What is a benefit corporation?

A benefit corporation is a for-profit business that has made a legal commitment to more than just making money. It is a business structure, recognized by most U.S. states, that requires companies to consider how their business decisions affect people and the planet, not just their bottom line. In a traditional corporation, shareholders are typically prioritized. A benefit corporation legally requires consideration of employees, customers, community, and the environment in business decisions.

What is the difference between a B Corp and a benefit corporation?

A benefit corporation is a legal business structure, like an LLC or a sole proprietorship, created by filing paperwork with a state. A B Corp is a certification issued by the nonprofit B Lab after a review of a company's social and environmental practices. Benefit Corporations for Good certification is also a third-party certification, similar to B Corp, but built with small businesses in mind. BCFG is one of only four standards recognized by the Oregon Secretary of State and is the only one based in Oregon.

Why did we start Benefit Corporations for Good?

Benefit Corporations for Good was created because small businesses deserve a way to prove what they stand for. Many purpose-driven business owners are already doing right by their people and their community, but need a trusted and recognizable way to show it. BCFG was created as a certification that is meaningful enough to matter while being built for real small businesses, not only large companies with full-time sustainability teams.

Who is certification for?

Certification is for small businesses that care about their employees, their neighborhood, and the wider world they operate in. Certified businesses include law firms, solar companies, marketing agencies, wine bars, and other industries. Applicants do not need to be perfect, but they need to be serious about their commitment. The process includes a 60-question assessment across eight standards, followed by a short interview. For businesses with five or fewer full-time equivalent employees, the fee is $299.

What Does Benefit Corporation Certification Mean?

Benefit Corporation leaders gathering at Happy Hour for Good.

“Benefit corporation certification” gets used loosely, sometimes to mean the legal status itself, sometimes third-party certification like BCFG’s. They’re not the same thing, and the difference is worth being precise about.

Certification is not the legal status

Benefit corporation or benefit company status is granted by the state, through a legal filing. Certification is granted by an independent organization B Lab for B Corp, or BCFG through an evaluation of your actual practices. A business can hold benefit company status without certification, and in some cases pursue certification without benefit company status.

What does BCFG certification evaluate?

Our certification assesses alignment with the Triple Bottom Line, People, Planet, Profit through an online questionnaire covering eight standards: Conscientious Leadership, Diversity Equity and Inclusion, Green Practices, Values of Benefit Corporations, Strategic Business Practices, Community Engagement, being Customer-Driven, and Work-Life Balance & Sustainability. Once you submit, a senior principal follows up with a call to confirm the business genuinely aligns with the philosophy not just the paperwork.

What you get

Certification isn’t just a logo. It includes a digital “Benefit Corporations for Good Certified” badge, branded window clings for your space, consulting time with a senior principal to help you act on the standards, and ongoing access to BCFG’s educational forums and community including the Business for Good Roundtable and Happy Hours for Good.

What it costs

$299 for businesses with five or fewer full-time employees priced for a small team’s budget, not a national brand’s compliance department.

Does it apply outside Oregon?

Yes. BCFG has certified 100+ businesses across 13 states and one Canadian province, though we’re the only certification standard of our kind based in Oregon.

The first benefit isn’t profit. It’s purpose with proof. That’s what certification is actually for not a badge, but independent evidence that your business is doing what it says.

Ready to start? Take our free values alignment assessment here, or see How to Become a Benefit Corporation.

Related guides

What Is a Benefit Corporation? — Understand the legal business structure that is distinct from certification.
BCFG Certification Standards Explained — Learn about the eight standards used in BCFG certification.
Which BCFG Certification Standard Is Hardest to Meet? — Explore the standards that small businesses may find most challenging.
Benefit Corporation for Small Business — Discover how benefit corporation status and certification can apply to small businesses.