Charitable Organizations
A charitable organization may not knowingly solicit, promote, or sponsor a charitable solicitation that originates in Utah, is received in Utah, or is caused to be made through business operations in Utah unless the organization is either exempt under Section 13-22-8 or registered with the division under Section 13-22-6.
In addition, a professional fund raiser may not knowingly solicit, request, promote, advertise, or sponsor the solicitation in Utah of any contributions for a charitable organization unless the professional fund raiser and the non-exempt organization are both registered under the Charitable Solicitations Act.
Further, a professional fund raising counsel or consultant may not knowingly plan, manage, advise, counsel, consult, or prepare material for, or with respect to, the solicitation in Utah of a contribution for a charitable organization unless the professional fund raising counsel or consultant and the non-exempt organization are both registered under the Charitable Solicitations Act.
Frequently Asked Questions
Charitable organization is defined by the Charitable Solicitations Act to mean any person, joint venture, partnership, limited liability company, corporation, association, group, or other entity
- that is or holds itself out to be:
- a benevolent, educational, voluntary health, philanthropic, humane, patriotic, religious or eleemosynary, social welfare or advocacy, public health, environmental or conservation, or civic organization;
- for the benefit of a public safety, law enforcement, or firefighter fraternal association; or
- established for any charitable purpose;
- who solicits or obtains contributions solicited from the public for a charitable purpose; or
- in any manner employs a charitable appeal as the basis of any solicitation or employs an appeal that reasonably suggests or implies that there is a charitable purpose to any solicitation.
A charitable solicitation occurs upon the making of any request, directly or indirectly, for money, credit, property,
financial assistance, or any other thing of value on the plea or representation that it will be used for a charitable purpose. A
charitable solicitation may be made in any manner.
Utah Code Annotated §13-22-8 sets forth a list of organizations that are exempt from the registration requirement. Any organization that claims an exemption based on this list is required to apply to the Division for that status. The organization has the burden of proving its eligibility for, or the applicability of, the exemption claimed. Please note that the exempt status applies only to the registration requirement. Exempt organizations remain subject to all other provisions of the Charitable Solicitations Act.
To apply for exemption, please click on the a APPLY FOR REGISTRATION link to the left and then click the Request Exemption Online button.
Yes, if you use the Online Charitable Organization Permit Application system you will be required to pay with a credit
card. If paper applications are used, the Division accepts checks, money orders, cash or you can pay with a credit card by completing the
Division’s Fax Credit Authorization Form. ALL forms of payment can be made in the office. If paying with a credit card in person, the
authorization form does NOT need to be completed.
State of Utah
The registration number and license ID number are on the renewal notices. This renewal notice is emailed 3 months
in advance of your expiration date. If you are renewing your permit and do not have these numbers, please contact the Division.
Yes. However, the URS application form must be accompanied by the Supplement to the URS Form. Please
contact the Division at dcp-charities@utah.gov for a copy of the form.
No. You must be issued a certificate of registration by the division before you solicit any charitable
contributions. It will take us up to 20 business days to review and process your application.
Yes. Once the application has been approved, the Division will send an approval letter and certificate of
registration via email.
No. The Charitable Solicitations Act only requires a copy of your most recently filed IRS Form 990, even if
this copy was submitted with last year’s application.
Do I need to file the Statement of Functional Expenses form with my application? keyboard_arrow_down
Yes, if your organization files an IRS 990 N, 990 EZ, 990 PF, or if the organization is not required to file any
type of IRS Form 990. If you have further questions regarding this, please contact the Division.
The Division launched a new online application and encourages users to complete their registration using this
system. This is the Division’s preferred method of filing. The manual application, including the Supplement to the URS
are no longer available to download from our website.
No. If this is an initial filing and the applicant has no previous financial information, the financial portion
on the application must be completed on a pro forma basis.
It takes up to 20 business days to review and process an application. You may expedite this process to 2 – 3
business days by paying a $75 expedited fee. This can be paid by check, money order, cash or credit card. All types of
payment can be made in our office. If you cannot come into the office to pay with a credit card, please complete the division’s
Fax Credit Authorization form.
Please select "REMOVE" and add the charity back on your dashboard under "add existing charity". If
you need the registration and/or license ID number, please contact the Division.
Apply For Registration
- Statement of Functional Expenses
NOTE: Save PDF form to your desktop prior to completing.
We recommend you install and use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader DC software for this. - Instructions for Statement of Functional Expenses form
- Fax Credit Authorization