Winding up a charity is permanent, and means the charity no longer exists and must cease all operations. A charity can be subject to either voluntary or compulsory winding up. A charity may wind up voluntarily if it has achieved its purpose, or is unable to find people to govern the charity or carry out its work. There are also circumstances where a court may order that a charity wind up.
Information about what you'll need to think about if you want to start a new charity.
Apply in the Charity Portal to register your organisation as a charity.
Information about the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is available in multiple languages.
This page provides answers to common questions the ACNC receives about the application process
To be registered as a charity, your organisation must have a charitable purpose or purposes. This guidance provides information about charitable purpose and ways your organisation can demonstrate that its purpose is charitable.
A list of things you'll need to consider before starting a charity.
When the ACNC registers an organisation as a charity, we register it with one or more charity ‘subtypes’. These subtypes are categories that reflect the charity’s charitable purpose.
An incorporated association is an organisation incorporated under state or territory law, that is usually not-for-profit. Many charities registered with the ACNC are incorporated associations.
The legal structure you choose for your charity should meet your charity’s needs, and allow for future development. Charities have a range of structures, incorporated or unincorporated, and there may be more than one that works for your charity.
