbsp;This document&nbsp;should&nbsp;include:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Your charity’s purpose\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;–&nbsp;what's&nbsp;your mission?&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Who runs it and how they run it&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fstrong>– Who are your trustees? How do they fund it?&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>How trustees will be appointed&nbsp;–\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;How did you decide on your trustees&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Rules about trustees’ expenses\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;– What is and&nbsp;isn’t&nbsp;considered an expense&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>Rules about payments to trustees&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fstrong>– If trustees are ever paid, these rules should be in the best interest of the charity&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>How to close the charity&nbsp;–&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fstrong>If you decide to stop your charity, note down the steps to do so.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch3>Register as a charity&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>If your charity is based in England or Wales and generates at least £5,000 in annual income per year, you must&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fapps.charitycommission.gov.uk\u002Foutreach\u002FRegistrationLanding.ofml\">apply to register your charity\u003C\u002Fa>.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>How much does it cost to start a charity?&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>The cost of starting a charity can vary depending on its size and structure, but&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a good idea&nbsp;to consider what might make up&nbsp;your&nbsp;costs.&nbsp;Typical costs may include:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>Legal advice or registration support&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Website development and branding&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Marketing and outreach&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Office or operational expenses&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>Insurance policies&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>If you are just starting up, you may be working with a small pot of donations – so&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a good to consider what you can launch with and without. Some marketing activities you might want to leave until&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;a few months in, while fees for professional advice and employers’&nbsp;liability&nbsp;insurance might be&nbsp;essential&nbsp;from the start.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Insurance considerations&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Like any small business or organisation, charities&nbsp;still&nbsp;face operational risks that could lead to legal or financial issues.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charities&nbsp;in the UK&nbsp;that employ&nbsp;any&nbsp;staff are legally required to have&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Femployers-liability-insurance\u002F\">employers’ liability insurance\u003C\u002Fa>. This type of cover&nbsp;can help&nbsp;protect the organisation if an employee becomes ill or is injured&nbsp;as a result of&nbsp;their work, this also includes\u003Cem>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fem>volunteers\u003Cem>,&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fem>helpers&nbsp;or even&nbsp;part-time staff.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although not a legal requirement, if your charity hosts any events,&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;a good idea&nbsp;to&nbsp;look into&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fpublic-liability-insurance\u002F\">public liability insurance\u003C\u002Fa>. This&nbsp;can help&nbsp;in the event visitors injure themselves during your event and make a claim.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Other types of insurance&nbsp;to consider&nbsp;include trustee management liability insurance, commercial building insurance,&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fguides\u002Fbusiness-interruption-insurance\u002F\">business interruption insurance\u003C\u002Fa>,&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fguides\u002Flegal-expenses-insurance\u002F\">legal expenses insurance\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;and&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fbusiness-equipment-insurance\u002F\">business equipment insurance\u003C\u002Fa>.&nbsp;For more information on&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-insurance\u002Fcharity\u002F\">insurance for charity\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;or&nbsp;your non-profit organisation needs,&nbsp;read up on charity insurance or start a quote online to see what your options are. Our UK-based team are on-hand to help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Energy considerations&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>VAT exemption for charities and non-profits&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Charities in the UK may be eligible for reduced VAT on energy used for qualifying non-business activities. Eligibility depends on how the energy is used and confirmation from the supplier.