Although the contents of charitable foundations and public welfare behaviors are basically the same, due to different actors, their corresponding organizations have different definitions and classifications, so different laws and regulations apply.

Government public welfare organizations are non-profit public welfare units initiated by the government to fulfill the legal obligations of the government. Although the public welfare undertakings they are engaged in are also public welfare organizations, they can only be classified as public welfare organizations rather than charitable organizations, such as government departments at all levels, workers, young women and other mass organizations, because they belong to the legitimate behavior of the government and cannot be equated with the voluntary behavior of charitable organizations. According to the history of charity and social understanding of public welfare undertakings, combined with work practice, public welfare organizations can be divided into government public welfare organizations and non-government public welfare organizations.

Some organizations are established by government departments through administrative means, and the relevant personnel are responsible. Social organizations undertake some government functions, but more are controlled and dominated by the government. Non-profit organizations, also known as the third sector, together with government departments (the first sector) and enterprise private sector (the second sector), constitute three major social forces. Its organizational form can not be separated from the basic form of associations, private non-enterprise units or foundations, and those that meet the statutory registration conditions are also registered according to one of these three types of organizations.

Social organizations in China are registered in the relevant departments according to the existing laws and are not affiliated with the government or political parties. Social members participate according to their own wishes, realize autonomy and self-organization, and are social groups whose purpose is to serve social welfare. sstjqyfywyxgscz

With the development of national economy and the continuous advancement of social governance reform, the state advocates and supports social organizations to participate in social governance and provide socialized and professional services in various fields of society.