CDP
RESOURCES FOR THE FORMATION OF A
TAX-EXEMPT CALIFORNIA NONPROFIT CORPORATION
Public Counsel’s Community
Development Project (CDP) provides a wide range of transactional
legal services to qualifying nonprofit
organizations. We assist start-up nonprofits that share our mission
by helping to incorporate, obtain tax exemption, and establish workable
corporate structures and policies. The following is a collection of
resources to assist nonprofit organizations that have chosen to incorporate
in California and the pro bono attorneys who represent them.
Please note that these
resources should not be construed as all-inclusive or as legal services
to any organization or individual. These resources
should only be used as a starting point to understand the steps involved
with becoming a tax-exempt California nonprofit corporation. Nonprofits
should contact CDP to determine how the information in these resources
may apply to the organization’s specific situation. Some organizations
may need additional information not discussed in these resources.
For Potential Nonprofit Clients:
Get
Ready, Get Set: What you need to know before starting a nonprofit.
This publication from the Center for Nonprofit Management
explains the key characteristics of nonprofit organizations
and includes
a
decision tree for starting a new nonprofit organization.
It is designed to help
groups explore necessary preliminary questions, such
as “is the
proposed project something a nonprofit organization can legally do,” “is
there an unmet need in the community?” and “will
the organization attract sufficient resources to make
the project viable?”
Fiscal
Sponsorship: An Alternative to Forming a Nonprofit 501(c)(3)
Corporation. Fiscal sponsorship is an alternative available
to individuals or groups performing charitable services and wishing
to give their donors the ability to take a charitable contribution
deduction, but not wanting to spend a great amount of time and resources
to comply with the extensive filing requirements, tax compliance, and
other legal obligations associated with incorporation and tax exemption.
Fiscal sponsorship may be appropriate when the proposed charitable
program is relatively small in scope, temporary in nature or when the
business plan is in its beginning stages.
Free Legal Clinics: Nonprofit
Formation and Tax Exemption Clinic.
Attendees meet one-on-one for up to one hour with
an attorney
to discuss specific questions and legal issues relating
to forming a nonprofit and obtaining tax exemption.
These
clinics are generally
open ONLY to people who have already attended CDP’s free seminar “How
to Form a California Charitable Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Corporation.” Advance
registration is required. For additional information,
please call our clinic intake line at 213.385.2977
x. 210.
Application
for Free Legal Assistance. If you are seeking CDP’s assistance, we recommend
that you spend some time filling out this application. It will help
your organization gather the information
and make the decisions required throughout this process. You can save
significant time by planning and answering all the questions in the
application now instead of in a piecemeal fashion as they come up.
Note: We cannot determine whether we can assist you unless you complete
the application. For additional information or assistance, please call
our intake line at 213.385.2977 x. 200.
General
Information
Useful
Forms (disclaimer)
Other
Information and Resources
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