Certificate in Charity Law and Governance
Strengthen your charity's mission with good governance practice.
Need help?Summary
This Level 4 course provides an introduction to the legal and regulatory framework around charities in England and Wales. It gives an understanding of the legal basis of the charity, the role of regulators and how to fulfil your charitable purpose whilst adhering to legal and regulatory requirements.
Students who successfully complete the Level 4 Certificate in Charity Law and Governance qualification and have at least two years’ work experience are eligible to become Affiliated members and continue to benefit from the knowledge and support of our governance and compliance community.
Entry
This qualification is open entry, which means you do not need any prior qualifications to register on it, although it does help to be working in a related field.
It is suitable if you are affected by legal regulation and/or have governance responsibilities in registered, exempt or excepted charities. It is also suitable if you are studying for a charity finance qualification, providing a broader knowledge base and developing the transferability of your skills to develop your career within the sector.
Particular job roles may include:
- Secretary/Clerk to the Board
- Head of Finance/ Finance Officer
- Head of Governance
- Company Secretary/Assistant Company Secretary
- Charity Director
Course content
The course is delivered through an online learning platform (LMS), where you can also ask questions and discuss topics with other students. There are live webinar events, which are recorded so you can catch up if you can’t watch them live. The course is divided into four modules, each covering different aspects of charity governance in the UK.
Module 1 is common across a number of our Level 4 certificates and covers core governance knowledge and skills. This will give students an in-depth grounding in the principles of good governance.
Module 2 builds on the foundations from Module 1, introducing elements of legislation and governance specific to charitable organisations.
Module 3 covers the role of the regulators including the Charity Commission and details the principles of the UK Charity Governance Code.
Module 4 explains the different ways in which charitable organisations generate resources and funds.
Study
The 25/26 cohort will start in October 2025.
The recommended study time for the Level 4 Certificate in Charity Law and Governance is 200 hours, which includes the online content, webinars, practice tasks and assessment exercises.
This course is based around a self-study model and therefore requires a significant commitment to study, on top of the provided webinar sessions. You will be expected to study approximately eight hours per week to prepare for your assessment.
The course schedule will deliver up to 17 live webinars with one of our experienced tutors using Microsoft Teams.
As a student you will have access to a community of practice with like-minded professionals and resources on our learning management system (LMS).
Assessment
Successful completion of this course will be dependent on you passing the assessment. Your overall grade at the end of the course is made up of marks from two components:
- A written assignment worth 60% of your overall result
- A multiple-choice assessment worth 40% of your overall result
To pass the course and achieve the qualification, you will have to achieve a pass for the written assignment and a pass for the multiple-choice question exam.
Fees
The fee for this qualification is £1,883.
The one-off fee for the qualification includes:
- Registration and certification fees
- One assessment entry
- Electronic copies of the syllabus, materials and study text on the LMS
- Access to study support webinars
- Student membership and benefits for the duration of your course
Bursary
Receive 75% off your course fee with a bursary from The Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland.
The Chartered Secretaries’ Charitable Trust is delighted to offer a bursary to up to six eligible students for the next exam session.
To apply for a bursary, your charity must:
- Be registered with the Charity Commission
- Have submitted its last three annual returns to the Commission on time
- Have a gross annual income of less than £250,000
- Be able to provide 25% of the cost towards your qualification fee.
Register
Are you ready to start the Certificate in Charity Law and Governance? Select the following button to begin your registration.