Reports from whistleblowers to the regulator about governance failures at charities has increased amid a decline in concerns around financial and safeguarding issues.

Latest Charity Commission figures show there were 303 reports about governance in 2024/25, compared to 277 the previous year.

This increase comes amid an overall fall in the number of reports overall, and decreases in those related to concerns around safeguarding and financial harm.

The overall number of reports fell by 2.7% from 561 in 2023/24 to 546 in 2024/25.

Over the same period concerns around financial harm fell from 128 to 96 and safeguarding related disclosures dropped from 104 to 84.

Of the 546 reports received the regulator opened a case in two thirds of cases, which in the remaining third of cases the charity involved was already subject to an investigation by the Commission.

Just over half of whistleblowing reports are from employees and former staff members of the charity involved.

Charities involved in education, training, health, poverty relief and community development were the subject of the highest number of reports.

Armed forces charities and those involved in animal welfare and overseas were among sectors with the lowest number of reports, the Charity Commission found.

“When we receive a whistleblowing disclosure, we consider the information disclosed to us, then decide and prioritise what action, if any, to take according to the nature and level of risk,” said regulator.

“Our assessment depends on what we are told and the severity of the matter.”

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