# What is a CIC (community interest company)?

**CIC (community interest company)**: A community interest company (CIC) is a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders. It is registered at Companies House, approved by the CIC Regulator and bound by an asset lock. A CIC is not a charity and has no charity number.

- Also called: community interest company, CIC limited by guarantee, CIC limited by shares
- Author: OpenGrant
- Updated: 2026-10-26
- Canonical URL: https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/cic

A community interest company, or CIC, is in GOV.UK's words "a special type of limited company which exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders". It is registered at Companies House and must be approved by the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, which "decides whether an organisation is eligible to become, or continue to be" a CIC. To set one up you need a community interest statement, a constitution and an asset lock, which GOV.UK describes as "a legal promise stating that the company's assets will only be used for its social objectives".

**Why it matters when applying.** A CIC is not a charity. It has no [charity number](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/charity-number), it is not on the charity register, and its accounts are at Companies House. Funders divide on this. National Lottery Awards for All England accepts CICs; so do most community foundations, and The London Community Foundation's 100 most recent published grants on 26 October 2026 went 62% to companies or CICs. Many trusts fund registered charities only, and some that fund CICs restrict the grant to charitable purposes. [Grants for CICs](https://opengrant.co.uk/blog/grants-for-cics) explains what funders check and how to answer the asset lock and dividend questions.

**For prospect research.** When you look up who funds organisations like yours, a CIC's identifier in 360Giving data is its company number written as an [org-id](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/org-id), GB-COH- plus eight digits. The [charitable incorporated organisation](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/cio) and the Scottish [SCIO](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/scio) are charities, and should not be confused with a CIC despite the similar initials.

**Example.** A fictional CIC running a community café applies to Awards for All England for £9,000 of equipment, which accepts it, and is declined by a local trust whose criteria say registered charities only. It records both outcomes and the reason in its pipeline so it does not repeat the second.

## Frequently asked questions

### Can a CIC apply for grants?

Yes, to funders that accept CICs. National Lottery Awards for All England funds community interest companies, many community foundations do, and The London Community Foundation's recent 360Giving grants went 62% to companies or CICs on 26 October 2026. Trusts that fund registered charities only will not, so read each scheme's eligibility section before applying.

### Is a CIC a charity?

No. A CIC is a company regulated by Companies House and the Regulator of Community Interest Companies, not by a charity regulator, and it cannot also be a registered charity. It has no charity number; in open data it is identified by its company number. Some funders treat CICs like charities, others do not.

### What is the asset lock?

GOV.UK describes it as a legal promise stating that the company's assets will only be used for its social objectives, with limits on how much can be paid to shareholders. Funders rely on it: a grant to a CIC cannot be distributed as profit, and if the CIC closes its assets pass to another asset-locked body.

## Read more

- [Grants for charities and community groups](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/for/charities)
- [Grants for small businesses and startups](https://opengrant.co.uk/grants/for/businesses)

## Related terms

- [CIO (charitable incorporated organisation)](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/cio): A charitable incorporated organisation (CIO) is a legal form for charities in England and Wales that gives the charity a corporate body of its own, so its trustees are generally not personally liable, while registering only with the Charity Commission. It has foundation and association forms.
- [SCIO (Scottish charitable incorporated organisation)](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/scio): A Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO) is a legal form for charities in Scotland that gives the charity its own legal personality and limits the liability of its members and trustees, while registering only with OSCR, the Scottish Charity Regulator. It is the counterpart of the CIO.
- [Charity number](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/charity-number): A charity number is the unique registration number a charity receives from its regulator: the Charity Commission for England and Wales (six or seven digits), OSCR in Scotland (SC plus six digits) or the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (NIC numbers). Funders use it to check the register.
- [org-id](https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary/org-id): An org-id is a standard way of identifying an organisation in open data: a list code naming the register, then the organisation's number on it, for example GB-CHC-200051 for a registered charity or GB-COH-09506232 for a company. 360Giving uses org-ids for every funder and recipient.

## Sources and further reading

- [GOV.UK: Set up a social enterprise](https://www.gov.uk/set-up-a-social-enterprise)
- [Office of the Regulator of Community Interest Companies](https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-of-the-regulator-of-community-interest-companies)

Full glossary: https://opengrant.co.uk/glossary.md