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In many cases, VAT on energy can be reduced from the standard 20% rate to 5% when used for non-business purposes. Charities may also qualify for an exemption from the&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fbusiness-energy\u002Fguides\u002Fthe-climate-change-levy\u002F\">Climate Change Levy\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;(CCL), an environmental tax applied to business energy usage.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reduced VAT rate and CCL exemption are designed to help charities lower their operating costs, so they can direct more of their funds toward their services for the public. However, they are not always applied automatically by energy suppliers, meaning many charities across the UK may be paying more for their gas and electricity than necessary.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To apply for the reduced VAT rate and CCL exemption, charities usually need to contact their energy supplier and complete a VAT declaration form. In some cases, charities may also be able to claim back overpaid VAT or CCL from&nbsp;previous&nbsp;bills, depending on the supplier’s policies and how long the organisation has been eligible for the relief.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Legal and financial considerations&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>As a charity, you&nbsp;are required to&nbsp;comply&nbsp;with&nbsp;&nbsp;several&nbsp;laws and regulations, so&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;important to brush up on them, or hire someone to help talk you through all the legal jargon.&nbsp;You’ll&nbsp;need to&nbsp;comply with&nbsp;the Charities Act, the Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act, the Trustees Act and any laws on political activity and fundraising.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here is a breakdown below:&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The Charities Act\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;- The Charities Act is the main piece of legislation that affects charities. It&nbsp;determines&nbsp;how charities are registered and regulated.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act 2016\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;- The Charities (Protection and Social Investment) Act gives charities the power to make social investments, increase controls on fundraising, increase the threshold for automatically disqualifying potential trustees and increase the powers of the Charity Commission.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n  \u003Cli>\u003Cstrong>The Trustees Act&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fstrong>- The Trustees Act provides the rules,&nbsp;duties&nbsp;and responsibilities of trustees. These are&nbsp;key&nbsp;pieces of legislation and should be on the reading list of all charity trustees.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Cp>You can find up-to-date and legal guidance on the&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Forganisations\u002Fcharity-commission\" data-new-window=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charity Commission\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;website.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Tips for growth&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Once your charity is up and running, the next step is to ensure it can grow&nbsp;so you&nbsp;can help those&nbsp;you’re&nbsp;supporting.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Building awareness and outreach&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Getting your name out there is key for any charity.&nbsp;Setting up a website&nbsp;and social media pages will help you create an online presence for your cause. Make sure to&nbsp;engage&nbsp;with your community on social media, communicate your mission and share updates about your work.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hosting community events is another&nbsp;great&nbsp;way&nbsp;to raise awareness while connecting with people locally. Collaborating with local organisations,&nbsp;small&nbsp;businesses and community groups can&nbsp;help get your charity known in your local area&nbsp;and introduce your cause to new&nbsp;people who could potentially volunteer.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Ongoing fundraising&nbsp;tips&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Fundraising and getting donations is key for keeping a charity healthy –&nbsp;without&nbsp;this vital support you may find it difficult to grow your charity or keep it running smoothly.&nbsp;Finding different and creative ways to get funding will help you achieve this.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many organisations rely on&nbsp;several&nbsp;fundraising approaches to&nbsp;keep donations coming in. Online donation campaigns are a popular&nbsp;option, making it easy for supporters to contribute quickly and securely. Corporate sponsorships can also&nbsp;be&nbsp;valuable&nbsp;– this is where a corporate business chooses to support you by actively fundraising on your behalf.