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Charities in Australia

Australia has a curated national charity register maintained by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. GiveRadar turns this ACNC Charity Register data into a searchable view of registered charities, NGOs, nonprofits, associations and foundations.

63,891
Registered charities
70%
With financials filed
Religion
Largest cause area
1 per 432
Residents per organization
Matt Timmermans Reviewed by Matt Timmermans Founder of GiveRadar · Checked August 21, 2026
Where this data comes from  ·  How current it is
The directory

All charities in Australia

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63,891 charities

Page 1 of 3,195

66

Rainforest Rescue

Byron Bay, New South Wales · Environment ·

66

Southern Koala and Echidna Rescue Ltd

Onkaparinga Hills, South Australia · Environment ·

66

Teach For Australia

Melbourne, Victoria · Education ·

66

Wildlife Information Rescue And Education Service Limited

Brookvale, New South Wales · Environment ·

64

Birthing Kit Foundation (Australia)

Goodwood, South Australia · Health ·

64

Clontarf Foundation

Bentley, Western Australia · Social Services ·

64

Forever Wild

Mareeba, Queensland · Environment ·

64

KYEEMA Foundation Ltd

Brisbane, Queensland · Social Services ·

64

Rafiki Mwema Incorporated

Lennox Head, New South Wales · Social Services ·

63

Minus18 Foundation Ltd

St Kilda, Victoria · Social Services ·

61

Rainforest Conservation Foundation

West Burleigh, Queensland · Environment ·

66

10 Cent Tom Limited

Robina, Queensland · Environment ·

66

2 Connect Youth & Community

Brighton Le-Sands, New South Wales · Social Services ·

66

3D Arts Company Ltd

Croydon, Victoria · Education ·

66

4 Voices Global Limited

Morningside, Queensland · Social Services ·

66

5FOLD Limited

Yarrabilba, Queensland · Social Services ·

66

Abacus Learning Centre Ltd

Hastings, Victoria · Social Services ·

66

Abbotsford Convent Foundation

Abbotsford, Victoria · Arts & Culture ·

66

Abbotsford Fivedock Presbyterian Church

Abbotsford, New South Wales · Religion ·

66

Aberfeldie Baptist Church Incorporated

Essendon, Victoria · Religion ·

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The register at a glance

How many registered charities are in Australia?

Australia has 63,920 registered charities in this national view, covering non-profit organizations, not-for-profits, associations, foundations and other legal structures. An ABN is recorded for 63,884 (99.9%), making identification unusually complete across the register.

Whole-register totals
63,891 Registered charities on the ACNC register
70% Filed a financial return 44,716 of them report revenue
1 per 432 Residents per organization Against a population of 27,614,411 (World Bank, 2025)
56.6/100 Average integrity assessment A measure of disclosure, not impact or effectiveness

Australia's average integrity assessment is 56.6 out of 100, measuring the availability of useful disclosures rather than judging effectiveness or trustworthiness. These are ACNC-registered charities vetted for charitable purpose, although the source provides no governance or board data.

By category

Which causes do charities in Australia support?

Australia's charity causes form a real distribution, with Religion largest at 17,053, followed by Education, Social Services and Health. The register also reveals nonprofits working with children, cancer, homelessness, animals, the environment, arts, communities and international needs.

01 Religion 17,053 27% 02 Education 14,286 22% 03 Social Services 7,971 12% 04 Health 7,033 11% 05 Arts & Culture 5,150 8% 06 Environment 2,391 4% 07 Community Development 1,691 3% 08 Human Services 1,189 2% 09 Animal Welfare 1,007 2% 10 International 669 1% 11 Youth Development 495 1% 12 Advocacy & Civil Rights 364 1% 13 Science & Technology 155 <1% 14 Sports & Recreation 151 <1% 15 Disaster Relief 144 <1%
Financial disclosure

How much financial transparency do Australian charities provide?

Australia provides substantial financial transparency through reported annual figures: revenue is available for 44,716 (70%) registered charities, while expenses are available for 46,541 (72.8%). This supports practical comparisons among charities, NGOs, foundations and other not-for-profits.

Share of the register carrying each field
Annual revenue70%
Annual expenses72.8%
Program, admin and fundraising split0%
Website on file66.4%

The figures come from Annual Information Statements submitted to the ACNC. Medium and large charities provide financial information more consistently than small charities, so a missing revenue or expense figure means no processed AIS value is available, not that the organization has no money.

We hold 46,440 of those returns covering 2020 to 2024.

How the integrity assessment uses this →
Age of the register

What does Australia's charity age data show?

Australia's charity age data has a median founding year of 2000 and reaches back to 1801. A founding year is carried by 63,881 (99.9%) registered charities, giving searchers unusually broad historical context for nonprofits, associations and foundations.

