California Form CT-1 has returned after being replaced by an Initial Checklist which followed passage of the Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004.  If your organization must register with the California Attorney General’s Registry of Charitable Trusts, Form CT-1 is the initial registration form.

Click here for Form CT-1.

Here is an excerpt from the California Attorney General’s website regarding what types of organizations are subject to the registration requirements:

The Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004 amended existing law, including the Supervision of Trustees and Fundraisers for Charitable Purposes Act (Government Code sections 12580-12599.7), which requires registration and annual reporting by all charitable corporations, unincorporated associations, trustees, and other legal entities holding property for charitable purposes, commercial fundraisers for charitable purposes, fundraising counsel for charitable purposes, and commercial coventurers, over which the Attorney General has enforcement or supervisory powers. The Nonprofit Integrity Act of 2004 did not alter the range of persons and entities who are subject to the registration and reporting requirements.

The law’s application is not limited to entities that are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which pertains to charities. With certain limited exceptions, the law applies to any person holding money or property for charitable purposes. This includes entities that are tax exempt under other subsections of section 501(c), entities that are not tax exempt, and for-profit entities, if, apart from their general purposes, they hold assets for charitable purposes. If, for example, a social club or fraternal organization holds a fundraising event for a charitable purpose, such as creation of a college scholarship fund, the moneys it collects are held as a charitable trust and it is subject to the law.

The law applies to all foreign charitable corporations (corporations formed under the laws of other states) doing business or holding property in California for charitable purposes. Doing business in California includes soliciting donations in California by mail, by advertisements in publications or by any other means from outside of California. Other examples of doing business in California include engaging in any of the following activities in California: holding meetings of the board of directors or corporate members here, maintaining an office here, having officers or employees who perform work here, and/or conducting charitable programs here.

In general, if a foreign charity´s sole contact with California is that it makes grants to persons, programs or charitable organizations located in California, or maintains financial accounts or investments at an office of a financial institution located in California, it is not considered to be doing business in California for purposes of compliance with Government Code section 12580 et seq.