How many NGOs work in Venezuela, and who registers them?
GiveRadar tracks 86 humanitarian organizations working in Venezuela. This list is drawn from the UN's humanitarian coordination data, not an official charity register. Venezuelan nonprofits are usually asociaciones civiles or fundaciones, which gain legal personality by registering their statutes through the public registry service, SAREN.
Since 2024 they must also enrol in a new mandatory national NGO registry. GiveRadar's list is not that register: it is a record of which organizations are reported to be delivering aid, published through the UN humanitarian system.
What is Venezuela's 2024 NGO law?
Passed in 2024, the law on the oversight and financing of NGOs created a mandatory national registry, requires disclosure and advance notice of funding, and tightens control of foreign financing. It also restricts political activity and allows fines and loss of registration.
United Nations experts warned that it could be used to suppress independent civil society, and human-rights monitors have documented a wider closing of civic space. An independent article-by-article analysis is published by Acceso a la Justicia.
What does this data show, and what does it not?
It shows reported humanitarian presence: an organization said it was operating in Venezuela, in a stated location and sector. That is useful amid a major humanitarian and migration crisis.
It does not show that an organization is registered, independent, effective or free of government pressure, nor that it remains active everywhere it once reported. In a pressured environment, incomplete information can reflect genuine protection risks as much as ordinary compliance gaps. Current reporting is on ReliefWeb.
How do you check a Venezuelan NGO before you donate?
Check the organization's registry documents through SAREN and corroborate its work through UN reporting. A name in a coordination dataset is a starting point, not proof of standing.
- Confirm its legal personality and statutes through SAREN, and its tax standing with the tax authority.
- Corroborate its operations through OCHA and recent ReliefWeb reporting.
- Request recent accounts and references directly, and respect protection risks.
- See GiveRadar's integrity score methodology for what each data point proves.
How can you support charities and NGOs in Venezuela?
Most of the organizations here deliver humanitarian services and health support amid a prolonged emergency. Give deliberately, verify the recipient and use only channels the organization itself publishes.
- Compare organizations by the outcome you value, and confirm each is genuinely operating.
- Consider giving through an established humanitarian agency working in Venezuela or the regional response.
- Keep evidence of your donation. See GiveRadar's guidance for donors for more checks.