&nbsp;Or you may find some corporations have foundations for charity grants – like the\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If you want more information on this,&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.charityexcellence.co.uk\u002Fcompanies-that-donate-to-charity\u002F\" data-new-window=\"true\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Charity Excellence\u003C\u002Fa>&nbsp;may be able to help.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Applying for&nbsp;local&nbsp;grants&nbsp;can also be&nbsp;an option, particularly for charities working in areas such as education,&nbsp;helping the local&nbsp;community&nbsp;or health services.&nbsp;It’s&nbsp;a good idea&nbsp;to do your own research, check if your local council offers any support or contact any big businesses in your area to see if they can help. To kick off your fundraising, consider hosting a large&nbsp;community event&nbsp;or even a&nbsp;sponsored challenge&nbsp;to&nbsp;help raise funds while increasing&nbsp;spreading your mission.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>Get your charity up and running with help from Bionic&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Cp>Starting a charity&nbsp;is a rewarding venture! But&nbsp;it’s&nbsp;important you get the right support to help you on your way.&nbsp;At Bionic, we help with your business&nbsp;essentials&nbsp;like energy, insurance,&nbsp;broadband&nbsp;and finance. We work with a panel of regulated suppliers and providers, helping you compare&nbsp;what’s&nbsp;available&nbsp;to you.&nbsp;Our UK-based team are also on help to support&nbsp;you through the process,&nbsp;so you can focus on&nbsp;what’s&nbsp;most important -&nbsp;running your charitable organisation.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ready to start your not-for-profit? Get a quote for your \u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002F\">business essentials\u003C\u002Fa> today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch2>\u003Cstrong>How to start a charity&nbsp;FAQs\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh2>\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>Can I run a charity for profit?\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>It depends how you&nbsp;are&nbsp;looking&nbsp;at it. You&nbsp;can’t&nbsp;run a charity for personal profit. This means you&nbsp;can’t&nbsp;take an income from your charity. But the charity can still make a profit, but&nbsp;profit must be put back into the charity to help fund it. It&nbsp;can’t&nbsp;be given to owners,&nbsp;trustees&nbsp;or directors for personal income. You can sell goods, services as a charity, but any profit must&nbsp;be reinvested.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>What if I want to get paid?&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>If you want to generate a profit but contribute toward a charitable cause, then you might want to&nbsp;consider&nbsp;setting up as a Community Interest Company (CIC) or a social enterprise, as these structures do allow for limited profit distribution.&nbsp;You can find&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fgovernment\u002Fpublications\u002Fcommunity-interest-companies-how-to-form-a-cic\u002Fcommunity-interest-companies-guidance-chapters\">more information on CICs on the government site\u003C\u002Fa>.&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>\u003Cstrong>I&nbsp;don’t&nbsp;have money to start a charity, what should I do?\u003C\u002Fstrong>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Don’t&nbsp;let that put you off.&nbsp;As long as&nbsp;you have time and people willing to support and help you, you can still get it off the ground. If you put yourself out there, you might be&nbsp;surprised at the funding opportunities that come your way. Have&nbsp;a read through&nbsp;the&nbsp;\u003Ca href=\"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.gov.uk\u002Fguidance\u002Fget-funding-to-start-a-charity\">government&nbsp;advice to funding for charities\u003C\u002Fa>.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>",{"name":27,"type":28,"value":29,"linkedItems":31},"Author","modular_content",[30],"author___laura_court_jones",[32],{"elements":33,"system":91},{"name":34,"title":37,"linkedin":39,"twitter":42,"intro":45,"body":52,"slug":59,"image":63,"seo__meta_title":75,"seo__meta_description":78,"seo__add_no_index_tag":81,"seo__canonical_url":88},{"name":35,"type":7,"value":36},"Name","Laura Court-Jones",{"name":6,"type":7,"value":38},"Small Business Editor",{"name":40,"type":7,"value":41},"Linkedin Address","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Flaura-court-jones-b731b6a3\u002F",{"name":43,"type":7,"value":44},"Twitter Address","https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002FBionic_Business",{"images":46,"linkedItemCodenames":47,"linkedItems":48,"links":49,"name":50,"type":24,"value":51},[],[],[],[],"Intro","\u003Cp>Laura Court‑Jones is Small Business Editor at Bionic. She creates clear, practical content on UK business insurance and utilities. With 10+ years’ experience in content and digital marketing, Laura's content aims to educate small business owners to help them make more confident decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"images":53,"linkedItemCodenames":54,"linkedItems":55,"links":56,"name":57,"type":24,"value":58},[],[],[],[],"Body","\u003Cp>Laura Court‑Jones is our Small Business Editor at&nbsp;Bionic, where she researches and&nbsp;creates practical&nbsp;content&nbsp;on UK business insurance,&nbsp;energy&nbsp;and broadband for small business owners. She turns complex&nbsp;insurance&nbsp;topics into clear, actionable&nbsp;takeaways&nbsp;to help&nbsp;business owners make&nbsp;more&nbsp;confident decisions.