How Charitable Registration Protects Grant Funding and Donor Trust
Picture a first-time donor who has just read your appeal and is ready to give. Following the Federal Trade Commission's advice, they look up your nonprofit in their state's charity registry first, and no current registration comes up. Minnesota's Attorney General tells donors that an unregistered charity can be a red flag and that the donor may take the hint and give elsewhere.
Grant funders look, too. A lapsed filing can keep you out of a state funding round entirely, and some community foundations confirm your status before they release a check.
That record is your charitable solicitation registration, the state filing that lets your nonprofit ask the public for donations. A current record in every state where you fundraise protects your grant eligibility. It also gives donors one more reason to trust you.
At a Glance
- Independent Sector, the national membership organization for nonprofits and philanthropies, found in 2026 that 74% of Americans would trust a nonprofit more when it's open about how it uses its funds.
- The Federal Trade Commission tells donors to check whether a charity is registered with their state before giving.
- Grant programs in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon require nonprofit applicants to provide proof of charitable registration.
- About 40 states have charitable solicitation laws, and most expect you to register before asking their residents for money.
- Registration records are public, and states such as Florida and Pennsylvania require a notice on your solicitations telling donors where to find them.
Why Donors Check Registration Before They Give
Most donors need to trust a charity before they give to it. In the BBB Wise Giving Alliance's 2026 Donor Trust Report, 67.7% of U.S. adults said trusting a charity is highly important before donating. Only 18.3% reported high trust in charities.
Openness about money helps close the distance between those two numbers. Independent Sector's 2026 trust report found that 74% of Americans would trust a nonprofit more when it's transparent about how it uses its funds, and 73% said the same about where its funding comes from.
Government agencies point donors specifically to registration records. The FTC's charity giving guide tells donors to check whether a charity and its fundraiser are registered with the state's charity regulator before they donate.
State regulators give the same advice. The California Attorney General's tips tell donors to confirm a charity is registered and up to date on its financial reporting. Registration doesn't mean a state endorses your work, and regulators say so. Still, a careful donor can quickly spot a missing or out-of-date record.
How Transparency Connects to Giving
Candid, a nonprofit data and research organization, studied 148,786 nonprofits using Form 990 data from 2022 and 2023. Organizations with a Candid Seal of Transparency averaged 62% more in contributions than those without one, after controlling for size, financial health, age, and governance practices.
Small nonprofits saw a similar pattern, with Seal holders receiving 61% more. Candid describes the result as a strong association rather than proof of cause, and the Seal reflects what a nonprofit shares on its Candid profile rather than its state registration. The findings align with the survey data: organizations that make their information easy to find tend to attract more support.
Charity evaluators factor regulation into their reviews, too. Under the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability, a charity's board must ensure the organization complies with applicable government charity regulations, and a charity that falls short fails to meet the board oversight standard.
Where Donors and Funders See Your Registration
Registration records are public, and many states make them easy to search. In Florida, for example, anyone can look up a nonprofit's status with the state's Check-A-Charity tool, and Pennsylvania offers a similar search. Each approved filing also comes with a state charity registration number that donors can use to find you.
Some states put that information right in front of donors. Under Florida's disclosure law, for example, registered charities print a notice on every solicitation, receipt, and online donation page. It tells donors they can get the organization's registration and financial information from the state, with a toll-free number and website.
Other states ask for something similar on printed solicitations and receipts. See Pennsylvania's notice requirement for one version. North Carolina's statute sets out another.
Private funders run their own checks. The Ventura County Community Foundation in California reviews each recipient before paying out a grant recommended by one of its fund holders, and its compliance page tells grantees they need a current registration with the California Attorney General unless they're exempt.
What Charitable Solicitation Registration Covers
Charitable solicitation registration is the process by which a state grants your nonprofit permission to ask its residents for donations. The office that handles it depends on where you are: in New York and California, for example, you file with the attorney general. Tennessee sends you to its secretary of state, and Florida handles registration through the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
According to the IRS, about 40 states have laws governing charitable solicitation, and these laws generally require you to register before you start soliciting. Most of them carve out exemptions for certain organizations. Pennsylvania, for instance, may exempt a nonprofit that takes in $25,000 or less a year, as long as it doesn't pay anyone to fundraise for it.
You register in each state where you fundraise. Your office may be in one state, but asking residents of other states for money can mean registering there, too. Our charitable solicitation registration guide includes instructions and filing fees for each state.
