How to Report a Charity to State Regulators
May 1, 2025
The majority of states have designated departments that regulate charities operating or soliciting donations within their borders. If you have been the victim of a charity scam, consider filing a complaint with your state’s charity regulator. Some states have searchable online databases where you can find out if a charity is properly registered and the names of the people who govern it. Remember that registration does not imply an endorsement by the state.
Charities soliciting within a state’s borders are typically required to file with charity regulators in that state even if they are legally incorporated in a different jurisdiction. A few states provide more comprehensive information such as copies of charity tax filings, audited financial statements, fundraising contracts, and more. Charities sometimes post incomplete tax filings, misleading pie charts, and other financial data on their websites that may omit unflattering information or that don’t provide a complete picture of how efficiently they are operating. State regulators are more likely to have a charity’s complete financial reports.
States With Searchable Online Databases
Charities that solicit donations nationally are generally required to file reports annually in 41 jurisdictions across the United States (40 states and the District of Columbia). This means that a charity located in Ohio, for example, that solicits donations in Florida via direct mail, telemarketing calls, or by other means, would generally be required to file annual reports in Florida. Donors would likely be able to find that charity’s audited financial statements and other reports in Florida’s online charity database for this reason. (Note that very small charities may be exempted from filing in certain states, and very new charities may not appear in a state’s database due to the lagtime between when a charity’s fiscal year ends and states’ filing due dates).
The following states have searchable online databases where donors, journalists, and other interested members of the public can search for charity tax forms, audited financial statements, annual reports, and/or other relevant information on charities.
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Massachusetts Attorney General
North Carolina Secretary of State
If you are researching a charity that operates and solicits donations only within the state in which it is incorporated, you may reach out to regulators in that state to understand what information is available, how to obtain copies of any required reports, or how to file a complaint. Below is a list of state regulators and their contact information.
Office of the Attorney General
501 Washington Avenue
Montgomery, AL 36104
800-392-5658
1031 West 4th Avenue, Suite 200
Anchorage, AK 99501-1994
907-269-5100
Office of the Attorney General
2005 N. Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004-2926
800-352-8431
Office of the Attorney General
323 Center Street, Suite 200
Little Rock, AR 72201
800-482-8982
Public Inquiry Unit
P.O. Box 944255
Sacramento, CA 94244-2550
916-210-6276
Office of the Secretary of State
1700 Broadway, Suite 200
Denver, CO 80290
855-428-3555
Office of the Attorney General
165 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106
860-808-5318
Carvel State Building
820 N. French Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
302-577-8600
Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services
Division of Consumer Services
P.O. Box 6700
Tallahassee, FL 32399-6700
800-HELP-FLA (or 800-435-7352)
Office of the Secretary of State
2 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive SE
Suite 317, West Tower
Atlanta, GA 30334
844-753-7825
Department of the Attorney General
Tax & Charities Division
425 Queen Street
Honolulu, HI 96813
808-586-1480
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
954 W. Jefferson Street, 2nd Floor
Boise, ID 83720
800-432-3545
Office of the Attorney General
Charitable Trust Bureau
100 W. Randolph Street, 11th Floor
Chicago, IL 60601
312-814-2595
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
302 W. Washington Street, 5th Floor
Indianapolis, IN 46204
800-382-5516
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
Hoover State Office Building
1305 E. Walnut Street
Des Moines, IA 50319-0106
888-777-4590
Office of the Attorney General
120 SW 10th Avenue, 2nd Floor
Topeka, KS 66612-1597
800-432-2310
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
1024 Capital Center Drive, Suite 200
Frankfort, KY 40601
888-432-9257
Consumer Protection Section
P.O. Box 94005
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9005
800-351-4889
Office of the Attorney General
6 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333
207-626-8849
Office of the Secretary of State
Charitable Organizations Division
16 Francis Street
Annapolis, MD 21401
800-825-4510
Office of the Attorney General
Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108
617-727-2200, Ext. 2101
Department of the Attorney General
G. Mennen Williams Building, 7th Floor
525 W. Ottawa Street
P.O. Box 30212
Lansing, MI 48909
517-335-7571
Office of the Attorney General
445 Minnesota Street, Suite 1400
St. Paul, MN 55101
800-657-3787
Office of the Secretary of State
Charities Division
125 S. Congress Street
Jackson, Mississippi 39201
P.O. Box 136
Jackson, MS 39205-0136
601-359-1599
Office of the Attorney General
Supreme Court Building
207 W. High Street
P.O. Box 899
Jefferson City, MO 65102
800-392-8222
Office of Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 200151
Helena, MT 59620-0151
800-481-6896
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Division
2115 State Capitol
Lincoln, NE 68509
800-727-6432
Office of the Secretary of State
101 N. Carson Street, Suite 3
Carson City, NV 89701
775-684-5708
Charitable Trusts Unit
33 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301
603-271-3591
Office of the Attorney General
Division of Consumer Affairs
P.O. Box 45021
Newark, NJ 07101
973-504-6215
Office of the Attorney General
Charitable Organizations
P.O. Drawer 1508
Santa Fe, NM 87504-1508
505-717-3500
Office of the Attorney General
Charities Bureau
28 Liberty Street
New York, New York 10005
212-416-8401
Office of the Secretary of State
2 S. Salisbury Street
Raleigh, NC 27601-2903
919-814-5400
Office of the Attorney General
600 E. Boulevard Avenue, Dept. 125
Bismarck, ND 58505
800-472-2600
Office of the Attorney General
30 E. Broad Street, 14th Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
800-282-0515
Office of the Attorney General
313 N.E. 21st Street
Oklahoma City, OK 73105
405-521-3921
Charitable Activities Section
100 S.W. Market Street
Portland, OR 97201-5702
971-673-1880
Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Charities Section
401 North Street
207 North Office Building
Harrisburg, PA 17120
800-732-0999
Department of Business Regulation
Charitable Organizations
1511 Pontiac Avenue
Cranston, RI 02920
401-462-9500
Office of the Secretary of State
Charities Division
1205 Pendleton Street, Suite 525
Columbia, SC 29201
803-734-1790
Office of the Attorney General
Division of Consumer Protection
1302 E. Hwy 14, Suite 3
Pierre, SD 57501
605-773-4400
Office of the Secretary of State
Division of Charitable Solicitations and Gaming
312 Rosa L. Parks Avenue
Snodgrass Tower, 6th Floor
Nashville, TN 37243
615-741-2555
Office of the Attorney General
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, TX 78711-2548
800-621-0508
Division of Consumer Protection
P.O. Box 146704
Salt Lake City, UT 84114-6704
801-530-6601
Office of the Attorney General
109 State Street
Montpelier, VT 05609
800-649-2424
Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs
P.O. Box 1163
Richmond, VA 23218
804-786-1343
Office of the Secretary of State
Legislative Building
P.O. Box 40220
Olympia, WA 98504-0220
360-725-0378
Office of the Attorney General
400 6th Street Northwest
Washington D.C. 20001
202-727-3400
Office of the Secretary of State
Charitable Organizations Division
1900 Kanawha Blvd. East
Building 1, Suite 157K
Charleston, WV 25302-0770
866-767-8683
Department of Financial Institutions
4822 Madison Yards Way
North Tower
Madison, WI 53705
608-267-1711
Office of the Attorney General
Consumer Protection Unit
2320 Capitol Avenue
Cheyenne, WY 82002
307-777-6397
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