Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section


Please Note

We are a service company that can help you file with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section. We are not associated with this nor any other government agency. We offer paid services and software to help you file. You are not required to purchase our service to file - you may file directly with this agency without using our service.


Contact Information

Physical address:
1511 Pontiac Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920

Mailing address:
1511 Pontiac Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920

Phone: (401) 462-9500
Fax: (401) 462-9532

Web: Home Name search File online
Email: DBR.CharityInquiry@dbr.ri.gov

Licenses

We track the following licenses with the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section in order to provide compliance services to our clients. As a client, you see this and other Compliance Core™ data in License Manager in-line with your licenses.

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Rhode Island Charitable Organization Registration

Agency:Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section
Law:

RIGL § 5-53.1-2

Foreign Qualification is Prerequisite:No
Registered Agent (Special Agency) Required?No

Automatic Exemption

Exemption Eligible Organizations:
  • 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
Law:

RI Gen L § 5-53.1-3

Notes:

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

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$90 filing fee + $3.98 online filing fee.

Turnaround:

2-3 weeks

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required
Notes:
  • 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.
Before you Apply:

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.
How to Apply:

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.
Required Attachments:

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

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$90 filing fee + $3.98 online filing fee.

Due:

Annually by the registration anniversary date.

Due Date Extension:

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.

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required
Penalties:
  • $20/month/filing/year (penalties are assessed per filing per year)
    • For a registration that has been out of compliance for 3 years the late fees would be broken down like this:
      • $720 (1st renewal filing that is 3 years late) +
      • $480 (2nd renewal filing that is 2 years late) +
      • $240 (3rd renewal filing that is 1 years late) +
      • $270 (3 years of missing renewal fees)
Notes:
  • Make check payable to General Treasurer, State of Rhode Island
  • You must attach an annual financial report.
Required Attachments:

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

Reinstatement

Not required



Formal reinstatement is not required. If a charity has been out of compliance for less than 5 years, they should submit a renewal filing, financial documents for every year not registered, and all applicable fees (renewal + late fees). Registrations expired for more than 5 years also require the charity to submit an initial filing. Charities MUST call the division directly to facilitate the renewal of a registration that has been expired for more than 5 years. 

Change of Fiscal Year

Agency Fee:

$0

Notes:

An organization's fiscal year can updated during the standard renewal process.

Cancelation

Filing Method:

Email to DBR.CharityInquiry@dbr.ri.gov

Agency Fee:

$0

Notes:

To close out your registration, submit a letter requesting a withdrawal. Evidence must be provided to substantiate the claim that solicitations are longer taking place in Rhode Island.

"Fundraising counsel" means any person who for compensation consults with a charitable organization or who plans, manages, advises, or assists with respect to the solicitation of contributions for or on behalf of a charitable organization, but who does not have access to contributions or other receipts from a solicitation and who does not solicit. Bona fide volunteers or employees of a charitable organization, or an attorney-at-law retained by a charitable organization, shall not be deemed a fundraising counsel.

Rhode Island Fundraising Counsel Registration

Agency:Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section
Law:

R.I.G.L. § 5-53.1-9

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$240

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$240

Due:

Annually by June 30.

Contract Filing

Agency Fee:

$0

Due:

Copies of all contracts with charitable organizations must be submitted within 10 days after signing.

Rhode Island Individual Professional Fundraiser Registration

Agency:Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$0

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$0

Due:

Annually by June 30.

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required

"Professional fundraiser" means any person who directly or indirectly for compensation or other consideration plans, manages, conducts, carries on, or assists in connection with a solicitation for charitable purposes or individually solicits or who or that employs or otherwise engages on any basis another person to solicit for or on behalf of any charitable organization, or who or that engages in the business of, or holds himself, herself, or itself out to persons as independently engaged in the business of soliciting for the charitable purpose. Bona fide volunteers or employees of a charitable organization or fundraising counsel shall not be deemed a professional fundraiser.

Rhode Island Professional Fundraiser Registration

Agency:Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation - Securities Division - Charities Section
Law:

R.I.G.L. § 5-53.1-9

Bond Requirements:

$10,000

Initial Registration

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$240

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required
Notes:

A copy of all contracts with charitable organizations must be submitted with the application.

Before you Apply:
  •  Has any government agency or court enjoined the applicant, its directors, members, trustees, senior level executives, employees or sub-contractors from soliciting contributions?
  • Names and addresses of all officers, agents & employees.
Required Attachments:
  • Copies of all contracts with charitable organizations (must be submitted within ten (10) days after signing pursuant to R.I.G.L. 5-53.1-9)
  •  Bond
  • Taxpayer status affidavit (attached to application as exhibit 1) 

Registration Renewal

Filing Method:

Online

Agency Fee:

$240

Due:

Annually by June 30.

Original Ink:Not required
Notarization Required?:Not required

Contract Filing

Agency Fee:

$0

Due:

Copies of all contracts with charitable organizations must be submitted within 10 days after signing.

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