Hours: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET
(Monday through Friday)
Questions About Charities: 517-335-7571
Questions About Police or Fire Organizations: 800-769-4515
Required forms can be submitted to the Charitable Trust Section by Efiling, email, mail or fax (517-241-7074).
Charitable Trust Section
PO Box 30214
Lansing, MI 48909-7714
525 West Ottawa Street
1st Floor Williams Building
Lansing, MI 48933
The Charitable Organizations and Solicitations Act, MCL 400.271 et seq., requires an organization to register if it solicits or receives contributions in Michigan.
The Solicitations Act also requires licensing and bonding for professional fundraisers before soliciting, planning, or carrying out a solicitation campaign in Michigan for a charitable organization.
Professional fundraisers for charitable organizations must be licensed under the Solicitations Act.
Before soliciting in Michigan, a professional fundraiser must:
The professional fundraiser license expires each year on June 30. To renew, professional fundraisers should submit an Application before the expiration date, along with a bond continuation certificate.
Professional fundraisers should also note that a CTS - 10 Campaign Financial Statement is due to the Charitable Trust Section ninety (90) days following the end of each campaign; if the campaign is ongoing, the Campaign Financial Statement is due yearly.
This requirement does not apply to professional fundraisers that act solely as consultants.
Individual Solicitors. Individual solicitors that call donors or solicit door-to-door must also register by filing the CTS - 09 Registration of Professional Solicitor form. Registration is required for each individual solicitor.
Police and fire fighter groups that solicit in Michigan are required to register with the Attorney General. Most police and fire fighter groups are not charities.
The Public Safety Solicitation Act, MCL 14.301 et seq., regulates the many police and fire organizations that solicit from the public. Most of these organizations are not charitable organizations and thus are not subject to the Solicitations Act, discussed above. Section 2(d) of the Public Safety Solicitation Act defines a public safety organization. Section 3 specifies the registration requirement, which must occur before any solicitations.
To register, the organization must complete the CTS - 12 Public Safety Organization Registration Form and submit it to the Charitable Trust Section.
The Public Safety Solicitation Act also mandates the registration and bonding of all professional fundraisers soliciting for public safety organizations. Registration of fundraisers is also required before soliciting.
To register, the fundraiser must properly complete and submit a CTS -13 Public Safety Professional Fundraiser Registration Form.
For the first year of solicitations in Michigan the fundraiser must obtain a $25,000 bond which must be submitted on the CTS - 14 Uniform Public Safety Professional Fundraiser Surety Bond (Initial) form, along with a power of attorney form signed by the surety.
After the first year of registration, the amount of the bond will be determined by contributions collected by the fundraiser the previous year as defined in section 4(8) of the Public Safety Solicitation Act.
The Supervision of Trustees for Charitable Purposes Act, MCL 14.251 et seq., mandates that every charitable trust register with the Attorney General. The term "charitable trust" is broadly defined as every person or legal entity that holds property for a charitable purpose.
Most organizations that hold charitable assets in Michigan must be registered with the Charitable Trust Section. Over 13,000 organizations, private foundations and trusts are registered with the Attorney General's office, accounting for billions of dollars of charitable assets. For more information on the law and how it applies to organizations, read How and Why The Michigan Attorney General Supervises Charitable Trusts. This information also helps answer questions for attorneys who assist individuals or groups in forming private or public foundations or charitable organizations.
The Attorney General protects charitable assets in Michigan under broad common law and statutory authority.
This authority extends over the merger or sale of charitable nonprofit corporations. This page gives an overview of the Attorney General's authority in this area. It also links to the Attorney General's Review Process and to information on current and past reviews.
The Review Process is a good starting point for attorneys that are contemplating the sale of charitable assets.