Closing or merging a charity

Explore how we can help your charity organisation with any legal requirements.

Contact our team

Expert charity solicitors specialising in closing or merging charity organisations

There may come a point in the lifetime of a charity whereby you choose to close that charity or alternatively you decide that to merge your charity with another would better serve the needs of your current and future beneficiaries.

What is closing or merging a charity?

Closing or merging a charity involves the process of dissolving the organisation and distributing its assets to other charitable organisations or returning them to donors. This can occur due to financial difficulties, lack of support, or a change in the organisation’s mission. The process typically involves legal and financial considerations and must be done in accordance with state and federal laws.

Gordon Reid

Gordon Reid

Partner | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464224

Email Gordon

Explore our legal services for charities

Charities overview

Charity litigation & dispute resolution

Charity property

Charity trustees and governance

Closing or merging a charity

Faith based organisations

Interim managers

Setting up and running charities

What legal services do we offer?

Our areas of expertise include:

  • Procedural issues relating to dissolution
  • Liability of trustees
  • Reporting to the Charity Commission
  • Company law procedures
  • Redundancies
  • Transfer of assets
  • Termination of property interest and contracts

Get in touch with the team at one of our offices in Southampton, Woking, London, Guildford, Lymington or Richmond for expert advice.

We are here to help

Discover how our expert charity lawyers can help you.

Contact us

Contact our charities team

Our team of charity solicitors

Gordon Reid

Gordon Reid

Partner | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464224

View profile
Ben Collingwood

Ben Collingwood

Partner | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464204

View profile
Joanna Lada-Walicki

Joanna Lada-Walicki

Partner | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464216

View profile
Paul Ridout

Paul Ridout

Legal director | Charities, Independent schools

01483 417124

View profile
Adam McRae-Taylor

Adam McRae-Taylor

Legal director | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464249

View profile
Olivia Stanton

Olivia Stanton

Associate | Charities, Independent schools

01483 748532

View profile
George Shepherd

George Shepherd

Associate | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464220

View profile
Grace Miller

Grace Miller

Solicitor | Charities, Independent schools

01483 462960

View profile
Alice Carr

Alice Carr

Trainee solicitor | Charities, Independent schools

023 8202 5020

View profile
Helen Harvie

Helen Harvie

Consultant | Charities, Independent schools

01483 464219

View profile

Explore our charities team brochure

Meet our charity team and explore more detail about the legal services we offer.

Download

Our team accreditations

Explore our charity law insights

Charities Act 2022 – everything you need to know about the changes to charity land disposals

Grace Miller

Solicitor

The Charity Commission puts its regulatory powers into practice – a cautionary tale

Paul Ridout

Legal director

Senior appointment bolsters Moore Barlow’s charities and independent schools team

Moore Barlow - Red Tab Logo

Moore Barlow

 

Charity Commission faces judicial review into Kids Company inquiry following High Court Ruling

Moore Barlow - Red Tab Logo

Moore Barlow

 

Safeguarding duties for charities

Olivia Stanton

Associate

The Charities Act 2022 – what does it mean for schools?

Gordon Reid

Partner

Labour’s plan to abolish charitable status: can or should it be done?

Gordon Reid

Partner

Teachers-Pensions-returning-to-the-fray

Teachers’ pensions: returning to the fray

Adam McRae-Taylor

Legal director

Keeping-Children-Safe-in-Education-new-changes-for-September

Updated COVID-19 toolkit for independent schools

Ben Collingwood

Partner

Keeping-Children-Safe-in-Education-new-changes-for-September

Keeping children safe in education – new changes for September

Olivia Stanton

Associate

Coronavirus (COVID-19) toolkit for independent schools

Coronavirus (COVID-19) toolkit for independent schools

Gordon Reid

Partner

Moore Blatch supports AquAid

Moore Blatch supports AquAid

Moore Barlow - Red Tab Logo

Moore Barlow

 

Don’t take our word for it…

The team has considerable expertise in advising charities, in particular in educational sector. They are unusual in being able to advise on the intersection between charity governance and other issues including employment and safeguarding and so we are confident that they understand the context in which we are operating.

Legal 500

These guys are fun to work with. They give excellent, clear, thorough advice. Just who you need in a crisis (which, let’s face it, is mostly when you call a lawyer). They guide you rather than just present the options. Highly responsive and professional. Seems a good balance of big enough to have specialist capability, small enough to offer personal and really good service.

Legal 500

The charities team are outstanding. There can’t be many law firms where clients actually enjoy having to get in touch. They are responsive, personable and incredibly knowledgeable. Not only do they grasp the issues quickly, but they are solutions focussed. You don’t come away with a range of options which you are left to chose between, but you are expertly guided through those decisions, and end with a clear sense how to progress the problem.

Legal 500

We have been delighted with the service we have received from the charities team at Moore Barlow. The team have supported us on a range of matters, including establishing a trading a subsidiary, support with collaboration agreements, governance advice, and copyright advice. They have an excellent approach to customer service combined with really strong expertise in the charity sector.

Legal 500

We used Moore Barlow for a charitable organisation’s restructure during the midst of the pandemic and were delighted by their responsiveness then and their familiarity with the legal and financial territory. Their team work was great – we got continuity and level of staff seniority appropriate to each stage of the process.

Legal 500