International Charity Law Network

2024 CONFERENCE UPDATE: In response to a call for expressions of interest, thirty charity law scholars from five continents are planning to attend the 2024 International Charity Law Network Conference to be held on Thursday, September 19th and Friday, September 20th in Toronto, Canada and hosted by Osgoode Hall Law School, York University. The conference organizing committee is now in the process of contacting Canadian and United States regulators and practitioners who may be interested in participating.

Charity law determines what entities qualify as “charities” eligible to receive special legal treatment in a variety of areas. With the growth globally of the number, size, and variety of charities, this is an increasingly important and contested area of law.

Civil society organizations seeking charity status include advocacy groups, health care entities, schools, social service providers, and other groups that provide an increasing amount of both services and opportunities for civic participation. Given their expanding role, governments use charity law both to support these groups and also to channel, control, or limit their activities. This in turn means that many countries share common issues relating to charity law, but the international study of charity law has not kept pace with these developments.

The International Charity Law Network formed in 2022 to bring scholars together from around the world to collaborate on research, share information, and convene events that advance our understanding of this vitally important area of the law.

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