Charitable Trusts Unit

Arts, Culture & the Law - Conference 2012

In 1943, New Hampshire became the first state in the nation to create a Charitable Trusts Unit. The Charitable Trusts Unit is part of the Office of the Attorney General. The mission of the Charitable Trusts Unit is to protect the public's interest in the property and assets committed to charitable purposes in the State through effective registration, education, and enforcement.

The statute creating the Charitable Trusts Unit (RSA 7:19) provides the Attorney General's Office with all the common law and statutory authority to enforce charitable trust laws. The laws governing charitable trusts in New Hampshire are complex and the Director of Charitable Trusts is responsible for the supervision and enforcement of charitable trusts and charitable solicitations. The Director is a necessary party to all judicial proceedings that affect the purposes of a charitable organization, whether in Probate Court or Superior Court.

In terms of statutory mandates, the principal functions of the Charitable Trusts Unit include:

• Enforcing laws relating to charitable trusts in New Hampshire (RSA 7:19-32 and the common law), including reviewing all applications for registration and reports filed by charitable trusts;
• Reviewing all nonprofit healthcare mergers, affiliations, and consolidations (RSA 7:19-b);
• Receiving the community benefits plans filed by the healthcare charitable trusts and nonprofit nursing homes in New Hampshire;
• Licensing professional fundraisers soliciting charitable donations from New Hampshire citizens (RSA 7:28-b and -c);
• Monitoring commercial co-venturers and charitable sales promotions (RSA 7:28-d);
• Monitoring the issuance of charitable gift annuities (RSA 403-E);
• Working with the Racing and Charitable Gaming Commission in enforcing gaming laws relating to games of chance, Bingo and Lucky 7's;
• Working with the Criminal Bureau in investigating allegations of criminal activities by officers and directors of charitable trusts; and
• Receiving the community benefit plans that healthcare charitable trusts file with the Unit (RSA 7:32-c et seq.).

Contact information for the Charitable Trusts Unit:

Anthony I. Blenkinsop, Director
Charitable Trusts Unit
Attorney General's Office
33 Capitol Street
Concord, NH 03301
Telephone: (603) 271-3591
charitabletrusts2@doj.nh.gov