Do grant making charities have to say who their beneficiaries are?

[user313213521]

A charity shop has opened near me, and it's not clear what causes they support. It's a grant making organisation rather than one that supports people directly.

Their website is very vague about where the funding goes - "local projects including...x, y and z" - but these are not specific charities nor is it limited to the range of causes they've mentioned. When they posted in a local Facebook group about their charity shop, I asked where the money goes ... and they deleted the post without answering.

I googled the founder and found that, as of a few years ago, he has been advocating something that would make many people very uncomfortable and wasn't illegal then but is on the margins of legality now.

I've tried Googling but can't find confirmation either way - is there a rule to say that charities have to be explicit in where their funding goes?

I’m no expert but surely a proper charity needs to be registered with the Charities Commission? Might be worth checking their website?

There has to be a statement of the charity's aims to get it registered by the Charity Commissioners. What you say all sounds a bit too vague for my liking.

Found them on the Charity Commission website.

Some of it is a bit tickbox - who we help is listed as
"Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
The General Public/mankind"
Which is very specific

The three things they list in the free text bit is
A) advancement of Christianity in the UK and abroad (they definitely don't mention that on their website! I had rather suspected it though)
B) poverty relief in the UK and abroad
C) any other charitable purposes as the trustees see fit
Again, super specific!

No financial info as it is relatively new and accounts aren't due yet