(k) the promotion of religious or racial harmony

What do we mean by promoting religious or racial harmony?

This involves actively promoting harmony and lessening conflict between people of different races, religions or belief systems, or between people with a belief system and people with none. 

What activities might provide public benefit when advancing this purpose?

In general, public benefit is the way that a charity makes a positive difference to the public. In this case, a charity must be able to show that there is disharmony, or the potential for disharmony that it aims to prevent, among the groups it intends to work with. Ways of providing public benefit in promoting religious or racial harmony include:

• schemes to bring together immigrants and existing residents in a particular area
• providing structures for inter-faith dialogue.

Case 1: an organisation’s activities encouraged racial harmony

Summary:
An organisation applied to become a charity with the main aim of raising awareness and improving relationships between the Gypsy Traveller community in Scotland, the wider community and statutory and voluntary services.

Considerations:
First, we had to decide whether there was disharmony or the potential for it, between the Gypsy Traveller community and the wider community. Then we had to look at the organisation’s activities to consider if they would promote racial harmony and address the challenges identified.

Outcome:
We found that there was evidence of disharmony and that the activities provided public benefit by promoting understanding and awareness on both sides. The application to become a charity was successful.