Legal Definitions - charitable

Charitable describes an action, organization, or purpose primarily intended to benefit the general public or a significant portion of it, often by addressing social needs, promoting well-being, or advancing knowledge, typically without expecting direct payment for the services or benefits provided.

Here are some examples to illustrate this term:

• Imagine a local organization that establishes a free after-school tutoring program for children in a disadvantaged neighborhood. This program is considered charitable because its primary purpose is to benefit the public (children in need of educational support) without charging fees, thereby addressing a social need and improving community well-being.

• Consider a wealthy individual who creates a perpetual endowment to fund scientific research into rare diseases, making the findings publicly available to researchers worldwide. The endowment's purpose is charitable because it aims to advance knowledge and potentially improve public health, benefiting society broadly without direct financial return to the donor or the researchers who utilize the findings.

• During a widespread natural disaster, a large corporation donates emergency supplies such as bottled water, blankets, and temporary shelters to affected families. This donation is a charitable act because it provides essential relief to people suffering from a crisis, serving a public purpose by alleviating hardship without expecting payment from the recipients.