Definition Of Charity Research Articles

The Definition of Charity.

Few people in my memory have a name that more appropriately defines the life they have lived. "Charitable purpose" as defined in O.C.G.A. § 43-17-2 includes any charitable or benevolent purpose including health, education, or social welfare. Anyone who knew Charity Scott knows that she lived a life devoted to providing and improving the health of her community, the education of law students about health law and its use to improve the health of her community, and social welfare by addressing the socio-economic determinants of health. If she had not been assigned that name at birth, those of us who knew her could have easily assigned Charity as a nickname.

Transforming Friendship: Thomas Aquinas on Charity as Friendship with God

This article argues that Thomas Aquinas’s definition of charity in the Summa Theologiae as ‘a kind of friendship’ represents a distinctive and theologically significant development of both the Aristotelian and the Christian monastic traditions on which he builds. By approaching his discussion of charity in the secunda secundae through the gateway of friendship, Thomas is able to characterize the spiritual vision of this portion of the Summa through a twofold movement of grace and participation. The shape of this twofold movement has an implicitly incarnational character, and thus points to the divine Subject of the Summa’s third and culminating volume. But the participatory aspect of this spiritual theology also reveals the indispensable role of the human person, and thus allows Thomas to offer a nuanced explanation of the ways that friendship with God relates to friendships with other human beings.

A critical analysis of the development of the public benefit requirement of charitable purposes under English and Welsh charity law, from Re Compton [1945] 1 Ch 123 to R (Independent School Council) v Charity Commission [2012] Ch 214

The enactment of the Charities Act 2006 in November 2006 introduced the first statutory definition of charity into English and Welsh law. Under the provisions of the Act, charitable status requires that an institution must be established for charitable purposes only and that the charitable purposes must be of public benefit. Although, generally, well received the Charities Act 2006 has been criticised as ‘flawed’ on the public benefit requirement of charitable purposes. The Charities Act 2006 was passed with the principle aim of modernising existing charity law, which was considered outdated and unclear. However, unlike charitable purposes, which are set down within the provisions of the Act, a definition of public benefit is not provided. Section 3(3) of the Charities Act 2006 merely provides that ‘reference to public benefit is a reference to the public benefit as that term is understood for the purposes of the law relating to charities in England and Wales’. This lack of a definition as to what constitutes public benefit and statutory reliance upon the charities’ regulator, the Charity Commission, to interpret and provide guidance on the public benefit requirement for charitable purposes has led to criticism that the Charities Act 2006 has raised as many uncertainties as it sought to clarify. In critically evaluating the impact of the Charities Act 2006, and its successor, the Charities Act 2011, upon English charity law, this assessment places the legal definition of charity within its complex and, at times, vague historical context. Thus, providing an ideal backdrop in which to explore the policy objectives behind the Charities Acts and assess the effectiveness of the Charities Acts in achieving those objectives.

Charitable Incorporated Organisations: An Analysis of the Three UK Jurisdictions

AbstractThe specific legal forms available for charitable organisations have received much less attention by scholars as compared to work on the definition of charity, the boundaries of charitable status and the duties of charity trustees. Under each of the three UK jurisdictions, it could be argued that all charitable property is held on trust (in the sense that it is held for interests of the charity’s beneficiaries) but many charities are no longer formed using the structure of a trust. Charitable organisations can have many possible structures including charitable trusts, charitable associations, charitable companies and now charitable incorporated organisations (CIOs). Until recently the UK lacked any specific legal form for charities. The CIO was created to remedy this: a corporate body with limited liability, formed purely by registration with the appropriate charity regulator. Since 2008 it has been enshrined in statute in all three UK jurisdictions, though implementation dates only from 2011 in Scotland and from 2013 in England and Wales. The focus of this paper is a comparison of the CIO form in the three UK charity law jurisdictions. It analyses the frameworks for CIOs established in England and Wales, Scottish CIOs (SCIOs) and the (yet to be implemented) CIOs in Northern Ireland. It concludes that whilst the CIO concept is effectively reflected in all three jurisdictions, the differences between these three types of CIOs are much more than just those needed to comply with the different regimes of charity regulation – the differences raise important choices for those seeking to establish new charities operating UK-wide.

The Legal Definition of Charity and the Regulation of Civil Society

(2005). The Legal Definition of Charity and the Regulation of Civil Society. King's Law Journal: Vol. 16, No. 1, pp. 29-50.

A Statutory Definition of Charity

A Statutory Definition of Charity