Ensuring Legal Compliance in Florida: Nonprofits Required to Screen Donor Source (Senate Bill 700)

On July 1, 2025, the Florida Senate enacted Senate Bill 700 imposing significant restrictions on nonprofit donation solicitation. Effective immediately, it is unlawful for any charity registered to solicit contributions or have funds solicited on their behalf to solicit or accept anything of value from a foreign source of concern.  

What is a foreign source of concern?

Foreign countries of concern refer to the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea), the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, and the Syrian Arab Republic. If a person or organization is connected to one of these countries, they may be considered a “foreign source of concern.”

So, who exactly counts as a “foreign source of concern”? The list includes:

• Government officials or agencies from those countries;
• Political parties or their members;
• Businesses, nonprofits, or other organizations based in or governed by those countries;
• Individuals who live in one of those countries and are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents;
• Anyone acting on behalf of one of these foreign governments or entities; and
• Entities where one of the above holds a controlling interest (typically defined as 25% or more of voting rights).

What does compliance look like?

Any nonprofit or sponsor that plans to solicit donations, have donations solicited on its behalf, or participate in a charitable or sponsor sales promotion must now file an “attestation of compliance.” This document confirms that the organization does not accept contributions from any “foreign sources of concern.” 

Looking forward.

The Florida Senate’s new law conveys a clear message: transparency and compliance are non-negotiable. Nonprofits and sponsors that fail to submit the required attestation of compliance will face automatic suspension from soliciting donations in Florida until the necessary information is provided.

But the consequences don’t stop there. In addition to administrative and civil penalties, the law also allows for criminal penalties in cases of willful noncompliance.

Organizations that meet the requirements will be listed in the state’s new Honest Services Registry—a public resource designed to help Floridians make informed decisions about where to donate.

Thanks to Surbhi Bhatter, Williams Parker Summer Associate, for her research and drafting support on this article.