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HomeCorporations CodeCh. 2Art. 4§ 5240 Nonprofit Investment Management Rules

§ 5240 Nonprofit Investment Management Rules

Corporations Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 5240 Nonprofit Investment Management Rules

Key Takeaways

  • •This rule is about how a company must handle its money that's meant for investing, not the money used for its main work like charity or public programs.
  • •The company must invest carefully, avoiding risky bets, and focus on keeping the money safe while also trying to make some income over time.
  • •If there are special rules in the company’s papers (like its bylaws) or in agreements about how to invest donated money, the company must follow those rules too.
  • •If the company follows another law called the 'Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act,' it’s automatically following this rule correctly.

Example

A charity gets a big donation of $100,000 with a note saying the money must be invested in safe government bonds.

The charity’s board can’t use this money to buy risky stocks or cryptocurrency. They have to follow the note’s rule and put the money in safe government bonds to keep it secure and earn a little interest. If they do this, they’re following the law.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 5240 Nonprofit Investment Management Rules

(a) This section applies to all assets held by the corporation for investment. Assets which are directly related to the corporation’s public or charitable programs are not subject to this section. (b) Except as provided in subdivision (c), in investing, reinvesting, purchasing, acquiring, exchanging, selling and managing the corporation’s investments, the board shall do the following: (1) Avoid speculation, looking instead to the permanent disposition of the funds, considering the probable income, as well as the probable safety of the corporation’s capital. (2) Comply with additional standards, if any, imposed by the articles, bylaws or express terms of an instrument or agreement pursuant to which the assets were contributed to the corporation. (c) No investment violates this section where it conforms to provisions authorizing the investment contained in an instrument or agreement pursuant to which the assets were contributed to the corporation. No investment violates this section or Section 5231 where it conforms to provisions requiring the investment contained in an instrument or agreement pursuant to which the assets were contributed to the corporation. (d) In carrying out duties under this section, each director shall act as required by subdivision (a) of Section 5231, may rely upon others as permitted by subdivision (b) of Section 5231, and shall have the benefit of subdivision (c) of Section 5231, and the board may delegate its investment powers as permitted by Section 5210. (e) Compliance with the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act (Part 7 (commencing with Section 18501) of Division 9 of the Probate Code), if that act would be applicable, will be deemed to be compliance with subdivision (b). (Amended by Stats. 2015, Ch. 56, Sec. 1. (AB 792) Effective January 1, 2016.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

assets held by the corporation for investmentpermanent disposition of the fundsUniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act

Related Statutes

  • § 5241 Corporate Trust Investment Deviation
  • § 7240 Charitable Trust Oversight
  • § 9240 Director Religious Considerations
  • § 9241 Director Duties And Reliance
  • § 9242 Director Election Duties

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Corporations Code. Section 5240.
View Official Source