Charities

Effective July 1, 2021, the Registry of Charities and Fundraisers will no longer require the filing of Schedule B to the IRS Form 990 as part of the registration and annual reporting requirements.

The Registry of Charities and Fundraisers will honor all IRS extensions for annual renewal filing deadlines, including the filing of the Forms RRF-1, CT-TR-1, and IRS Forms 990, 990-PF and 990-EZ. The Registry will consider other extension requests on a case-by-case basis.

• The attorneys and auditors of the Charitable Trusts Section investigate and bring legal actions against charities and fundraising professionals that misuse charitable assets or engage in fraudulent fundraising practices. If you have a complaint about a charity or fundraising professional, please visit our File a Complaint page.
• The Registry of Charities and Fundraisers administers the statutory registration program. All charitable trustees and fundraising professionals are required to register and file annual financial disclosure reports with the Registry. In addition, nonprofit organizations that conduct raffles for charitable purposes are required to register and file an annual financial report.

Guide for Charities & Webinars

• The Attorney General's Guide for Charities has been revised and there is a live webinar discussing the Guide. The video and additional resources are available on the Guide for Charities page. The video is also available on the California Department of Justice's YouTube Channel. Please also review other Registry Publications and Resources.
• The Attorney General’s Office has hosted the following educational webinars:
  • The Registry Resources and Website Navigation Webinar provides information designed to assist charitable organizations and members of the public with successfully locating and using all of the resources located on the Registry’s web site.
  • The Nonprofit Raffle Webinar provides information on rules and regulations regarding all raffle activity in California.
  • The Initial Registration Webinar for charities provides information on when an organization must register and covers the required steps to register.
  • The Annual Registration Renewal Webinar - Paper Submissions for charity registrants who mail in their annual filings.
  • The Annual Registration Renewal Webinar – Electronic Submissions for charity registrants who use the Online Renewal System.
  • The Delinquency Webinar provides instructions for charity registrants to remedy a delinquent status and how to check status on our website.
  • The Dissolution and Withdrawal Webinar for domestic and foreign charity registrants ceasing to operate in California.
  • The Professional Fundraiser Webinar covers registration and reporting requirements for commercial fundraisers, fundraising counsels, and commercial coventurers.
  • The Best Practices for Charities During Pandemics and Disasters covers best practices that charities should be mindful of to ensure operational continuity.

  Charity Research Resources

  The Registry Search Tool allows a registrant's public filings to be viewed and downloaded from the Registry database. These public filings include a copy of the federal annual informational return (IRS Forms 990, 990-PF, and 990-EZ) initial and renewal registration forms and data (e.g. Forms CT-1, RRF-1), other documents that organizations are required to file with this office, and incoming and outgoing Registry correspondence. For help using our search tool and interpreting the results, please review Registry Search Tool Tips & Filing Status Definitions.

  This tool, along with the resources posted on the Resources page and guidance provided on our Donation Tips page, allows donors to become informed about a charity before making a decision to give.

  Notice to Attorney General in Probate Matters

  The Attorney General's Office must be given notice of any matter involving a gift to charity, assets held in charitable trust, disposition or gifts of assets to an unnamed charitable beneficiary or property that may escheat to the State of California. For a summary of statutes that require notice to the Attorney General, please refer to the Notice Requirements. You may provide notice through the Nonprofit Transactions web page.