Charity Commission for Northern Ireland
Independent regulator and registrar of charities in Northern Ireland
| Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI)
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| Logo | 
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| Type | Non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities |
| Founded | March 2009 |
| Headquarters | Marlborough House, Central Way, Craigavon BT64 1AD |
| Location | Craigavon, Northern Ireland |
| Area served | Northern Ireland |
| Services | Determining charitable status; keeping the register of charities; investigating misconduct and mismanagement; public collection certificates |
| Key people | Gerard McCurdy (Chief Charity Commissioner); Frances McCandless (Chief Executive) |
| Website | charitycommissionni.org.uk |
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) is the independent regulator of charities in Northern Ireland.[1] It is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Communities and was created by the Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008.[2] It works with charities to help them meet their legal responsibilities, and looks into concerns about how charities are run.[1]
Its counterparts in Great Britain are the Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.[3]
History and legal basis
The Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 received Royal Assent on 9 September 2008. It provides for "a body corporate to be known as the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland", consisting of a chair, a deputy chair and three to five other members appointed by the Department, at least one of whom must be legally qualified.[4] The Commission states that it was established by Royal Assent in March 2009 to deliver the requirements of the Act.[5] The Act has been brought into force in stages by a series of commencement orders from 2009 onwards.[3]
The Act gives the Commission general functions that include determining whether institutions are charities, encouraging the better administration of charities, identifying and investigating apparent misconduct or mismanagement, deciding on public collection certificates, and keeping an accurate and up-to-date register of charities.[4] The same Act established the Charity Tribunal for Northern Ireland.[3]
Board and management
The 2024-25 annual report lists the Board as Chief Charity Commissioner Gerard McCurdy, Deputy Chief Commissioner Aoife Hamilton (appointed 1 June 2024), Legal Commissioner Patricia Kelly, and Commissioners Kieran Donaghy, Alan Hunter, Leanne McCullough (appointed 15 August 2024) and Hugh McKeag; Terence McGonigal stepped down as a Commissioner on 6 May 2024. The Chief Executive is Frances McCandless.[2]
Register of charities
The earliest registration dates in the register are 13 December 2013.[6] The 2024-25 annual report records 176 charities added to the register during the year, bringing the total to 7,215.[2] The full register export of 20 October 2026 contains 8,384 entries, including 1,386 with the status "Removed".[6]
The register search can be filtered by the countries in which a charity works. On 20 October 2026, 23 charities were listed under "Israel" and 15 under "Occupied Palestinian Territories".[7]
Register entries for selected charities
| Charity | CCNI number | Registered | Public address on register | Latest income (£) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belfast Jewish Community | 100486 | 3 March 2015 | 49 Somerton Road, 737B Antrim Road, Belfast BT15 4DD | 61,923 (year to 30 November 2025) | Annual return received on time |
| Atlas Memorial Limited | 101043 | 4 March 2015 | 86 Filey Avenue, London N16 6JJ | 356,901 (year to 31 January 2025) | Listed under countries worked: Israel |
| SYLO Fund Limited | 102313 | 20 January 2016 | 58 Portland Avenue, Stamford Hill, London N15 6EA | 0 (year to 31 July 2025) | Annual return received 63 days late |
| Palestine Aid | 102274 | 8 August 2018 | 19 Estoril Park, Belfast BT14 7NG | 270,436 (year to 30 April 2026) | Listed under countries worked: Occupied Palestinian Territories |
| Centre for Global Education | 104991 | 9 May 2016 | 9 University Street, Belfast BT7 1FY | 117,679 (year to 31 March 2025) | Listed under countries worked: Occupied Palestinian Territories |
| An Phalaistín Limited | 110141 | 18 July 2024 | 19 Greer Park Drive, Newtownbreda, Belfast BT8 7YQ | 0 (year to 3 April 2026) | Listed under countries worked: Israel; status "Registered" |
Sources: CCNI register export and country filters.[6][7]
Two of these charities, Atlas Memorial Limited and SYLO Fund Limited, are registered in Northern Ireland but give London addresses on the register.[6]
See also
External links
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, About us Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Annual report and accounts 2024-25 Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, laid before the Northern Ireland Assembly on 11 July 2025, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Department for Communities, Introduction to the regulation of charities in Northern Ireland Department for Communities, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Charities Act (Northern Ireland) 2008 (2008 c. 12), as enacted legislation.gov.uk, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Public trust and confidence in charities: research report Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, 2016, accessed 22 October 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Charity search (full register "Export to CSV", all statuses), downloaded 20 October 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, Charity search (filter "Countries worked: Israel" and "Occupied Palestinian Territories", CSV export), downloaded 20 October 2026.