DgcityChina has rewritten its national rulebook for foundations, tightening registration, fundraising and disclosure requirements for a charitable sector that grew rapidly before a series of scandals and political campaigns forced it into a more cautious posture.
Premier Li Qiang signed a State Council decree promulgating the revised regulations, which run to 79 articles in eight chapters and take effect on January 1, 2027. The stated aim is to strengthen the credibility of foundations and support sound, orderly development.
Foundations engaged in public welfare will be required to operate on principles of legality, voluntariness, good faith, openness, transparency and non-profit status. Registration rules are being reorganized: the decree clarifies which level of government holds authority, sets registered capital requirements, advances direct registration where appropriate, spells out procedures for changing registrations and improves liquidation before an organization is removed from the rolls.
Fundraising conduct gets the most detailed treatment. The regulations tighten rules on raising donations and making grants, and for the first time give explicit treatment to internet fundraising and cooperative fundraising between platforms, a practice that exploded in popularity through mobile payment apps and came under scrutiny after questions about fees, intermediaries and the destination of donations.
The internal governance of foundations, information disclosure and industry self-regulation all receive dedicated sections, alongside stronger government supervision. For an outside reader, this fits a familiar Chinese regulatory pattern: rather than loosen state oversight of civil society, authorities are building a more precise cage, allowing groups that demonstrate compliance to operate while keeping a grip on registration, fundraising channels and accounts.
The Chinese foundation world includes both large public fundraising bodies with close ties to the state and smaller private foundations founded by entrepreneurs, universities and families. Since a 2016 charity law and later campaigns that questioned the motives and foreign links of some nonprofits, the sector has tilted toward state-aligned causes: disaster relief, rural education, elderly care and medical assistance. Several high-profile groups saw operations curtailed or founders investigated.
For donors, the practical difference will appear in how campaigns are displayed online, what must be disclosed about spending and how easily organizations can register without a sponsoring government agency. For foundations themselves, the decree signals that expansion is possible, but only inside a compliance regime that treats transparency and political reliability as conditions of doing good works.
