Under the Disclosure Regime which came into effect on 9 October 2023, collections for local registered or exempt charities under the Charities Act, and collections for Fund-Raising for Foreign Charitable Purposes (FRFCP) permit holders approved by the COC, will only be regulated under the Charities Act. These entities (or “charitable fund-raisers”) will be exempted from applying for a licence to conduct house to house and street collections but will instead be required to:

a)     Disclose details of their public fund-raising appeals on the Charity Portal at least seven working days before the commencement of the appeal. Please note that the public fund-raising appeal cannot commence until the disclosure is submitted on the Charity Portal; and

b)     Ensure that their collectors and fund-raisers carry clear identification, such as an official letter from the charitable fund-raiser, and maintain appropriate behaviour when conducting the appeal.

With a maturing charity landscape, the revised regime seeks a better balance between making it easier for bona fide charities and fund-raisers to raise funds by streamlining processes, and the appropriate transparency and accountability safeguards to help members of the public make informed decisions on their donations.

The disclosure regime for public fund-raising appeals applies to (a) registered or exempt charities under the Charities Act, and (b) those with valid permits from the COC for donations to foreign charitable causes (i.e. FRFCP permit holders), that intend to conduct public fund-raising appeals for collections of monies and/or other property by means of visits from house to house or by soliciting in any public places [including on the streets], or by both such means. The regime also applies to collections by third parties for an entity mentioned under (a) or (b) above.