Nonprofit Corporation Formation Filing in Arkansas

At a glance

Requirements one by one

Articles and incorporators

Under § 4-33-201, one or more persons deliver articles to the Secretary of State. The articles state each incorporator's name and address (§ 4-33-202(a)(4)), and each named incorporator signs (§ 4-33-202(c)(1)). This is the Arkansas Nonprofit Corporation Act of 1993 (§ 4-33-101).

Name, type, members, and directors

The articles give a corporate name and choose public-benefit, mutual-benefit, or religious status (§ 4-33-202(a)(1)–(2)). They say whether the corporation will have members and include lawful dissolution distribution provisions (§ 4-33-202(a)(5)–(6)). A purpose statement and initial-director names are optional; any-lawful-activity wording is allowed (§ 4-33-202(b)(1)–(2)).

Agent and fee

The articles include the registered-agent information in § 4-20-105(a), as required by § 4-33-202(a)(3). The appointment affirms that the agent consents to serve (§ 4-20-105(b)). The statutory articles fee is $50 (§ 4-33-122(a)(1)); the Secretary of State's current nonprofit fee table lists $45 online and $50 on paper.

When existence begins

Corporate existence starts when the articles are filed unless they specify a later effective date (§ 4-33-203(a)). A delayed date may be no more than 90 days after filing (§ 4-33-123(b)).

What trips people up

The articles need an entity-type election even though a purpose statement is optional (§ 4-33-202(a)(2), (b)(1)). The agent provision was replaced by the 2007 general registered-agent rule (§ 4-20-105(a)); the old initial-registered-office wording in the original 1993 act is superseded.

Common questions

Must the articles list initial directors?

No. Section 4-33-202(b)(2) makes their names and addresses optional in the articles.

Must there be voting members?

The articles must say whether or not the corporation will have members (§ 4-33-202(a)(5)).

Statutes and sources

Arkansas's official enrolled 1993, 2007, and 2019 acts and the Secretary of State nonprofit fee table were accessed October 1, 2026. Their official URLs and quoted provisions are recorded above.