About the Index

A company belongs in the index if its governance protects its mission through at least one of these structures:

Statutory benefit corporationBenefit corp

Incorporated under a US statute that legally binds the company to a public or social benefit: a Delaware-style Public Benefit Corporation, a model Benefit Corporation, or a Washington/California Social Purpose Corporation. The exact form appears under Statutory form.

Certified B CorporationB Corp

Certified by the nonprofit B Lab against verified social and environmental standards. A certification, distinct from a legal entity type.

Steward-ownedSteward-owned

Ownership structured so control cannot be sold for short-term gain; profits serve the mission and the company governs itself.

Perpetual Purpose TrustPPT

Owned by a trust established for the benefit of a purpose rather than a person, holding the company in mission indefinitely.

Golden ShareGolden share

A special share held by an independent steward with veto rights over mission-critical decisions such as a sale.

Other mission-lockOther

A non-statutory mission lock: another credible governance structure that protects mission (statutory benefit corporations belong under Benefit corp). See notes.

Scope · U.S. companies, public & private

A statutory benefit corporation is a legal corporate status: a company incorporated under a state statute that binds it to a public or social benefit. The family includes Public Benefit Corporations(Delaware's DGCL Subchapter XV and other states), Benefit Corporations (the model legislation most states adopted), and Social Purpose Corporations (Washington and California). A Certified B Corp is a different thing: a voluntary certificationfrom the nonprofit B Lab that verifies social and environmental performance and requires specific mission language in a company's governing documents. They overlap but are distinct: many B Corps are LLCs, and many benefit corporations never seek certification. A company can be one, both, or neither, and it can be listed in this index for any qualifying structure, with or without B Corp certification. This index groups the statutory forms under a single “Benefit corp” tag and names the exact form on each entry.

Every entry carries its provenance: at least one credible source · an SEC filing, charter, press release, the B Lab directory, or reputable news. The search that finds and verifies these sources is powered by Exa. Strong, well-sourced cases are added automatically; weaker ones go for a quick human review before they join the index.

See exactly what happens when you search ↗

Found an error, a missing mission statement, no logo, or a source worth adding? Every company page has a suggest a correctionlink. Anyone, including a company's own team, can supply the right mission statement, upload a logo, or add a source link. Suggestions are reviewed by a person before they go live, so nothing changes the index automatically.