Britain's Charity Commission Issues Draft on Humanist Charities

Under Britain's Charities Act 2006, to qualify as a charity, a group must have charitable purposes that are for the "public benefit". (Background). In February, the Charity Commission issued for comment a supplementary guidance document titled Public Benefit and the Advancement of Religion. Today the Charity Commission announced a parallel consultation on supplementary guidelines on Public Benefit and the Advancement of Moral or Ethical Belief Systems. The guidance will explain "how the principles of public benefit apply specifically to charities advancing a moral or ethical belief system, such as humanist and rationalist charities." (See prior related posting.)