Summary policy

Date
October 25, 2002

Reference number
CSP-P03

Key words

Poverty - Charitable purposes

Policy statement

To relieve poverty in the charitable sense means to bring relief of the poor. The poor are not simply the destitute, but anyone lacking essential amenities available to the general population. While various synonyms such as needy or underprivileged are used to refer to the poor, the Charities Directorate cannot accept organizations set up to help broader groups, embracing people who are not necessarily poor or those which serve too large a sector of the population to be considered to have a focus on poverty. Examples of organizations established for the relief of poverty that can qualify for registration as a charity include food banks, soup kitchens, as well as organizations that supply low-cost rental housing, clothing, furniture, and appliances to the poor.

For more information, see Guidance CG-029, Relief of poverty and charitable registration.

References

• Guidance CG-019, How to draft purposes for charitable registration
• Guidance CG-022, Housing and charitable registration