&nbsp;&nbsp;\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Laura has&nbsp;over 10 years of experience&nbsp;creating content&nbsp;for&nbsp;a variety of topics,&nbsp;including insurance&nbsp;and utilities.&nbsp;Since joining Bionic in 2023,&nbsp;Laura has created&nbsp;multi-format content&nbsp;to help&nbsp;UK small businesses understand their risks&nbsp;and&nbsp;insurance&nbsp;needs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She holds a&nbsp;bachelor's&nbsp;degree,&nbsp;with a major&nbsp;in content&nbsp;and has previously worked in digital marketing roles where she planned,&nbsp;researched&nbsp;and edited customer‑first content across web&nbsp;and social channels.&nbsp;Outside of work,&nbsp;you’ll&nbsp;find Laura at her local fitness studio or coffee shop,&nbsp;supporting&nbsp;small businesses&nbsp;in South London.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"name":60,"type":61,"value":62},"Slug","url_slug","laura-court-jones\u002F",{"name":64,"type":65,"value":66},"Image","asset",[67],{"name":68,"description":69,"type":70,"size":71,"url":72,"width":73,"height":73,"renditions":74},"head-shot-sos.png","Laura Court-Jones, Small Business Editor at Bionic","image\u002Fpng",74280,"https:\u002F\u002Fassets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443\u002F77bbf83a-1306-0152-fea5-3b5eaf937634\u002F7c353b82-35b6-4021-9d3a-1f3ffc751b89\u002Fhead-shot-sos.png",200,{},{"name":76,"type":7,"value":77},"Meta title","Laura Court-Jones | Small Business Editor at Bionic",{"name":79,"type":7,"value":80},"Meta description","Laura's experience writing for business means she can break down complex topics in energy and insurance, creating content that truly helps UK business owners.",{"name":82,"type":83,"value":84},"Add no index tag","multiple_choice",[85],{"name":86,"codename":87},"No","no",{"name":89,"type":7,"value":90},"Canonical URL","https:\u002F\u002Fbionic.co.uk\u002Fauthors\u002Flaura-court-jones\u002F",{"codename":30,"collection":92,"id":93,"language":92,"lastModified":94,"name":95,"sitemapLocations":96,"type":97,"workflowStep":98,"workflow":92},"default","7f9ace33-dd62-4f75-ad64-b2c9f73499cb","2026-01-12T10:45:49.8493442Z","AUTHOR - Laura Court-Jones",[],"author","published",{"name":100,"type":28,"value":101,"linkedItems":103},"Reviewer",[102],"author___alex_mccloy",[104],{"elements":105,"system":146},{"name":106,"title":108,"linkedin":110,"twitter":112,"intro":114,"body":120,"slug":126,"image":128,"seo__meta_title":137,"seo__meta_description":139,"seo__add_no_index_tag":141,"seo__canonical_url":144},{"name":35,"type":7,"value":107},"Alex McCloy",{"name":6,"type":7,"value":109},"Legal Counsel",{"name":40,"type":7,"value":111},"https:\u002F\u002Fwww.linkedin.com\u002Fin\u002Falex-mccloy-05283983\u002F",{"name":43,"type":7,"value":113},"https:\u002F\u002Ftwitter.com\u002Fbionic_business",{"images":115,"linkedItemCodenames":116,"linkedItems":117,"links":118,"name":50,"type":24,"value":119},[],[],[],[],"\u003Cp>Alex joined Bionic 9 years ago as a member of the compliance team. Since then, he has completed his legal training and now works as a qualified solicitor in the legal team. Alex is a key part of the team, helping the business navigate contracts, negotiations, and disputes while ensuring the company stays compliant with legislation and regulations.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"images":121,"linkedItemCodenames":122,"linkedItems":123,"links":124,"name":57,"type":24,"value":125},[],[],[],[],"\u003Cp>Alex joined Bionic 9 years ago as a member of the compliance team. Since then, he has completed his legal training and now works as a qualified solicitor in the legal team. Alex is a key part of the team, helping the business navigate contracts, negotiations, and disputes while ensuring the company stays compliant with legislation and regulations. He plays a crucial role in ensuring that&nbsp;we always do right by our customers and suppliers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alex reviews content from a legal perspective, helping to empower teams across the business and our customers with the knowledge they need to make confident decisions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside of work, you'll often find Alex walking in the Kent countryside with his golden retriever or reading the latest Richard Osman book.\u003C\u002Fp>",{"name":60,"type":61,"value":127},"alex-mccloy\u002F",{"name":64,"type":65,"value":129},[130],{"name":131,"description":132,"type":70,"size":133,"url":134,"width":135,"height":135,"renditions":136},"Alex.png","Alex McCloy headshot",47861,"https:\u002F\u002Fassets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com:443\u002F77bbf83a-1306-0152-fea5-3b5eaf937634\u002F42e61c60-4504-4276-995a-45c8973b1f84\u002FAlex.png",287,{},{"name":76,"type":7,"value":138},"Alex McCloy | Legal Counsel | Bionic",{"name":79,"type":7,"value":140},"Alex joined Bionic 9 years ago as a member of the compliance team. 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