Sustainability focussed charities and NGOs

We protect the people protecting the planet.

Conservation. Animal welfare. Community and renewable energy. These are just a few of the areas where our clients make a huge difference. We support them all the way.

We champion local and international charities and campaign groups. We back grassroots groups and act for the Green Party. We lobby for positive change. Thanks to our work, the Charity Commission recognises sustainable development as a charitable purpose.

Our multidisciplinary team has a deep knowledge of charity and campaigning law, as we act for more top charities than any other firm in the country. We advise regulators and government organisations too – giving us the inside track on our client’s issues.

How we can help

Strategic litigation

Our litigation and public & regulatory teams are focused on helping clients on their journey to create a widespread positive impact for people and the planet. We are actively working to address business critical issues through litigation and policy action. Read more.

Impact real estate

Our real estate team help with all legal issues related to the building and development of sustainable projects, including advising on the mitigation of risk to ensure long-term positive impact throughout our clients’ portfolios. We offer advice on green leases, green loans and sustainable financing options while providing first-hand knowledge on developments via our Impact Real Estate group, a forum for organisations that want to explore and better understand how to utilise their premises to enhance their positive impact on the environment and society.

Impact investment and financing

If you’re thinking of investing for positive social and/or environmental impact, or if you’re a civil society organisation or mission-driven business raising finance, we can help. We can support you in structuring and documenting the whole spectrum of social finance and impact investing transactions and activities. This includes investments in the form of loans (secured and unsecured, senior or subordinated, syndicated and convertible), bonds, equity, quasi-equity (including revenue participation and royalties), investment funds, crowdfunding, blended finance and others.

Explore

Corporate foundations and their connected businesses: Key insights from our roundtable

We were delighted to welcome representatives from a variety of corporate foundations to our roundtable on 30 June. The event brought together a wealth of different experiences and provided an opportunity for peer learning and the sharing of practical insights. Legal principles Bates Wells partners, Philip Kirkpatrick and Lucy Rhodes, opened the roundtable with an …
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Faith-based charities and regulatory engagement: prevention and response

The regulatory landscape Regulatory action by the Charity Commission is increasing. There were 18% more regulatory concern cases, 25% more statutory inquiries and just under 60% more inquiry powers used in the Commission’s most recent financial period than its previous one. Common themes for the Commission opening investigations are governance failures, safeguarding issues, conflicts of …
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Briefing for Charities & Social Enterprises | 30 June

Our weekly roundup of news and updates from across the sector. To help you navigate this week’s content, the links below will take you straight to content by topic. Charity Commission At the Third Sector Conference 2026, Charity Commission Chair Dame Julia Unwin gave a speech about “The Commission’s role in uncertain times”. She discussed …
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Drawing the lines: mutuality, control, and the tax test for employment status

On 1 May 2026, the First Tier (Tax) Tribunal (“FTT”) found that, despite HMRC’s assertions to the contrary, certain referees engaged by Professional Game Match Officials Ltd (“PGMOL”) were self-employed, rather than employed, for tax purposes (see the case here). This decision is the latest (though possibly not the last) installment in a long running …
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Immigration update: sponsor licence compliance for faith-based organisations

Faith-based organisations play a significant role in the UK’s migration system, regularly sponsoring overseas workers to fill specialist religious roles. Although sector-specific data is not published by the UKVI, it is widely understood that many of the UK’s 140,000 sponsor licence holders are prominent faith-based organisations. However, it is a challenging time to be a …
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Meet our team

Strategic litigation: We want to help you tackle the climate emergency and biodiversity crisis

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