How many NGOs and charities are there in Sri Lanka, and who registers them?
GiveRadar tracks 1,283 NGOs and charities in Sri Lanka. They come from the national register of the National Secretariat for Non-Governmental Organisations, kept under the Voluntary Social Service Organisations (Registration and Supervision) Act No. 31 of 1980. This is a register of NGOs under government supervision, not a list vetted for charitable quality.
An NGO in Sri Lanka is a rajya novana sanvidhanaya, usually formed as a voluntary social service organisation, a company limited by guarantee, a charitable trust or a society. The national list is a subset: international, foreign-funded and multi-district NGOs register nationally, while a purely local organisation registers through its District or Divisional Secretariat.
How do you register an NGO in Sri Lanka?
NGOs in Sri Lanka register with the National Secretariat for NGOs under the Voluntary Social Service Organisations Act 1980. National applications are also cleared by the relevant ministries before the Secretariat enters the organisation on its register.
An organisation may first exist under another law, such as a company limited by guarantee under the Companies Act 2007 or a charitable trust under the Trusts Ordinance, and then register with the Secretariat when it operates as an NGO. Local district- or division-level organisations register through their District Secretariat instead of nationally.
What does NGO registration mean, and what does it not?
Registration means the National Secretariat has recognised an organisation and placed it under a reporting and inspection regime, not that it has rated its work. It is government recognition and supervision, not an accreditation of impact, governance or trustworthiness.
Registration also does not by itself confer approved-charity status or make donations tax-deductible; that is a separate status granted by the Inland Revenue Department. GiveRadar's integrity assessment measures what an organisation discloses, not its impact.
Are donations to Sri Lankan charities tax-deductible?
A money donation to an organisation the Minister has declared an "approved charity" under the Inland Revenue Act 2017 is deductible. The individual deduction is capped at the lower of the gift, a third of taxable income, or 75,000 rupees (ird.gov.lk).
Only donations in money to an approved charity qualify under this category, and NGO registration alone does not make a gift deductible. Confirm an organisation's approved-charity status before assuming relief applies.
How do you check a Sri Lankan NGO before you donate?
Check a Sri Lankan NGO in the official records before giving, using its exact name or registration number. A familiar name or a website is not a substitute for confirming registration and, for tax relief, approved-charity status.
- Look the organisation up in the NGO Secretariat's active-NGO list.
- For a tax deduction, check whether it appears on the Inland Revenue Department's approved-charity list.
- For a purely local organisation, confirm its registration with the relevant District Secretariat.
- Read the organisation's own reports and donation terms. See GiveRadar's integrity score methodology for what each data point proves.
How can you donate to charities and NGOs in Sri Lanka?
Sri Lanka offers direct giving to registered NGOs working in community development, social services, health and education across its provinces and districts. Choose a cause deliberately, verify the recipient and use only payment details the organisation itself publishes.
- Explore Sri Lankan NGOs by district, from Colombo to Jaffna, and compare organisations serving the outcome you value.
- Confirm the recipient's NGO registration and, for a tax deduction, its approved-charity status.
- Give through the organisation's confirmed bank details or a secure, published payment channel.
- Keep the receipt. See GiveRadar's guidance for donors for more checks.