For Charities and and Public Benefit Corporations
For Consumers
Filing a Complaint about a Charity
The Maine Attorney General’s office has jurisdiction to investigate complaints about Maine charitable organizations that involve
- Misappropriation of charitable funds;
- Fraudulent or misleading solicitation; or
- Breaches of trust.
We receive many complaints about nonprofit corporations and prioritize those that allege that charitable funds are being used for the personal benefit of an insider. Thefts of charitable funds should be reported first to local law enforcement as a potential crime.
What is outside our jurisdiction?
Please note, we receive many complaints that we do not investigate. Before submitting a complaint about a nonprofit corporation, please consider the following.
- Mutual benefit corporations. Not all nonprofit organizations are charities. The Maine AGO does not get involved in disputes regarding “mutual benefit” corporations, which are not charities because they are established for the benefit of a group of members with a common interest, rather than the public at large. Examples of mutual benefit organizations include snowmobile clubs and condominium associations.
- Governance disputes. The AGO generally does not become involved in governance disputes within nonprofit organizations, unless the board of directors is unable to function and the charity is unable to fulfill its charitable purposes.
- Non-Maine corporations. The AGO generally does not investigate complaints about charities not incorporated in Maine.