not-for-profit

English

Adjective

not-for-profit (not comparable)

1. (of a company or organization) Providing goods or services, but not for the purpose of making a profit.
   • 2014 October 1, Donnie Maclurcan, Jennifer Hinton, “Beyond capitalism: not-for-profit business ethos motivates sustainable behaviour”, in The Guardian‎^[1], →ISSN:

     For-profit capitalism has created social and economic inequality; successful not-for-profit businesses including Mozilla and the Big Issue point to an alternative path[.]

   • 2020 December 2, Mark Phillips, “Rebuilding Rail in the 2020s”, in Rail, page 46:

     Formerly ^{[sic – meaning Formally]} known as the Rail Safety and Standards Board, the not-for-profit organisation's remit includes managing and developing Railway Group Standards on behalf of the rail industry, leading the development of long-term safety strategy, and supporting cross-industry groups that address major areas of safety risk.

Usage notes

In US usage, not-for-profit organizations are not required to operate for the benefit of the public good (as is the case with non-profit), and may just exist to serve the goals of their members.

Synonyms

• non-profit
• non-profit-making

Antonyms

• for-profit

Translations

not aiming for profit — see nonprofit

Noun

not-for-profit (plural not-for-profits)

1. A not-for-profit company or organization.

   Synonyms: NFP, NFPO

   Coordinate term: NPO

References

• “not-for-profit”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.