01 Identity
Scottish charity record
- OSCR charity number
- SC028814
- Status
- Active
- Regulatory type
- Standard
- Designated religious body
- No
- Geographical spread
- Overseas only
- Volunteers
- 1-50 volunteers
- Staff
- 4
- Postcode
- EH7 5JT
02 Purpose and work
What the charity exists to do
Challenges Worldwide is an innovative non-profit organisation committed to reducing poverty by empowering entrepreneurs and businesses to foster sustainable economic growth. Established in 1999, we have assisted over 5,000 enterprises in expanding their social and environmental influence, creating jobs and life-changing products and services for local communities. We design, manage, and implement capacity-building initiatives, mentorship, and development programmes for professionals and young people, enabling thousands of individuals to develop skills, confidence, and employment opportunities. Operating from Scotland and across low- and middle-income countries, we deliver programmes through dedicated local Challenges offices worldwide, ensuring local leadership and meaningful impact. Our work directly contributes to the UN Agenda 2030 by tackling global challenges through the SDGs, including No Poverty, Gender Equality, Decent Work, and Responsible Consumption.
Charitable purposes
- the prevention or relief of poverty
- the advancement of education
- the advancement of health
- the advancement of citizenship or community development
- the advancement of the arts, heritage, culture or science
- the advancement of human rights, conflict resolution or reconciliation
- the advancement of environmental protection or improvement
Beneficiaries
- No specific group, or for the benefit of the community
- Other charities or voluntary bodies
Activities
- It carries out activities or services itself
Constitutional objectives
To advance education and to assist in the relief of poverty in any part of the world and for those purposes only:- (i) to send volunteers of either sex and without regard to race or creed to other countries to share their skills, knowledge and experience and to develop same and to develop their understanding thereof and to share their experience with others on their return (ii) to bring volunteers to the United Kingdom to share their skills knowledge and experience and to develop same and to develop their understanding thereof and to share their experience with others on their return to their countries of origin (iii) to undertake or assist in works and projects of all kinds (iv) to educate the public concerning the nature, causes and effects of poverty and limited education in other countries, and to conduct, promote and encourage research into these matters and to publish or otherwise make available the results of such research or findings to the public (v) to establish and carry on courses and conferences for the education of men and women and to provide for the delivery and holding of lectures, demonstrations and other forms of tuition, exhibitions, public meetings, classes and conferences and to employ teachers, lecturers and other staff as may be required for such purposes as aforesaid and to provide all such appliances and things and all such provisions and necessaries as may be required for the purposes aforesaid or any of them (vi) To conduct appeals for money or other gifts or for any other assistance for any of the purposes of the company and to solicit and accept subscriptions and donations (whether of heritable or moveable property) legacies, endowments or other payments for any of the purposes of the company
03 Annual returns
Income and expenditure history
| Year end | Income | Expenditure | Staff | Return received |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 March 2025 | £1,090,754 | £1,176,399 | 4 | 15 December 2025 |
| 31 March 2024 | £2,225,531 | £1,318,399 | 4 | 5 December 2024 |
| 31 March 2023 | £1,219,772 | £1,251,703 | 4 | 19 December 2023 |
| 31 March 2022 | £1,244,360 | £1,242,959 | 4 | 6 December 2022 |
| 31 March 2021 | £942,930 | £1,007,230 | 4 | 6 December 2021 |
Figures are those reported by the charity and supplied in the OSCR bulk download. Blank facts remain distinct from zero.
04 Contact record
Principal office or trustees address
- Address supplied to OSCR
- CHALLENGES WORLDWIDE , 7 Montgomery Street Lane, EDINBURGH
- Website supplied to OSCR
- Not supplied
- Parent charity
- Not supplied
No direct external links on this profile. The official OSCR record and source documentation are available through BritDB’s dedicated source page.
05 Provenance
Source for this profile
© Crown Copyright and database right 2026. Contains information from the Scottish Charity Register supplied by the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator and licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. BritDB is an independent service and does not claim to be the Scottish Charity Register.