If you search for an organization and it is not eligible to receive donations, you may see a message stating: "Unfortunately this organization is not eligible to receive donations through Bright Funds." Learn more here.
Nonprofit eligibility within the United States
Within the United States, Bright Funds only permits donations to:
501(c)(3) public charities that are:
listed in the IRS database of tax-exempt organizations
in good standing across the with the California Attorney General’s Office, the California Franchise Tax Board, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)*
Public schools
Nonprofits that are not eligible for donations include:
Nonprofit organizations that are not registered as 501(c)(3) public charities (for example, 501(c)(4) lobbying organizations)
Nonprofits that have lost their tax-exempt status with any of the below agencies*:
California Attorney General’s Office
California Franchise Tax Board
IRS
Nonprofits that do not comply with Bright Funds' nondiscrimination policy
Nonprofits that do not process donations they receive from Bright Funds
*Note: The eligibility is tied to the recent California AB 488 law, where nonprofits are now required to be in good standing across the California Attorney General’s Office, the California Franchise Tax Board, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This impacts all nonprofits and fundraising platforms, no matter their location.
How can I get my U.S. nonprofit back as eligible?
You will need to determine why your nonprofit is not in “good standing.” A nonprofit which appears on one of three lists is considered not in “good standing” in California for purposes of the California AB 488 law:
The nonprofit will need to work directly with the applicable government agency to update their nonprofit status on their registry. Bright Funds cannot update the nonprofit's charitable status if it is not updated on the official registries.
Nonprofit eligibility outside of the United States
Bright Funds works with international vetting partners who provide the ever-growing list of eligible charitable organizations outside of the U.S.
The Bright Funds database includes eligible charitable organizations registered within a country's charity database for the countries listed here. An organization will be ineligible if it is not found in the charity database or if it has lost its registration status.
Organizations located in countries other than those listed here. The Bright Funds database includes organizations that have undergone a vetting process via our third party vetting partner to ensure that they meet all regulatory requirements and standard best practices for international giving. An organization will be ineligible for donations if it was found to not meet applicable vetting standards, or if its eligibility has expired and needs to be re-vetted.
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