Rhode Island Nonprofit Compliance

• Educational institutions, including parent-teacher associations, the curricula of which in whole or in part are registered or approved by a governmental agency as well as all other educational institutions within this state recognized or certified as educational institutions by a generally recognized and accepted regional or national educational accrediting organization
• Persons requesting any contributions for the relief of any individual, specified by name at the time of the solicitation, if all of the contributions collected, without any deductions whatsoever, are turned over to the named beneficiary
• Any charitable organization that does not intend to solicit and receive and does not actually raise or receive contributions in excess of $25,000 during a fiscal year of the charitable organization, provided none of its fundraising functions are carried on by professional fundraisers and no part of its assets or income inures to the benefit of or is paid to any officer, director, member (if a limited-liability company), trustee, partner, or member of the charitable organization (Not including contributions received from corporations, charitable foundations, government agencies, or a duly registered federated fund, incorporated community appeal, or United Way, shall not be included in determining the total amount of contributions received)
• Organizations that solicit only from their own membership. The term "membership" shall not include those persons who are granted a membership upon making a contribution as the result of a solicitation
• Persons soliciting contributions solely from corporations, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies
• Foundations or associations exclusively for the benefit of religious organizations, education institutions, nonprofit or charitable hospitals, and public libraries
• Hospitals that are nonprofit and charitable
• Veterans' organizations and their auxiliaries so long as the veterans' organizations are chartered under chapter 6 of title 7
• Public libraries
• Historical societies duly organized under the laws of this state
• Free, not-for-profit, public art museums
• Grange organizations and their auxiliaries
• Churches or recognized denominations and religious organizations, societies, and institutions operated, supervised, or controlled by a religious organization or society that solicit from other than their own membership. Institutions indirectly or affiliated with but that are not operated, supervised, or controlled by any religious organizations or religious society that own, maintain, and operate homes for the aged, orphanages, and homes for unwed mothers
• Volunteer fire and rescue associations
• Land trusts duly organized under the laws of this state

RI Gen L § 5-53.1-3

Charities must register within 30 days if they exceed $25,000 in contributions.

Charitable Organizations Application

Online or submitted on CD-Rom or on a USB flash drive (paper filings are not accepted)

$90 + $3 online filing fee.

2-3 weeks

• Make check payable to General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island
• Some Rhode Island counties and municipalities may require charities that solicit in-person to register prior to fundraising.

Domestic Applicants:

• Check the available exemptions to see if your charity is eligible for exemption from the full registration requirement.
• If your charity meets the audit threshold, obtain an audited financial report to submit with your registration application.
• Look through the list of required attachments and make sure that you have each required document in hand before starting the registration application.

Foreign Applicants:

• Check the available exemptions to see if your charity is eligible for exemption from the full registration requirement.
• If your charity meets the audit threshold, obtain an audited financial report to submit with your registration application.
• Look through the list of required attachments and make sure that you have each required document in hand before starting the registration application.
• If you will foreign qualify in Rhode Island, obtain a certificate of good standing from your home state to submit during the foreign qualification process. The certificate cannot be more than 60 days old when filing foreign qualification documents.

Domestic Applicants:

1. File entity formation documents with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
2. Create an online account and complete the charitable organization registration through the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.

Foreign Applicants:

1. Determine whether or not your charity will need to foreign qualify based on your activity in Rhode Island. If not required, skip to number 3.
2. File foreign qualification documents with the Rhode Island Secretary of State.
3. Create an online account and complete the charitable organization registration through the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation.

• IRS form 990
• Audited financials (if applicable)
• List of officers and directors
• Professional fundraising contracts
• List of other states where registered to solicit

Charitable Organizations Application

Online or mail the form on CD-ROM (paper filings are not accepted)

$90 + $3 online filing fee.

Annually by the registration anniversary date.

Due dates can be extended for 6 months beyond the original due date by submitting either IRS form 8868 or a letter requesting an extension.

• Make check payable to General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island
• You must attach an annual financial report.

• IRS form 990
• Audited financials (if applicable)
• List of officers and directors
• Professional fundraising contracts
• List of other states where registered to solicit

$0

To close out your registration, simply submit a letter asking to withdraw registration.