385 1880s
366 1890s
500 1900s
692 1910s
722 1920s
584 1930s
862 1940s
1,465 1950s
1,925 1960s
4,028 1970s
6,221 1980s
8,078 1990s
8,840 2000s
16,732 2010s
11,539 2020s
Median decade
2000s
Earliest on record
1801
Records with a date
63,872 of 63,891

A recorded year can reflect an organization's stated founding history rather than the date it joined the ACNC Charity Register. Use it as historical context, then check the register when the distinction between establishment and registration matters. 6 records are left out of this chart for carrying a year outside 1800 to 2026.

Accreditations

Which Australian charities have DGR status for tax-deductible donations?

Australia has 27,420 (42.9%) registered charities with DGR endorsement, a valuable signal for donors seeking a tax-deductible donation. DGR status sits beyond ACNC charity registration and applies only where the relevant tax requirements are met.

Endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office as a Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR), so donations of 2 dollars or more are tax-deductible for the donor. Not every registered charity is a DGR; it is the vetted tax-deductible subset.

DGR status is endorsed by the ATO, allowing eligible donations of 2 dollars or more to be tax-deductible for the donor, subject to applicable conditions. It is a further tax status, so not every registered charity is a DGR.

27,427 DGR (tax-deductible) 42.9% of every charity on this page holds it. Issued by the ATO
Location of nonprofits in Australia

Where are charities located across Australia?

Australia has about 57,705 (90.3%) charities placed across all 8 states and territories. New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland lead the distribution, while charities and NGOs serving health, education, religion, animals and the environment appear nationwide.

Charity density
Each state or territory shaded by charities. Boundaries: Natural Earth.

Top cities

Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide lead the registered-town results. City totals remain relatively modest because charities are dispersed nationally and the ACNC data records each organization's registered town, which may differ from its operating areas or beneficiaries.

01 Sydney 2,123 charities 02 Melbourne 2,029 charities 03 Adelaide 716 charities 04 Brisbane 445 charities 05 Perth 297 charities 06 Hobart 231 charities 07 Parramatta 185 charities 08 Canberra 181 charities 09 Alice Springs 176 charities 10 Armidale 169 charities

Charities by state and territory

New South Wales 19,893 34.5% Victoria 14,776 25.6% Queensland 9,423 16.3% Western Australia 5,841 10.1% South Australia 4,179 7.2% Tasmania 1,390 2.4% Australian Capital Territory 1,317 2.3% Northern Territory 864 1.5%

State and territory coverage shows where registered charities are based across Australia, rather than every community they serve. The register records the registered town, so location data should not be read as a complete map of service delivery.

Data sources

Which sources power Australia's charity data?

Australia's data sources are the ACNC Charity Register and Annual Information Statement open data published on data.gov.au. ABNs provide the core identifiers used to connect registered charities with their public registration, reporting and financial records.

ACNC Charity Register acnc.gov.au ↗
The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission's free public register, the source of this page; confirm a charity's ABN, status, subtypes and AIS
63,891 records 100% coverage
ATO - Deductible Gift Recipients ato.gov.au ↗
Check whether a charity is DGR-endorsed so your donation is tax-deductible
Charities Act 2013 legislation.gov.au ↗
The statutory definition of charity in Australian law
ACNC open data (data.gov.au) data.gov.au ↗
The ACNC charity register and Annual Information Statement datasets
One GiveRadar profile
63,891
Share of profiles carrying each field
Registration ID 100%
Financial return 70%
Expense breakdown 0%
Website 66.4%
Contact email 38.1%
Freshness

How current is GiveRadar's Australia data?

August 21, 2026 Register last refreshed GiveRadar refreshes Australia's register data through periodic bulk passes. Records can change between updates as charities file statements, alter details, receive DGR endorsement or change their registration status with the relevant authorities.
August 21, 2026 This page last reviewed When the figures, wording and sources on this page were last checked against the register.

Australia's charity data comes from the ACNC Charity Register and AIS in periodic bulk passes, so a very recent registration, deregistration or status change may not appear here yet. Use GiveRadar for discovery and comparison, then confirm a charity's current details on the ACNC Charity Register before you give.

Learn more with our country guide

Giving in Australia

How the charity sector is regulated, what kinds of nonprofits operate, and how to evaluate them before you give.

How many registered charities are there in Australia, and who registers them?

Australia has 63,920 charities tracked by GiveRadar, drawn from the curated national ACNC Charity Register. The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission is the national charity regulator and maintains this free, searchable public register (acnc.gov.au).

These are registered charities, not a broad collection of businesses or informal groups. An organization must satisfy the statutory definition of charity under the Charities Act 2013, including charitable purposes for public benefit, and hold an active ABN, or Australian Business Number (legislation.gov.au).

