CHARITABLE OHIO

Research Charities

Wise donors do their research before giving to charity. The tools on this page can provide you with important information about charities in Ohio. Together, they help provide a detailed picture of charities’ finances, fundraising, charitable activities, and their compliance with registration obligations and other Ohio laws dealing with nonprofit organizations.

On this page you will find links to:

Check whether a charity is in compliance with Ohio’s registration requirements
Review a charity’s annual reports to see how it spends your donations
See whether the charity employs professional fundraisers and find out what percentage of donations actually goes to charity
Get tips for safe giving

This data can be used to make informed decisions about giving to charities. For more advice on donating safely, select the Good Giving Guidelines link.

Search for Charities Registered with the Ohio Attorney General's Office

View Charity Annual Report Filings

View Charity Campaigns Conducted by Professional Solicitors

Good Giving Guidelines

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search: Users can search various IRS databases to view Form 990s filed by organizations, verify whether an organization has a valid 501(c)(3) or other tax-exempt designation, and search a database of organizations that have had their tax exempt status revoked.
The Urban Institute’s National Center for Charitable Statistics (NCCS): Provides a number of reports and publications that provide detailed information about charities.
GuideStar: Charitable organizations’ IRS Form 990 returns can be viewed on GuideStar. A free registration process is required to access the reports.
Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance: Provides reports showing whether charities have met or failed to meet 20 standards that deal with governance and oversight, effectiveness, finances, and solicitations and informational materials.
CharityWatch: Private watchdog organization that provides various reports, including ratings of top charities based on the percent of total expenses a charity spent on its programs and the cost for an organization to raise $100.
Charity Navigator: Another private watchdog organization that rates charities on two dimensions: financial health and accountability/transparency.

CONTACT

Charitable Law Section
150 E. Gay St., 23rd Floor
Columbus, OH 43215
Phone: 800-282-0515
Fax: 614-466-9788
Email: CharitableLaw@OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov