Press Release  AG Campbell Amends Filing Requirements for Small Charities and Requires Online Filing for All Charities in Massachusetts

BOSTON — In an effort to ease the administrative burden on smaller charities, effective immediately Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell will no longer require nonprofit organizations with gross support and revenue of $25,000 or less to submit a Federal Form 990 as part of their annual filings and disclosures. AG Campbell hopes this change will help to facilitate compliance and transparency from smaller, often volunteer-run organizations. This revision also places Massachusetts in closer alignment with other states that require public charities to submit annual financial filings and allows AG Campbell’s Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division and the public to continue to access the important supplemental information from charities with gross support and revenue over $25,000.

“Our vibrant nonprofit community works hard every day to support those in need and improve the quality of life here in Massachusetts,” said AG Campbell. “We’re excited to make it easier and more efficient for charities to fulfill their regulatory obligations, which ensure transparency to the public about their operations while allowing those organizations to spend more time on their critical missions.”

“This is a big step forward,” said Jim Klocke, CEO of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. “It will give small non-profits a clear, manageable path for reporting and transparency, without overburdening them. It will be particularly helpful to the smallest nonprofits, and startup nonprofits, who come from every part of Massachusetts and every segment of our communities. We appreciate the Attorney General's work on this issue.”

In an additional effort to promote efficiency in the completion and processing of charities filings, effective September 1, 2023, charities will need to fulfill their regulatory filing obligations to the AG’s Office using the online Charity Portal, launched in 2022; the Office will no longer accept paper submissions. This online filing mandate provides a more efficient way for charities to comply with annual filing obligations and enables the Office to more quickly make the information available to the public on the Office’s website.

To support the sector through this transition, the Non-Profit Organizations/Public Charities Division will run several in-person filing clinics at locations around the Commonwealth and will host monthly online webinars to demonstrate the use of the Charity Portal and respond live to questions from users about the filing process. These learning opportunities are in addition to the live hotline, in-Portal support, and instructional materials and videos already available on the AG’s website. For more details about these training materials or to learn more about the webinars and filing clinics and sign up to attend, please visit the AG’s website.

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