What is an ACNC-registered charity, and which legal forms and subtypes can it have?

In the Australian system, an ACNC-registered charity is a qualifying not-for-profit entity recorded on the national charity register. It may operate as an incorporated association, company limited by guarantee, trust, unincorporated association, cooperative, Indigenous corporation, foundation or another suitable legal structure (acnc.gov.au).

Legal form and charitable purpose are separate. Registered nonprofits, NGOs and non-profit organizations hold relevant charity subtypes, such as advancing health, education, religion, social or public welfare, animal welfare or the environment. Public Benevolent Institution and Health Promotion Charity are also recognized subtypes (acnc.gov.au).

How do you register a charity with the ACNC in Australia?

To register a charity in Australia, establish an eligible not-for-profit entity, obtain an active ABN and apply to the ACNC. The application must explain the entity's purposes, activities, governing rules, responsible people and proposed charity subtypes (acnc.gov.au).

After registration, every charity must lodge an AIS, or Annual Information Statement, each year. Reporting is proportionate to size, so available financial information covers medium and large charities more fully than many small associations. GiveRadar has annual revenue reporting for 44,716 (70%) of tracked charities.

What is DGR status, and how do tax-deductible donations work in Australia?

Australia treats DGR status as a further tax endorsement, not an automatic benefit of ACNC registration. A Deductible Gift Recipient is an eligible charity or fund endorsed by the Australian Taxation Office, while the ACNC remains responsible for charity registration (ato.gov.au).

A qualifying monetary gift of 2 dollars or more to a DGR may be tax-deductible when the donor meets the applicable conditions and keeps suitable records. GiveRadar identifies 27,420 (42.9%) tracked charities as DGR-endorsed, confirming that not every registered charity has this status (ato.gov.au).

How do you check an Australian charity before you donate?

Australia gives donors several official ways to confirm that a charity is registered, active and suitable for their intended gift. Use the ACNC charity register and ABN Lookup together, then assess the available disclosures in context rather than treating any single field as a verdict.

  1. Search the ACNC Charity Register by name or ABN. Confirm registration status, charitable purpose, subtype, reporting history, AIS filings and available financial information (acnc.gov.au).
  2. Match the legal name, entity type and current ABN status through ABN Lookup (abr.business.gov.au).
  3. Verify DGR endorsement and its dates before assuming your donation is tax-deductible. Review the charity's website, programs and recent reporting, then consult GiveRadar's methodology for how disclosure signals are assessed.

How can you donate to charities and causes in Australia?

People in Australia can donate directly to verified charities serving local, national or international causes. Search across children's services, health and cancer support, homelessness, animals, the environment, religion and education, while checking that the exact recipient matches the registered entity you intended to support.

  1. Explore Australian charities by country or browse a focused category such as health charities in Australia.
  2. Compare the charity's purpose, contact details, reporting record and DGR status using the verification steps above.
  3. Donate through the charity's official website or stated payment channel, retain your receipt, and confirm DGR eligibility if you plan to claim a tax deduction. See guidance for donors for further practical checks.
FAQ

Common questions

How many charities are there in Australia?

GiveRadar tracks 63,920 charities registered with the ACNC in Australia, each identified by an ABN. This is a curated national register of organizations that meet the statutory definition of charity under the Charities Act 2013, spanning religion, education, social services, health, the arts, the environment and more, not a broad list of every nonprofit or association.

Who regulates charities in Australia?

The Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) is Australia's independent national charity regulator, and it maintains the free, public ACNC Charity Register that GiveRadar draws on. Separately, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) decides charity tax concessions and endorses Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status, so two bodies share oversight of registered charities.

What is an ACNC-registered charity?

An ACNC-registered charity is an entity accepted as meeting the statutory definition of charity under the Charities Act 2013. It may be an incorporated association, company, trust or another structure, and carries charity subtypes reflecting purposes such as health, education, religion or animal welfare.

How do I register a charity in Australia?

An applicant must establish an eligible not-for-profit entity, obtain an active ABN and apply to the ACNC. The organization must have charitable purposes for public benefit, meet the Charities Act 2013 definition and select the charity subtypes that describe those purposes.

What is DGR status, and are donations tax-deductible?

DGR status means the ATO has endorsed an organization or fund to receive tax-deductible gifts. Eligible monetary donations of 2 dollars or more may be deductible, subject to tax rules, but ACNC registration alone does not make every donation deductible.

How can I verify an Australian charity before donating?

Search the ACNC Charity Register using the charity's name or ABN. Review its registration status, subtype, AIS reporting and available financial information, then use ABN Lookup to confirm the legal entity and current DGR status before making a tax-deductible donation.

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