How State Grant Programs Check Your Registration
Government grant programs often set registration as an eligibility requirement. The six programs below each come from a different state. Every one asks nonprofit applicants for charitable registration documents or a current filing with the state's charity regulator.
| State | Program | What Applicants Provide |
|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | Program: Nonprofit Grant Program, Office of Policy and Management | What Applicants Provide: Charitable organization registration with the Department of Consumer Protection, unless exempt |
| Maryland | Program: Access to Justice Grants, Maryland Judiciary | What Applicants Provide: A Secretary of State letter approving charitable solicitation, plus the most recent registration statement |
| Massachusetts | Program: Local Consumer Programs grant, Attorney General's Office | What Applicants Provide: Good standing with the Non-Profit/Public Charities Division, including registration and annual financial reports |
| New Jersey | Program: STOP Violence Against Women grant, Office of the Attorney General | What Applicants Provide: New Jersey charitable registration or proof of exemption |
| New York | Program: Grants Gateway prequalification for state grants | What Applicants Provide: The most recent CHAR500 annual filing, or the CHAR410 registration statement if no CHAR500 has been filed yet |
| Oregon | Program: Veteran Services Grant, Department of Veterans' Affairs | What Applicants Provide: Registration with the Department of Justice Charitable Activities Section and the most recent Form CT-12 |
Requirements vary from program to program, even within a single state. Read each eligibility checklist early. In New York, for instance, your prequalification status has to be in good order on the day and time the application is due, and the Grants Gateway tracks when your CHAR500 expires.
Foundations set their own requirements, as the Ventura County example shows, so check the document list on every application. If a funder asks for proof and your registration has lapsed, you may not have time to fix it before the deadline.
Why a Grant Request Can Count As a Solicitation
In some states, asking a government agency for a grant is itself a solicitation. New York offers the clearest example. Its charity law counts grants from government agencies as contributions and treats any request for one, direct or indirect, as soliciting.
The New York statute also covers timing: a charity that plans to seek government funding must register first. Other states define solicitation differently, so check the definition wherever you plan to apply. Our New York registration guide walks through the state's filing requirements.
Keeping Your Registrations Current in Every State
Registration isn't a one-time task. In Massachusetts, for example, public charities file annual financial reports with the Attorney General's Office after registering, and New York's CHAR500 is due every year.
The workload grows with each state you add. If you fundraise nationally, you could be juggling roughly 40 separate filings, each with its own paperwork and due dates. A few habits make it easier to keep up:
- Map every state where you fundraise, including states where you send grant applications or run campaigns aimed at local donors.
- Keep all renewal dates in one calendar that everyone who works on grants or fundraising can see.
- Look yourself up in each state's registry ahead of every grant deadline, with time to spare.
- Add the required disclosure notices to your solicitations, receipts, and donation pages in each state that requires one.
For more on exemptions and deadlines, see our fundraising registration requirements page. And if keeping up with dozens of states is more than your team has time for, Labyrinth, Inc., the nonprofit arm of Harbor Compliance, has handled nonprofit charitable registration since 1989 and files initial registrations and annual renewals in every state that requires them.
Make Registration Part of Your Case for Support
Donors want a reason to trust you before they give, and grant programs want proof that you're ready to receive public money. A current charitable solicitation registration speaks to both, and anyone can look it up.
Labyrinth files charitable registrations every day and backs its work with a Good Standing Guarantee that covers any late fee resulting from a missed deadline.
Talk to a Labyrinth specialist about getting every state up to date, so your team can focus on the mission.
Charitable solicitation registration - A state filing that gives a nonprofit permission to ask residents, and in some states, government agencies, for contributions.
CHAR500 - New York's Annual Filing for Charitable Organizations, submitted to the Attorney General's Charities Bureau.
Charity regulator - The state office that oversees charitable registration, such as an attorney general's charities division or a secretary of state.
Disclosure notice - A statement some states require on solicitations and receipts, telling donors where to get the organization's registration and financial information.
Good standing - Being current with a state's registration and reporting requirements. California's Registry, for example, lists organizations that fall behind as Delinquent, Suspended, or Revoked.
Prequalification - New York's document review for nonprofits, including their Charities Bureau filings, before they can apply for state grants.
Frequently Asked Questions
Some do, and government grant programs are the clearest example. Programs in Connecticut, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, and Oregon ask nonprofit applicants for registration documents or a current filing with the state's charity regulator. Private foundations set their own rules, so check the document list on each application.
It can. New York law treats grants from government agencies as contributions and requires charities to register before requesting them. Other states word things differently, so look up the definition wherever you plan to apply.
About 40, according to the IRS, and most want you registered before you ask their residents for money. Exemptions vary, so an organization that's exempt in one place may still need to file in another. For the requirements in each state, see the Labyrinth fundraising compliance guide.
Donors can search the registry run by their state's charity regulator, such as Florida's Check-A-Charity tool or California's Registry Search Tool. The FTC points donors to the National Association of State Charity Officials at nasconet.org to find their state's regulator. Registration shows that a charity has filed with the state, though states note that it isn't an endorsement.
Look for a partner that manages initial filings and renewals everywhere you fundraise and tracks each deadline for you. A client portal is a big help, letting you check your status ahead of an application deadline without trading emails. Ask whether they handle signatures and notarization, too, so your paperwork never waits on your staff.
