Meaning & use
nonprofit corporation
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountablebusinesslaw
A company that is not run to make a profit for its owners, but to serve a social, educational, or charitable purpose.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'a nonprofit corporation' or 'several nonprofit corporations'.
Patterns
- set up a nonprofit corporation
- register as a nonprofit corporation
- run a nonprofit corporation
They set up a nonprofit corporation to provide free legal advice to low-income families.
The museum is a nonprofit corporation, so all the money it makes goes back into its programs.
She works for a nonprofit corporation that builds affordable housing.
Word forms
| plural | nonprofit corporations |
|---|
Common combinations
- set up a nonprofit corporation
- The group set up a nonprofit corporation to manage the community garden.
- a registered nonprofit corporation
- The shelter is a registered nonprofit corporation.
- a nonprofit corporation's board
- The nonprofit corporation's board meets every month.
- form a nonprofit corporation
- You need a lawyer to form a nonprofit corporation in this state.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nonprofit organization
- Very close in meaning, but 'organization' is broader and can include clubs and associations that are not corporations.
- charity
- A charity is a type of nonprofit that specifically helps people in need; not all nonprofit corporations are charities.
- not-for-profit corporation
- A common legal variant with the same meaning; 'not-for-profit' is often used in British English.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: nonprofit corporation or corporation? nonprofit corporation or cooperation?
nonprofit corporation vs corporation
A corporation is any large company or legal entity; it may or may not be nonprofit. A nonprofit corporation is a specific legal type.
nonprofit corporation vs cooperation
Cooperation means working together helpfully. Corporation is a business entity. They sound similar but are completely different.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'nonprofit corporation' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A nonprofit corporation does not aim to make profits for owners, so donating profits to help animals fits. The other options describe for-profit goals, which contradict the meaning of 'nonprofit'.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonprofit corporation”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.