guide
RGAA for non-profit: requirements, priorities, and audit checklist
RGAA compliance for non-profit sites requires applying Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité to the specific failure points typical of the non-profit industry — including donation forms with poor keyboard support, event registration timeouts without warnings, inaccessible grant-application pdfs.
Does RGAA apply to non-profit sites?
France's Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité (RGAA) is the French government's national web accessibility methodology, currently at version 4.1, that operationalises EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA with 106 control tests and is mandatory for public-sector and (since the EAA transposition) large-private-sector French websites.
Non-profit accessibility — the lay of the land
Non-profits face accessibility on three fronts: legal exposure under the ADA, grant-funding requirements (most federal grants now require digital accessibility), and mission alignment (excluding disabled donors and beneficiaries undermines mission). Donation forms and event registration are the most common failure points.
Where RGAA bites hardest in non-profit sites
• Donation forms with poor keyboard support
• Event registration timeouts without warnings
• Inaccessible grant-application PDFs
• Programme content as image-only
• Inaccessible third-party donor platforms
Remediation priorities
• Donation flow (mobile + desktop)
• Event registration and ticketing
• Grant application forms
• Programme information pages
• Volunteer portal
How to comply with RGAA on a Non-profit site
1. Audit per RGAA 4.1 control list: 106 control tests across WCAG 2.1 AA.
2. Publish conformance statement: Mandatory; templated by DINUM.
3. Multi-year plan + annual schedule: Required for public sector.
Sources
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Cited answers. Sourced. Updated as standards and case law change.
Does RGAA apply to non-profit websites?
France's Référentiel général d'amélioration de l'accessibilité (RGAA) is the French government's national web accessibility methodology, currently at version 4.1, that operationalises EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA with 106 control tests and is mandatory for public-sector and (since the EAA transposition) large-private-sector French websites.
What are the most common RGAA failures in non-profit sites?
Donation forms with poor keyboard support Event registration timeouts without warnings Inaccessible grant-application PDFs
What conformance level should a non-profit site target?
WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the consensus target for legal compliance and the level referenced by virtually every national accessibility law.
Does the ADA apply to non-profits?
Yes. ADA Title III covers any "public accommodation" — and non-profit charities, foundations, museums, religious-organisation services, social service centres, and educational programmes are typically in scope. Religious organisations themselves are partially exempt from Title III but their auxiliary programmes often are not.
Do grant-funded non-profits have additional obligations?
Federal grants typically require recipients to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act — which includes a digital accessibility component. Some grant terms now also reference WCAG explicitly.
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